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Here is the script for this video:
Like the 6/8 time signature we covered in the last sound bite in this series,12/8 is a compound time signature.

Remember, that the word compound is used to describe time signatures where the main beat is subdivided into three instead of two. So a bar of twelve eight has a similar feel to two bars of 6/8

And just as with the 6/8 time signature, although it can be counted 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 it is generally more practical to think of it as four lots of three and so count it 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a

Perhaps the most popular use of 12/8 is in blues. Particularly slow blues. But, to the uninitiated the 12 beats to the bar in slow blues is not necessarily immediately apparent. And this is because of the common use of the shuffle pattern.

Shuffle patterns come in two broad types - straight and syncopated or swung.
And by taking a closer look at the difference between these two types of shuffle pattern we can more easily see how the 12 8 time signature plays its part.

The straight shuffle, used more in rock than straight blues, sounds like this...
And in standard notation that would look like this: Which as you can see it in straight 4 4 time 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &...

But in slow blues we leave a gap between each pair of quavers so it sounds like this, which can be vocalized as 1 a 2 a 3 & 4 a ... And this pattern of sounded notes comes out of the underlying 12/8 rhythm.

Here you can see this by the quaver rest between each pair of sounded quaver notes. And, looking at the count line beneath the stave, you can see that this rest takes up the time that the 'and' beats represent...shown here in brackets.

So the underlying beat to the swung shuffle is 12/8 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a
1 a 2 a 3 a 4 a ... 123456789101112

There are quite a few detailed lessons on exactly how to play rock and blues shuffle patterns on the SGT site, but, as well as shuffle based slow blues tunes, 12/8 features in soul and gospel tunes with strong blues connections.

So I thought I would play out here with a nice easy song in 12 8 from the great Sam Cooke. I can't sing as high as Sam could, so I have taken the key down to G which is the key the Animals used when they covered this song.

If you'd like to give this one a go you'll find a link to the chords and lyrics beneath the video screen...

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