What percent of blues is in "shuffle" vs. "straight" feel?

BrianKay

Blues Newbie
Hello!
So, I'm a relative beginner and working my way through Griff's "How to Jam the Blues Alone" course, as well as nerding out big-time on his one-off video "Blues Song Form Elements". I'm basically looking for a little feedback on whether I'm understanding "feel" rightly. In the latter video he mentions that there are three options for feel: straight blues (which would have a count like "one-and-two-and-three-and-four", yes?), shuffle (which would have a count like "one-and-uh-two-and-uh-three-and-uh-four-and-uh", yes?), and slow blues (which is just a slow shuffle, right?).
If I'm right about that, it seems like most of the licks in at least the first half of How to Jam the Blues Alone are in shuffle feel, yes? I just want to make sure I'm not counting wrongly! Also, is this an indication that most blues really are in the shuffle feel? For some reason I find the shuffle much harder to count!
Thanks for any reality checks with anything I've said!
Truly,
Brian
 

tommytubetone

Great Lakes
I haven't looked at that course, so I don't know about the licks. My experience is that most blues are a shuffle feel, especially those songs by the old bluesman. The modern blues not so much. :Beer:
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
it seems like most of the licks in at least the first half of How to Jam the Blues Alone are in shuffle feel, yes?

Yes.

I believe every lick in the course has the "metric modulation" symbol at the beginning, i.e. count 1 and uh 2 and uh, etc.
(except for one turnaround example :sneaky:)
 

JPsuff

Blackstar Artist
Hello!
So, I'm a relative beginner and working my way through Griff's "How to Jam the Blues Alone" course, as well as nerding out big-time on his one-off video "Blues Song Form Elements". I'm basically looking for a little feedback on whether I'm understanding "feel" rightly. In the latter video he mentions that there are three options for feel: straight blues (which would have a count like "one-and-two-and-three-and-four", yes?), shuffle (which would have a count like "one-and-uh-two-and-uh-three-and-uh-four-and-uh", yes?), and slow blues (which is just a slow shuffle, right?).
If I'm right about that, it seems like most of the licks in at least the first half of How to Jam the Blues Alone are in shuffle feel, yes? I just want to make sure I'm not counting wrongly! Also, is this an indication that most blues really are in the shuffle feel? For some reason I find the shuffle much harder to count!
Thanks for any reality checks with anything I've said!
Truly,
Brian

A shuffle is just two eighth notes played as a triplet.

Sometimes, a better way to get the feel of it ( instead of ' one-and-a-two-and-a-three...) is to think of it as: one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three..., which speaks more directly to the triplet feel.
 

jmin

Student Of The Blues
A shuffle is just two eighth notes played as a triplet.

Sometimes, a better way to get the feel of it ( instead of ' one-and-a-two-and-a-three...) is to think of it as: one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three..., which speaks more directly to the triplet feel.

...I thought that spoke more directly to the Waltz! ;)
 
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