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This is a C♯ minor blues backing track: a moody minor blues on a half-time shuffle, minor sevenths on the guitar. It plays the Minor 12-bar blues progression in C♯ minor at 80 BPM in 4/4, round and round, so you can practise soloing, rhythm or both.
C♯ and D♭ are the same pitch; the chords are spelled in C♯. The player above is set to this track. Press Play, slow it down or speed it up, mute the guitar to play the chords yourself, or mute the bass to play the bass line. You can also switch key or style without leaving the page.
How the band plays it
A half-time shuffle: the backbeat lands on beat three, which makes the groove feel wide and heavy, with dark minor seventh chords on top.
The chords
A minor 12-bar blues: the same twelve-bar plan with minor i and iv chords, and a ♭VI7 – V7 turnaround that pulls hard back home. In C♯ minor that is C♯m7, F♯m7, A7, G♯7.
1C♯m7
2C♯m7
3C♯m7
4C♯m7
5F♯m7
6F♯m7
7C♯m7
8C♯m7
9A7
10G♯7
11C♯m7
12G♯7
In numbers: i7 = C♯m7 · iv7 = F♯m7 · ♭VI7 = A7 · V7 = G♯7. The numbers count from the key’s root, so the same progression works in any key.
The shapes the guitar plays
Three- and four-note shapes without open strings, close together so each change is a small move.
Play the rhythm part yourself
Strum the minor sevenths on the beat and push the last up-strum into the next beat. Let the iv chord ring a little longer than the i. Mute the guitar in the player and the band leaves the part to you.
C♯ dorian: C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯ B. For a jazzier minor sound.
Minor pentatonic is safe everywhere; over the ♭VI7 chord try the major third of that chord, and over the V7 chord lean on its third, the leading note of the key.
Notes to aim for
Scales get you through the track; landing on the chord tones makes a solo follow the changes. The strongest notes over each chord are its 3rd and 7th:
Chord
Root
3rd
5th
7th
C♯m7
C♯
E
G♯
B
F♯m7
F♯
A
C♯
E
A7
A
C♯
E
G
G♯7
G♯
B♯
D♯
F♯
How to practise with it
Listen to one time round the progression and count the bars.
Play the root note of each chord on the beat, then the whole chord with the band.
Solo with C♯ minor pentatonic, starting and ending phrases on C♯.
Aim for the 3rd of each chord as it arrives (the table above).
Raise the tempo by 5 BPM when it feels easy, or try the same track in another key.
Common questions
What chords are in this C♯ minor blues backing track?
C♯m7, F♯m7, A7, G♯7, in the order C♯m7 | C♯m7 | C♯m7 | C♯m7 | F♯m7 | F♯m7 | C♯m7 | C♯m7 | A7 | G♯7 | C♯m7 | G♯7.
What scale do I use over a C♯ minor blues?
C♯ minor pentatonic (C♯ E F♯ G♯ B) is the first choice; C♯ blues and C♯ dorian also work.
Can I change the tempo or key?
Yes: change the tempo or tap another key in the player and the band follows from the next bar. Every track is made live, so any tempo sounds natural.
Can I download it?
Yes: from the menu, save it as an MP3 or WAV file, as MIDI for your music software, or print the chord chart.
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