What is the blues 12 chord progression? (2024)

What is the blues 12 chord progression?

A 12-bar blues is divided into three four-bar segments. A standard blues progression, or sequence of notes, typically features three chords based on the first (written as I), fourth (IV), and fifth (V) notes of an eight-note scale.

What chord progressions does the 12-bar blues typically follow?

The typical 12 bar blues progression is written as I-IV-I-V-I. It begins with the tonic chord (I), which is played for four bars. The next four bars are played using the subdominant chord (IV). The next two bars return to the tonic chord (I).

Which chord numbers are the 12 blues made up of?

The 12-bar blues progression is usually made up of three chords, based around the 1, 4 and 5 chords of a given key. These chords are also labeled in Roman numerals: I (one chord), IV (four chord) and V (five chord).

Which chord sequence is used in the 12-bar blues in C?

A 12 bar blues divides into three four bar segments. In its simplest form, it'll contain the tonic, subdominant and dominant chords. In the key of C, this would be C major, F major and G major.

What is the 12-bar blues progression in F major?

The 12 Bar Blues in F

In the basic F Blues, the 12 bars are only made up of 3 different chords: F7, Bb7 and C7. Also notice that all of these chords are dominant chords. If we analyse the chords numerically, this is what we get: The I chord is F, the IV chord is Bb and the V chord is C.

What three chords are found in most blues progressions?

Here are the 3 variations in 12 Bar Blues Progression that you'll explore. Each of them uses those I, IV, and V chords. Since you'll be playing them in different keys, you'll use different chords each time.

What are the 3 primary chords used in 12 bar blues?

The standard 12-bar blues progression contains three chords. These three chords are the 1 chord, the 4 chord, and the 5 chord.

What is the most popular blues chord progression?

The most common progression in blues is a I-IV-V or 1-4-5. Outside of blues guitar, you'll rarely play every single chord in a progression as a 7th chord.

What is the standard blues progression?

The blues progression uses chords I, IV and V of the key you are in. In the key of E, the I chord is E7, the IV chord is A7, and the V chord is B7. The I chord shares the same letter as the key itself (an E7 chord when we're in the key of E).

What are the most important chords in a 12 bar blues?

The 12-bar blues (or blues changes) is one of the most prominent chord progressions in popular music. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase, chord structure, and duration. In its basic form, it is predominantly based on the I, IV, and V chords of a key.

How many total chords are there in 12 bar blues?

In technical terms, the 12 bar blues is a chord progression that lasts for 12 bars, or measures. These 12 bars repeat throughout the course of the song. The chord progression is typically made up of 3 chords. Specifically, the 12 bar blues is based around the I, IV and V chords of any given key.

What is the blues formula?

The major blues scale formula is 1 – 2 – ♭3 – ♮3 – 5 – 6. Which means the C major blues scale consists of the notes C – D – E♭ – E♮ – G – A. The minor blues scale formula is 1 – ♭3 – 4 – ♭5 – 5 – ♭7, so the C minor blues scale has the notes C – E♭ – F – G♭ – G – B♭.

What are the 7th chords in 12 bar blues?

Applying dominant 7th chords to the 12 bar blues. To add a bluesy feel to your 12 bar blues structure, you need to play the I, IV and V chords as dominant 7th chords. The good news here, is that by learning just 2 chord shapes, you can play the 12 bar blues using dominant 7th chords, in a whole range of different keys.

What is a minor blues progression?

The minor blues progression follows the standard 12 bar form but with minor 7th or minor 6th chords instead of the dominant 7th chords that you would associate with the traditional 12 bar blues. We start by playing through with simple triad voicings, and then we extend the chords to include the 7th.

What chords are in 12 bar blues in G major?

12 Bar Blues in G

The “12 bar” part should be pretty clear: three lines of four bars each. We're in the key of G, so if we number the letters of the G scale then we could call G the “1 chord”, C the “4 chord”, and D the “5 chord”. Musicians use these numbers as shorthand to communicate chord changes.

What chords are in the minor 12-bar blues?

There are a number of similarities between the minor blues progression and the major blues progression: They both are 12 bars long. Both feature the I, IV and V chords (although the numerals are lower case in the minor blues progression).

What are the chord progression numbers for the blues?

The standard 12-bar blues progression has three chords in it – the 1 chord, the 4 chord, and then the 5 chord. In the key of E blues, the 1 chord is an E, the 4 chord is an A, and the 5 chord is a B. Let's talk about blues rhythm.

What is the difference between 12-bar blues and 8 bar blues?

Eight-bar blues progressions have more variations than the more rigidly defined twelve bar format. The move to the IV chord usually happens at bar 3 (as opposed to 5 in twelve bar); however, "the I chord moving to the V chord right away, in the second measure, is a characteristic of the eight-bar blues."

What 3 chords are the most important?

The I, IV, and V chords are the three most common and arguably the most important harmonic elements in the musical universe. Built off of the first, fourth, and fifth notes of any major or minor scale, these three chords form the basis for much of the music found in several genres.

Who was considered the father of the blues?

For his efforts in making Blues famous, W.C. Handy is known as the “Father of the Blues.”

How do you make a blues progression?

Basic I7-IV7-V7 Blues Chord Progression

This blues form is a basic 12-bar blues, utilizing three basic blues chords: I7, IV7, and the V chord: I7. IV7. V7.

What key is most blues played in?

The two most common keys in blues music are A and E.

What's the most famous chord progression of all time?

The I–V–vi–IV progression is a common chord progression popular across several genres of music. It uses the I, V, vi, and IV chords of a musical scale. For example, in the key of C major, this progression would be C–G–Am–F.

What is the most common blues tuning?

Both the blues and folk genres have leaned on open G tuning to deliver a rich, soulful sound. Classic rock (and even modern rock with classic rock flavoring), also uses open G to add a distinctive bluesy tone. Here are a few ways these genres have embraced open G tuning.

What are examples of blues progressions?

For example, an A minor blues progression would typically be: Am7, Dm7, Em7 (1,4,5). However, sometimes a dominant 7th 5 chord is used to create more tension before the return "home" to the minor tonic. For example: Am7, Dm7, E7. In other words, we only change the 1 and 4 chords to minor.