Although blues music relies heavily on improvisation, it nevertheless follows some basic structure. This allows musicians to explore their creativity while still being able to play together in a cohesive and controlled manner. Today we will look at the 12-bar blues chords forms and how you can use it.
12-bar blues progression is the most common blues form and can be heard on countless legendary blues tracks. (Check out our playlist below!) When looking at 12-bar blues, we can divide it into 3 groups of 4 bars (hence the name).
Most 12-bar blues chords are played in 4/4 time.
Let’s break down what each of these 3 sections consists of:
Blues chords progression
Section 1
Four bars of the…
I chord
Total: 4 bars
Section 2
Two bars of the…
IV chord
I chord
Total: 4 bars
Section 3
One bar of the…
V chord
IV chord
I chord
V chord
Total: 4 bars
As a general rule, the third and final section of the 12-bar blues chords is generally used to resolve the first two sections.
Let’s look at an example in the key of A, a common key for blues guitar:
Section 1
Four bars of the…
A chord
Total: 4 bars
Section 2
Two bars of the…
D chord
A chord
Total: 4 bars
Section 3
One bar of the…
E chord
D chord
A chord
E chord
Total: 4 bars
From section 3, you would go right back into section 1. This pattern repeats on and on for the entirety of the song.
Using this common structure, you can play a wide variety of popular blues songs, and even improvise over these chords using the pentatonic scale. Try it out today!
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