Although blues music relies heavily on improvisation, it follows a basic structure. This allows musicians to explore their creativity while still playing together in a cohesive manner. Today, we will look at the 12-bar blues chord forms and how you can use them.
The 12-bar blues progression is the most common blues form and can be heard in countless legendary blues tracks. (Check out our playlist below!) This progression can be divided into three groups of four bars, hence the name.
Most 12-bar blues chords are played in 4/4 time.
Let’s break down what each of these three 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 is 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 throughout 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!
If you enjoyed this article, you might want to check out "Effective guitar practice tips".
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