Blues music paved the way for many other genres of music we know and love. One place where it really works is in a 12 bar blues. To find out how you use these chords and what a 12 bar chord progression is, please join my online piano blues course now to get access to tutorial videos, sheet music and handy notes covering artists such as jerry lee lewis, fats domino, jools holland, ray charles and many more. Using this chord progression, the full 12 bars would be more like i i i i iv iv i i v v i i. The lesson is complete with pdf and guitarpro tab files. What is the chord structure of the 12 bar blues in roman. The 12 bar blues in the key of g will require that you learn the following 7th chords. Blues music usually has a shuffle feel to it, and youll have to get this down to get the feel of blues music right. Blues progressions in major and minor guitar chord. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page. Chord changes in the 12 bar blues blues piano synthesia tutorial.
So 12 bars would be 12 x 4, before the sequence repeats. And lets talk about how long to play each chord, too. The one we have here is so basic the only iv chord in sight is the double bar instance at bars 5 and 6. Click here to download a printable pdf of this lessons notation. Learn how to emphasize the iv chord by using iiv progressions.
Understand basic variations of both major and minor 12 bar blues forms. Lessons blues rhythm style guide sound samples tab. The traditional 12 bar blues has a total of 12 bars or measures of the iivv chords that keep repeating in 12 bar blocks over and over. In the above examples, each chord was played with a very simple strumming pattern, without altering the chords or the rhythm.
Outstanding blues and jazz organkeboard solos pdf file outstanding blues and jazz organkeboard solos pdf file sku. Introduction learn the blues shuffle and the rhythm that makes it bluesy. This is because they are following the format of the 12 bar blues chord progression. In this lesson, youll find five distinct jazz blues progressions that range from easy to. But for now, lets just stick with blues in the key of a. Blues in f upper register modern voicings blues chord forms for chord melody playing. In the blues chord chart below i decided to include the positions of these chords in the key of a, d, and e so that you can pick and choose which chords you want and then apply them to the 12 bar blues progression ill also discuss a few blues progression examples. In example 1 below, a 12 bar blues progression is shown in the key of g, using open position dominant 7th chords, the type of chord typically associated with a bluesy sound.
This progression was born from the blues and is now featured in countless songs from many genres. The jazz blues chord progression jazz blues progression in f. Before we dive into the theory behind each of the 6 jazz blues progressions in this lesson, here are some characteristics of the blues most blues chord progressions are 12 bars long, although there are also 8, 14, 16, 24 or more bar blues changes. We start with a basic 12 bar blues and progress through more and more complex 12 blues progressions using chord substitutions. Blues music is a relatively easy genre to absorb and the guitar is an excellent instrument in this style. The most notable difference between this progression and the basic 12 bar blues occurs in measures seven and eight with. The twelvebar blues is one of the most prominent chord progressions in popular music.
The classic tbone walker tune is a mustknow, and the progression in fig. The 12 bar blues progression is the framework that so much of the blues is built upon. Why is a blues progression doing here in the happy chord progression session. That is, the main body of a song follows a set pattern of chords over. Based on the i, iv and v chords of any key, the 12 bar blues is one of the most prominent chord progressions in modern music. Notice that the b string is fretted on the 3rd fret, exactly where the 7th note appears for the e chord. The turnaround occurs in the last two measures of a 12 bar progression and is often a critical element of the progression, so a solid understanding of the 12 bar format is needed. A survey of common 12 bar blues progressions would not be complete without the inclusion of the stormy monday changes. The term chord progression refers to a succession of tones or chords played in a particular order for a specified duration that harmonizes with the melody.
In this first segment many of the core approaches to blues progressions will be laid out for you, so listen up. A simple trick that lets you play 12 bar blues in any key. Misty, girl from ipanema, this masquerade, europa etc. It is a structure which turns up again and again, in hundreds of songs, and by its definition, involves a lot of the same chords over and over perfect for spicing up. Blues progressions are almost exclusively played in 44 time and dominated by the root i chord, with the iv and v chords providing that extra bit of flavor to keep things interesting. Chord progression handbook ku scholarworks the university of.
And modern electric players like eric johnson and scott henderson substitute unusual chords throughout the 12 bar progression, giving a jazzy feel. Bars also called measures in blues can best be described as consisting of a count of four. Instead of staying on the i chord for four measures, you play a iv chord for example, a in the key of e in the second measure for one bar, and go back to the i chord for two bars. Here are some of my favourite online music resources.
The chord shape in the left is in the shape of d7, and we form it the same way. The blues have been used as a basis for many types of music such as pop. The i iv v has another variation to it with a twelve bar blues. The vast majority of contemporary blues music is based on what is termed a 12 bar format. These free files include a pdf of each 12 bar blues progression in all 12 major keys with rhythm backing tracks of organ, guitar, bass and. It begins with an easy level that explains the basic and when goes into more advanced concepts and various areas like 12 bar blues progressions. The 12 bar blues and the minor blues scale online guitar. Other common blues progressions include the 8 bar, 16 bar, and 24 bar blues. This course consists of a series of videos, teaching you how to play the 12 bar blues progression. We will start by constructing the blues with just these 3 chords and then we will explore the variations and substitutions that we can apply to this basic structure. Many blues elements, such as the callandresponse format and the use of blue notes, can be traced back to the music of.
A standard blues progression, or sequence of notes, typically features three chords based on the first. This chord progression is based around the most important chords. Examples of chords to use and other instructions are presented below. The jazz blues progression tutorial now that you have a good understanding of basic blues form, its time to enhance it to create the more interesting and sophisticated jazz blues progression.
The 12 bar blues or blues changes is one of the most prominent chord progressions in popular music. As we move through each of these 12 bar blues, you will notice they sound jazzier as more chord substitutions are used. The 12 bar blues is a pretty simple chord progression. The 12 bar blues is a popular chord progression that, at its root, consists of i, iv, and. The 12 bar blues has long been a favourite amongst music educators for teaching form, triads, the blues scale, cyclical chord progressions and music history. This is easily done if strumming the basic chord structure in a 12 bar blues progression, for example.
The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase, chord structure, and duration. Here starts a blues course for guitar that include several lessons. Blues if often played with a 12 bar structure, a socalled 12 bar blues. This is essential skills you need, if you want to be a blues player. Below are some common dominant chords that will be used in this lesson.
In its basic form, it is predominantly based on the i, iv, and v chords of a key. The standard 12bar blues progression is a set progression of chords throughout 12 measures of music. Share copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format adapt. Chord changes in the 12 bar blues blues piano tutorial youtube. The twelvebar blues or blues changes is one of the most prominent chord progressions in. In the above example, the last 2 measures use a cadence referred to as a turnaround. From stripped down acoustic sound of the delta blues to the very electric chicago blues sound, tons of blues music is based on 12 bar blues progressions. A 12 bar blues structure often consist of only three chords i, iv and v. This lesson will use dominant 7th, dominant 9th, and dominant th chords. The first variation we will explore is the quick iv variation in bar 2 of the progression. The second is the well traveled 12 bar blues progression. Less common than 12 bar blues, the 8 bar blues form condenses the 1 4 5 sequence into.
Outstanding blues and jazz organkeboard solos pdf file. If we translate the 12 bar blues to chords in, lets say, e, we would get e a b. For the key of g youd use g, c, and d, for the key of d youd use d, g, and a, and so on. There are three 12 bar blues progressions in this case study. Mastery of the blues and rhythm changes are critical elements for building a jazz repertoire. The power of the 12 bar blues however, is in the potential to use it as a starting point. The quick four provides an opportunity for variation and interest in an. Free download of 12 bar blues progression playalong tracks in.
The 12 bar blues is the most common blues chord progression. Robert johnsons fingerstyle acoustic blues employed unusual diminished voicings and chromatic movements to lead from one place to another. First, if youre not familiar with the concept of bars, lets break it down. In its basic form, it is predominantly based on the iivv chords of a key. Chord variations may also be added for harmonic diversity. The standard 12bar blues is a iivv chord progression most typically divided into three fourbar segments. I know about the 12 bar blues as i have been learning a little bit about it in music and doing triads etc but im not sure of the roman numerals. The quick four is a variation on the 12 bar blues with a different second bar.
Introduction to the 12 bar blues master guitar academy. Jazz blues progressions are just as the name suggests. Create movement and interest with tritone substitutions. The most fundamental way to play chords in the style in blues is to adopt a 12 bar structure. Joey defrancesco, herbie hancock, chester thompson play, by utilizing chord progressions from popular jazz songs including. In order to start kickin around ideas, its important you have a solid foundation in the basic 12 bar blues progression.
A 12bar blues is divided into three fourbar segments. Here you will learn many 12 bar blues progressions, from the most basic ones to more complex. The gullah net website includes information about the evolution of blues music and how it influenced. Note that, in this blues form, chord changes can occur within the same bar, as indicated in the some of the variations below. Learn the 12 bar blues progression blues guitar institute. Another progression that can sound unexpectedly happy is the 12 bar blues. Whilst the basic 12 bar blues just contains 3 chords, the i, the iv and the v, the jazz blues also incorporates the most common progression in jazz. What is the chord structure of the 12 bar blues in roman numerals. Chord progressions the best free chord progression lessons on the web the recipe for music is part melody, lyric, rhythm, and harmony chord progressions. Bundle of 60 backing tracks and 12 pdf files with chord changes.