Standard Blues Progressions
The Blues
The Blues is an American form of folk music related to jazz. It is based on a simple, repetitive, poetic-musical structure. The sound is based on the Blue Note, or a slight drop of pitch on the third, seventh, and sometimes the fifth tone of the scale. It is also known as a bent pitch. The Blues Scale is typically a diatonic major scale incorporating a flat or bent 3rd, a flat or bent 7th and sometimes a flat or bent 5th to approximate melodic notes that originated in African work songs. Since the actual pitch is unavailable on a piano, the flatted note is often played or "crushed" against the natural pitch to approximate the blue note. Any improvisation in blues music is done using primarily the notes in the basic chords themselves and the addition of the blue notes.
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SCALE STEPS (IN SEMITONES OR HALF-STEPS)
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c
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d
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(eb)
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e
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f
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(gb)
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g
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a
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(bb)
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b
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c'
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Play Blues Scale |
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12-Bar Blues Chord Progression
One of the most well-know chord progressions in popular music of the 19th century and later is the 12-bar blues. Countless jazz and popular songs have been composed within the structure of this series or progression of chords.
The basic blues progression uses 3 chords - the Tonic (I) or the chord that the song is centered on, the Dominant (V) or the chord based on the fifth step of the Tonic scale, and the Subdominant (IV) or the chord based on the fourth step of the Tonic scale. In the example below, we use the key of F major. Thus the Tonic is F, the Dominant is C and the Subdominant is B-flat.
There is a cadence starting in measure 9 going from the Dominant (V) to the Subdominant (IV) finally to the Tonic (I) in measure 11. There are many variations on this cadence and may be V-IV-I or V-I or II-V-I, etc.
General Elements of the 12-bar Blues progression:
Play 12-Bar Blues Chord Progression (MIDI Example)
Basie Blues Chord Progression
A standard variation on the basic 12-bar blues progression is the Basie Blues chord progression, named after the Count Basie Band because of it's frequent use by this band. It is very similar to the standard 12-bar blues progression. General Elements of the Basie Blues progression:
Play Basie Blues Chord Progression (MIDI Example)
12-Bar Minor Blues Chord Progression
Another variation on the basic blues chord progression is the 12-Bar Minor Blues chord progression with the minor tonality in place of major. There are strong similarities to the standard 12-bar blues progression.
General Elements of the 12-Bar Minor Blues chord progression:
Play 12-Bar Minor Blues Chord Progression (MIDI Example)
8-Bar Blues Chord Progression
Another variation on the basic 12-bar blues chord progression is the 8-Bar Blues chord progression with a shorter pattern of chords. It is derived from measures 1 to 3 and measures 8 to 12 of the Basie Blues chord progression.
Play 8-Bar Blues Chord Progression (MIDI Example)
16-Bar Blues Chord Progression
Another variation on the basic 12-bar blues progression is the 16-Bar Blues chord progression with an extended pattern of chords. There is the same basic chord structure as the 12-bar blues with measure 9 and 10 repeated three times.
Play 16-Bar Blues Chord Progression (MIDI Example)