The one we have here is so basic the only iv chord in. The cool thing about single note blues riffs is that they are actually outlining a chord in some way. In this lesson were going to explore the harmonic and rhythmic structure of the blues. In this first segment many of the core approaches to blues progressions will be laid out for you, so listen up. Usually emphasizing the notes from the chord in order to be able to play a series of riffs where you could alternately play a chord progression. How to play blues rhythm guitar like the blues masters. The blues chord progression is in the key of a, and the chord patterns are the same over each chord of the 12 bar blues progression. The chords are written as triads using minims on the 1st and 3rd beats of each bar. The evolution of the 12 bar blues progression bob brozman. The blues is a musical form as much as it is a musical style or feeling. The most basic variation of the 12 bar blues is comprised of just 3 chords. Take your time and learn the chord forms before trying to apply the rhythms to them.
Although blues music has evolved over time, a fundamental chord progression called the 12 bar blues still lives on. If you all know the standard 12bar blues progression, then everyone knows the starting point. Often times, you wont see a key signature noted on the sheet music for a blues song because of this. Its important to understand that the 12 bar blues is a cycle and it is repeated many times during a performance. Blues chord progressions 12, 8 and 16 bar examples. 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. Playing the 12 bar blues chord progression in all 12 keys 5. Banjoland special 12 bar blues intermediate banjo mike.
It is very common in blues music to add 7ths to the major chords giving that classic blues sound. Blues is a hybrid of a major and minor key, which can be a bit confusing. There are exceptions to this such as 8, 16, and 24 bar blues, but most blues songs follow a 12 bar or 12 measure chord progression, which ill show you below. The term 12bar blues has become synonymous with blues music and is the basis for an incredible body of jazz, rock n roll, and other forms of popular music. Learn the 12 bar blues progression blues guitar institute. In this section, you will learn six different variations of the blues progression.
Lets take a look at how the basic blues changes look from a chord name standpoint. The most common blues form is the 12 bar blues consisting of the iivv progression. Create an 8bar blues progression based on elements of a 12bar blues learn to incorporate diminished 7th chords and nondiatonic dominant chords into a. These are constructed of a major triad as in the table below and then adding a minor 7th on the top 10 semitones. The 12bar blues progression is important because its a starting point when musicians get together. It is assumed that you are familiar with the 12 bar blues progression. The first blues well have a look at is the original 12bar blues chord progression. When you see a group of blues musicians play together, everyone magically seems to know. The information in this lesson is essential to understand how the blues is constructed and how it is most commonly played. This image shows the standard 12 bar blues progression using roman numerals.
Jazz blues chord substitutions guide jamie holroyd guitar. Youll get access to all lesson materials by purchasing this lesson or becoming a pro member. Heres an original blues composition on the classic 12 bar blues progression. I think were going to attempt to do this arrangement of somewhere over the rainbow and wonderful world as popularized by israel kamakawiwoole at the april 16 playalong. The 12 bar blues is the most common blues chord progression. Explore different ideas and practice over backing tracks. Boogieblues, rockblues, swingblues, funkyblues, slowblues, latin blues, texas blues, jazzblues, soul blues, classic rockblues, bossablues etc. See more ideas about piano, jazz and piano lessons. The power of the 12 bar blues however, is in the potential to use it as a starting point.
The blues progressions vary in many blues styles such as. It is, at its most basic, based on the iivv chords of a key. The gullah net website includes information about the evolution of blues music and how it influenced. The chord progression is easy for beginners because it only uses three chords, the root, the fourth, and the fifth. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase, chord structure, and duration.
The 12 bar blues is a pretty simple chord progression. The guitar part in this tablature is just one of the many possible ways to play such a twelve bar. The blues progression has a distinctive form in chord structure and duration. The 12 bar form is the most basic and common type of blues form. I like having the kids begin their rh with 3rd finger on c instead of thumb. You can download the track set of mp3s for this series for. The 12 bar blues progression is the framework that so much of the blues is built upon. Print and download in pdf or midi 12 bar blues chord progression. Keeping all that in mind, well be in the key of e blues for the rest of this lesson series. Dont freak out if you dont understand it, just take a look, then ill explain everything below. Listen to example 1 lets call this very easy riff riff a. With that in mind this go over what makes up the basic 12 bar blues structure and a stepbystep approach to learning it. Another way to play the same twelve bar would be by using seventhchords. This is a great lesson to show off your fanciest licks.
I use the 12bar blues pattern a lot for students doing the guild musicianship phase. The 12 bar blues and the minor blues scale online guitar. Each of the cd tracks utilize the same 12 bar blues chord progression, 1 4 1 1 4 4 1 1 5 4 1 1 but feature a different musical style. The 12 bar blues is a chord progression used in blues and rock music that lasts for 12 bars. This image demonstrates how you would find the i, iv, and v chords in the key of a using the a major scale. Jul 27, 2016 12 bar blues ukulele chord progression in c. 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. And who woulda thought that you could play the 12 bar blues all day long with just one ultra simple chord shape. In this lesson, you will learn about the chords used in the 12 bar blues chord progression. Introduction in this lesson, you will learn about the chords used in the 12 bar blues chord progression.
Free download of 12 bar blues progression playalong tracks in. In its most basic form, it contains just the i, the iv and the v chords of the given key. It is very similar to the basic 12 bar blues, with the only difference being the quick change to the iv chord in the 2nd measure. An even less commonly used form, but still good to know about.
A 12 bar blues is a common chord progression but there are many ways to play it. 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. Free download of 12 bar blues progression playalong. That way if you do want to change things up, its easy because you all have that progression down. It consists of twelve measures, or bars, and the chords within this blues form are the i. In short understanding the 12 bar blues progression is a great first step playing blues, but also can help you to learn songs in many styles quickly once you recognize the pattern. A simple trick that lets you play 12 bar blues in any key. Print and download in pdf or midi 12 bar blues chord progression in c. The 12 bar blues is a 12 bar long chord progression that solo blues musicians can easily improvise over the top of because the chord progression is familiar to.
In the key of c the chords would be c major f major and g major. This will be the foundation to which additional harmonic structures chords are added to create a jazz blues. Here you will put the riffs together into a 12 bar progression to complete this blues feel. The 12bar blues is one of the most popular chord progressions in popular music, including the blues. Common variations of 12 bar blues chord progressions. Click here to download a highresolution, printable pdf of the notation. This title is solely devoted to providing guitarists with all the technical tools necessary for playing 12bar. In its basic form, it is predominantly based on the i, iv, and v chords of a key.
Each of the 30 tracks has 12 choruses in different keys and tempos ranging from 60bpm to 140bpm. The 12 bar blues progression is one of the most used in popular music, so even if your not a big fan of the blues it is a good idea to try and understand what a 12 bar blues progression is. Once you can play a closed using barre chords 12 bar blues shuffle rhythm. When you see a group of blues musicians play together, everyone.
The focus of this lesson is to learn 24 blues licks, but with a twist. Twelve bar blues download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Playing the 12 bar blues chord progression in the key of c 4. 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 drums at 60 b. The basic 12 bar blues progression can be played in any key and will use the i, iv, and v chords from that key. Here are some of my favourite online music resources. I show you how you can find the patterns over each of the 12. As you can see, all other parts of the progression are exactly the same as the basic 12 bar blues. This is a basic 12 bar blues progression and a good starting place for learning the blues song form. The 12bar blues chord progression is in the treble clef on the score. We will be playing it in the key of g, so our chords are g, c and d. The most common blues form is the 12bar blues consisting of the iivv progression. There is now a quick change in bar 2 which just means that the progression briefly visits the iv chord, eb7, for a bar to create more movement. In the above examples, each chord was played with a very simple strumming pattern, without altering the chords or the rhythm.
Plenty of traditional blues players use this movement, especially on slow blues tunes. The 12 bar blues progression is the foundation of the blues. Name each of the notes of the triads using the lyric key using semibreves, create the 12bar blues chords in the bass clef insert a bass instrument and c. In order to start kickin around ideas, its important you have a solid foundation in the basic 12bar blues progression. So the scale would be gbbceb, or with more notes as they are able. 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. Mastery of the blues and rhythm changes are critical elements for building a jazz repertoire. The 2nd most famous blues chord progression is the quick change, also called quickfour. The twelvebar blues or blues changes is one of the most prominent chord progressions in popular music. Blues music paved the way for many other genres of music we know and love.