There are sometimes some variations where you may insert an additional 5 chord into the 2 nd or 12 th bar, but for the most part, it follows this system. Bars 7 and 8 are always the 1 chord again.īars 9 and 10 are always a pairing of the 5 and 4 chord before ending on two bars of the 1 chord. There are always 4 bars of the 1 chord to start. The system always works in this same way. This is the same principle in any key, you just take the 1, 4, and 5 notes from that scale and that becomes your 12 bar. The I is the A, the IV is the D and the V is the E. You can simply put this into the following pattern: The 1, 4 and 5 intervals give you the A, D and E chords. Imagine it’s in A Major and you want to build the progression from the A Major Scale. See more on some common chord progressions in this article. This is one of the most common chord progression you’ll come across. As the name suggests, it’s a 12 bar chordal loop that uses just the 3 chord types. The Blues typically follows a simple, repeating pattern known as the 12 bar blues. These intervals are the same in both major scales and minor scales. You can take blues progressions from both the Major scales because the intervals you need are the 1, 4, and 5. The great thing about blues is that as a chord progression idea, it’s super simple.
BLUES SONGS HOW TO
I have also helped a lot of players figure out how to Understand Chord Progressions by showing them some simple blues songs to get them started. It doesn’t matter if you like modern pop or heavy rock, it all traces back to the blues. It has always helped them trace the musical history and influence of their favorite performers. It doesn’t matter what genre of music you choose to follow, everything, at some point ties back into the blues.Īs a guitar teacher, I have shown this to many students over the years.