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12 Bar Blues

Structure & Variations

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The 12 bar blues is one of the most popular chord progressions in popular music. Also referred to as the Blues, or blues changes, it is based on the I-IV-V chords of a key.

In its most basic form, here's how it is set up:

• 4 bars - I chord
• 2 bars - IV chord
• 2 bars - I chord
• 1 bar - V7 chord(can be V chord)
• 1 bar - IV chord
• 2 bars - I chord

... and it repeats over, and over again. There are MANY slight variations to this basic pattern. The most common variation starts with:

1 bar - I chord, 1 bar IV chord, 2 bars - I chord

It would be set up like this:

• 1 bar - I chord
• 1 bar - IV chord
• 2 bars - I chord
• 2 bars - IV chord
• 2 bars - I chord
• 1 bar - V7 chord(can be V chord)
• 1 bar - IV chord
• 2 bars - I chord

Hundreds of songs have been written using this chord pattern:
IN THE MOOD, ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK, JOHNNY B GOODE, HOUND DOG, GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY, to name a few.

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Play a blues pattern & improvise BY EAR

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• How to quickly and easily form tons of jazz chord patterns and runs that are guaranteed to have you standing out from the crowd.
• Accelerate your jazz learning curve by combining 3 secret elements that the pros don't want you to know!
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Play a 12 bar blues & improvise BY EAR

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Here are a couple of examples of the 12 bar blues in the key of C. 1st is the most basic pattern with a simple walking bass line.

The next one has the slight variation in the chord pattern (also with a walking bass line.) This begins with 1 bar of C, then 1 bar of F, then continues through the pattern.

Now let's "SPICE THESE UP" and make them sound a little more "BLUESY"! An easy way is to use sevenths (dominant 7ths) for all the chords (not triads.)

Also, this next example is 24 bars long - it goes through the blues pattern twice. There are examples of TURNAROUNDS in bars 11-12 and bars 23-24.

The turnaround chords are in red.

***NOTE***

You can add your own FAVORITE 12 bar blues chord progressions Below! Just follow the instructions and fill out the form below and YOUR INPUT WILL BE ADDED HERE!

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The Complete book of:

Scales, Chords,

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Harmony and Theory: 

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