- Parent Category: Free Written Music Lessons
- In: Music Theory
The 12-Bar Blues Progression
The 12-Bar Blues Progression is just what it says it is -- a chord progression made up of 12 bars or measures. (A chord progression being simply a group of chords that are repeated in a set order.)
The 12-Bar Blues Progression has a specific, mathematical formula which allows it to be applied universally to any key, provided you know the root (which is another word for the note you start with...)
The chart below shows the 12-Bar Blues Progression in the Key of C. It is in the Key of C because we begin on the C7 chord.
The 12-Bar Blues Progression in C
I I I I
C7 C7 C7 C7
IV IV I I
F7 F7 C7 C7
V IV I I
G7 F7 C7 C7
The Roman Numerals represent the mathematical formula for the 12-Bar Blues Progression . Each Roman Numeral corresponds to a Chord -- the numbers all being relative to the root.
For example, in the key of C:
I II III IV V VI VII
C D E F G A B
You may notice that the only chords used in the Blues Progression are I, IV, and V. These chords all happen to be 7th chords, and thus we add a 7 to every chord of the Blues Progression as seen above in the C Blues Progression.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To move the Blues Progression to various keys, one simply applies the pattern, only beggining with a new root.
For example, to find the Blues Progression in the key of G the Roman Numeral I would be G, and the rest would be assigned numerically from there.....
I II III IV V VI VII
G A B C D E F#
Thus, the 12 Bar Blues Progression in the key of G would look like this:
12 Bar Blues Progression in G
I I I I
G7 G7 G7 G7
IV IV I I
C7 C7 G7 G7
V IV I I
D7 C7 G7 G7
..Back to Music Theory 101
