12-Bar BluesChord progression · I7 – I7 – I7 – I7 – IV7 – IV7 – I7 – I7 – V7 – IV7 – I7 – V7
The classic blues form.
In C major
Why the 12-Bar Blues progression works
Four bars at home, two on the IV for a lift, back home, then V and IV to turn around. It works like a spoken line: ask, repeat the question, answer. That is why blues lyrics sing a line twice and then answer it.
Songs built on it, each in its own key:
- Johnny B. Goode
- Hound Dog
- Rock Around the Clock
- Tutti Frutti
- Blue Suede Shoes
- Kansas City
- Sweet Home Chicago
- Mustang Sally
- Pride and Joy
- Red House
- Born Under a Bad Sign
- Crossroads
Heard in: BluesDelta bluesPiedmont bluesChicago bluesTexas bluesJazz bluesClassic rockBlues rockCountry
How to play 12-Bar Blues in C major
One voicing per chord, each the nearest to the chord before, so your hand stays in one spot. Open any chord in the chord library for every other way to play it.
12-Bar Blues chords in all 12 keys
The same numerals in every key. Each chord opens in the chord library, and each key plays in the progression builder.
What scale to play over 12-Bar Blues
Over the whole progression in C major: C Minor blues, C Minor pentatonic, C Major pentatonic, C Mixolydian. To follow every chord, switch to the scale the progression builder picks for it.
| Chord | Scale over it |
|---|---|
| I7 · C7 | C Mixolydian |
| IV7 · F7 | F Lydian dominant |
| V7 · G7 | G Mixolydian |
12-Bar Blues questions
What are the chords of the 12-Bar Blues?
I7 – I7 – I7 – I7 – IV7 – IV7 – I7 – I7 – V7 – IV7 – I7 – V7. In C major that is C7, C7, C7, C7, F7, F7, C7, C7, G7, F7, C7, G7; in G major it is G7, G7, G7, G7, C7, C7, G7, G7, D7, C7, G7, D7.
Which songs use the 12-Bar Blues?
Johnny B. Goode, Hound Dog, Rock Around the Clock, Tutti Frutti, Blue Suede Shoes, Kansas City, Sweet Home Chicago and Mustang Sally, each in its own key.
What scale do you play over the 12-Bar Blues?
C Minor blues, C Minor pentatonic, C Major pentatonic and C Mixolydian fit the whole progression in C major. Chord by chord: C Mixolydian over C7, F Lydian dominant over F7, G Mixolydian over G7.
How do you play the 12-Bar Blues in another key?
Keep the numerals and move every chord by the same distance. The table on this page spells it in all 12 keys, and each key opens in the progression builder.