View post (12 bar blues progression)

View thread

noticingthemistake
Crime Fighter
Joined: 08/04/02
Posts: 1,518
noticingthemistake
Crime Fighter
Joined: 08/04/02
Posts: 1,518
03/11/2004 3:52 am
I always thought the basic consideration to the form of a 12-bar blues progression was that it was made up of four, three bar phrases. Four times three equals twelve. You know instead of four bars played four times. Which equals sixteen.

Most regular chord progressions are made up of four bars. Like this:

|| G7. . . | C7. . . | G7. . . | D7. . . || x4

The 12-bar blues is different, instead of 4 bars per phrase. There's only 3, but since you play it 4 times. You still get a symmetrical sound.

12-bar blues (simple)
|| G7. . . | C7. . . | D7. . . || x4 (then do a different variation)

You can use any chords, but the most common are I, IV, V all as dominants or altered dominants.
"My whole life is a dark room...ONE BIG DARK ROOM" - a.f.i.