Estimated reading time 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues) #1: Piano and Guitar Chord Progressions
What’s a chord progression? It’s when you have a sequence of successive harmonies. In this post, we’ll look at common chord progressions, including rock n roll, the 12 bar blues, and jazz chord progressions. These can work as either piano chord progressions or guitar chord progressions. Read Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues) to learn the harmonic structure for these three styles of music.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues) #2: Rock n Roll Harmonies
Before you go further in Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues) you need to know how Roman numeral analysis works. For a review of Roman numeral analysis:
- Explain Roman Numeral Analysis in Layman’s Terms for Me
- Tonic vs. Root in Music Theory
- What Exactly Does I7-vi7-V7 Mean?
- What’s the Deal with These iv-V-VII Triads?
Our first sequence of triads is a classic I vi IV V rock n roll song:
- The I vi IV V piano and guitar chord progression gets repeated in the verse of the song Earth Angel.
- This song is in the key of Ab major. If you look at the chart below, you can see notes for each triad.
- Notice how vi can substitute for I. This works because the harmonies both share two notes.
In the next section we’ll look at jazz chord progressions.
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Video: Earth Angel
Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues) #3: Jazz Chord Progressions
Our next chord sequence is a II-7 V7 pattern (we’ll do the 12 bar blues chord progression in the next section). You’ll find many different types of jazz chord progressions, but the II-7 V7 is one of the most common.
The II-7 V7 pattern can be found in the big band piece Take the “A” Train.
- Jazz doesn’t have a verse-chorus structure, instead it has a “head” section that gets continually repeated. Thus, the harmonies from the head section will repeat for the instrumental solos too.
- The song starts with a four-bar intro. The chords from the head-section are shown below.
- Unlike the last song, this piece uses jazz style Roman numeral analysis.
- If you look at the chart below, you can see which notes each chord contains.
- The II-7 V7 pattern can be found in bars 5 – 6 and 16 – 17.
- The C7 functions as a V7 of IV (secondary dominant), which helps lead into the next melody phrase.
- The D7 (b5) in bar 3 and the D7 in bar 14 look like secondary dominants. However, they function more like modal interchange triads (i.e., harmonies borrowed from a parallel mode).
Video: Take the “A” Train
Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues) #4: 12 Bar Blues Guitar Chord Progressions
Like the jazz chord progression, the 12 bar blues has a head-section that gets repeated.
- You can see this in Sweet Home Chicago’s harmonic structure.
- The song alternates sung verses with instrumental solos – all this happens over the same harmonies.
- And each section is 12 bars long (thus the name).
- Notice the IV7 in bar 2.
- Called the “quick change,” this added harmony is a common variation in blues guitar chord progressions.
- Overall, the Roman numerals reflect each harmony’s position in the scale.
- However, in some ways it’s better to think of the blues as changing keys every time you switch harmonies.
If you look at the charts for the keys of A major, D major, and E major, you’ll see that each key has a V7 sonority that corresponds to one of the blues seventh chords.
- If you begin and end on the fifth scale tone in each chart, this gives you the modes E, A, and B mixolydian.
- You can use these modes for soloing: E mixolydian with E7, A mixolydian with A7, and B mixolydian with B7.
- However, you can also use the minor pentatonic scales.
- Use E minor pentatonic (E G A B D E) to solo over E7.
- A minor pentatonic (A C D E G A) goes over A7.
- Use B minor pentatonic (B D E F# A B) to solo over B7.
- Or you can mix the minor pentatonic scales in with the mixolydian scales for a blues scale-like effect.
The chromatic mismatch between the pentatonic scales and the harmonic tones (e.g., G and G# in E blues) creates the “blue note” sound.
Video: Sweet Home Chicago
Video: 12 Bar Blues Guitar Chord Progressions
Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues) #5: Final Thoughts
Here’s a summary of Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues):
- Early rock n roll styles use the I vi IV V progression.
- II-7 V7 is common in jazz chord progressions.
- While the 12 bar blues has many variants, the one shown above is one of the most common.
Each style of music has its own characteristic patterns.
Related Posts
- Changing Keys in Your Songwriting
- Do You Want Cool Triads for Your Song?
- D’you Want Some Music Tips and Tricks I’ve Learned Over the Years?
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
Back to the All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics category blogs page
Glossary
What’s Dynamic Range Compression and How to Use It
Do you need to know what dynamic range compression is? Do you want your song demo to sound professional? Dynamic range compression is a sound effect that is closely associated with a pro sound. So, you need to know how to use it if you want to have your music or voiceovers sound good. Keep reading “What’s Dynamic Range Compression and How to Use It” to learn more? Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Read More
![Amnesia, Alzheimer’s, Stroke, and Color Coding Music - Elderly Accordion Player - Perfect Pitch: Discover the Truth [Plus Absolute Pitch Test]](https://successmusicstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Amnesia-Alzheimers-Stroke-and-Color-Coding-Music-Elderly-Accordion-Player-300x300.jpg)
Amnesia, Alzheimer’s, Stroke, and Color Coding Music
Are you a music teacher who has a student with amnesia, Alzheimer’s, or stroke? All three conditions can have a profound effect on a person’s life. If we do our jobs well, we can help them improve their quality of life. Read more to learn how color coding music can help students with amnesia, Alzheimer’s, and strokes. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Read More
Do I Really Have to Learn Music Theory to Learn How to Play Piano?
Do you want to give up on learning music theory? Does it seem pointless to you? Music theory can help with sight reading skills on the piano. It’ll be useful for improvisation and composition. It even helps with performance practice. If you still have an open mind, read “Do I Really Have to Learn Music Theory to Learn How to Play Piano?” to understand the ways it can help you to better play the instrument. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Read More
What’s the Deal with These i-VII-VI-V and iv-V-VII Chords and Stuff? (Part 4)
Do your eyes cross when you try to figure out Roman Numeral analysis? Roman numerals are broadly used to analyze chords in songs. However, you’ll use some Roman numerals to specifically describe harmonies in minor keys. Read more to find out the answer to, “What's the deal with these i-VII-VI-V and iv-V-VII chords and stuff?” Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More