BLUES PROGRESSIONS Before working your way through this book it will be important to have a basic understanding of a Blues chord progression. Most Blues songs follow a common sequence of chords with each chord played for a certain amount of bars. A Blues progression is generally constructed from the three basic chords in a key which are illustrated in the table below. These three chords are referred to as the I, IV and V chords. The Roman numerals relating to the ‘1st, 4th, and 5th notes of the major scale from which each chord takes its name. Key>A 40 B C co D dim E F ric G cha T/A jata) BOL C Jcto| D jpte| E | F fri! G [otab IV|D |o'm|) E | F frie} G |e] A fate] BC [cio VIE |F fre} G fot! A fat! BOL C [cm] D [pin TWELVE BAR BLUES PROGRESSION The twelve bar Blues progression is the most common chord sequence used in Blues, There are many variations of this progression. The example below consists of four bars of the I chord, two bars of the IV chord, two bars of the I chord, one of the V chord, one bar of the IV chord and two bars of the I chord. To play the previous progression in the key of A, substitute the symbols |, IV, and V with the three basic chords in the key of A (A, D and E), as shown in the above table. Play the first example, using basic chords and a simple rhythm pattern. Oo: HEE Dav) 4 8 @ DW) ~~ A®