Piano

10+ Blues Progressions

Nick Homes
1.Basic Blues

1 F7 F7 F7 F7

4
& b 4 bw b ww b ww b ww
ww w w w
? 4
b 4 w w w w

B b7 B b7 F7 F7

& b ww
5

w b ww b ww
b ww b www w w
?
b w w w w

C9 B b7 F7 F7

& b www
9

w b ww b ww
w b www w w
?
b w w w w

Just chords I, IV and V here in F major. (F, Bb and C)

The chords above are all dominant 7ths.
The presence of these non diatonic notes flavour the proceedings.
The F7 contains the Bluesy Eb
The Bb7 contains the spicy Ab ( Ab is also the flattened 3rd of F major (the key of the Blues)
Notice the Bb7 voicing contains the 9th (C) This chord is perhaps more generic than the bare Bb7.
Also the C7 is actually a C9 as the addition of this 9th D is more soulful.
It is of course perfectly fine to play these chords without the 9ths.
Indeed the chord voicings offered here are just the basic ones out of a myriad of possibilties.

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2. Add IV7 in bar 2

2 F7 B b7 F7 F7

& b bw w b ww b ww
ww b www w w
?
b w w w w

B b7 B b7 F7 F7

& b ww
17

www b ww b ww
b ww bw w w
?
b w w w w

C7 B b7 F7 F7

& b www
21

www b ww b ww
w bw w w
?
b w w w w

The only difference with the Basic Blues is the addition of the Bb7 in bar 2.
This is very common in Jazz as it adds more colour straight away.
The previous Basic Blues is perhaps more favoured in Pop music as starting the blues
with 4 measures of Chord 1 is more hypnotic, especially if a riff is being repeated,
over and over.

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3. Add diminished

3 F7 B b7 F7 F7

& b b ww w b ww b ww
w b www w w
?
b w w w w

B b7
o
B 7 F7 F7

& b ww
29

w b ww b ww
b ww b n www w w
?
b w nw w w

C7 B b7 F7 C 7#9

& b www
33

w b ww b ww
w b www w
? Nw
b w w w w

The big new change here is the addition of the unstable Bo7. (diminished)
This is so important as it is such a pungent sound.
This chord Bo7 links the Bb7 IV chord BACK to chord I (F7).
This chord movement is hear alot especially in Jazz and Gospel as well as Blues.
This is the #IVo7.
The last Chord C7 is the V7 dominant chord. The #9 (Eb) has been added as it spices up the
moment and adds tension.

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4. Add IV-

4 F7 B b7 F7 F7

& b bw www b ww b ww
ww bw w w
?
b w w w w

B b7 B b-6 F7 F7

& b ww
41

b ww b www b ww
w
b ww
w
w
?
b w w w w

C7 B b7 F
F7
Bb
o
B 7
F
A C C 7#9

& b www
45

www œœ b œœ œœ b n œœœ ˙˙ b ˙˙
w bw ˙
?b w œ œ œœ n ˙˙
w œ œ nœ ˙

The Bb-6 here in bar 6 is the IV minor chord in F. This is a wistful sound of yesteryear.
Like the diminished chord in the previous example, this chord connects the IV chord
back to the I chord. The Db is the flat 6 note which has such a strong melancholic
sound feeling.
In the penultimate bar there is an important blues cliche to know and love.
F F7 Bb Bo7 to F to C7. This is a very famous cliche indeed.

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5. add II V and VI7

5 F 13 B b9 F 13 F 13

& b œœ .. j j j j
œœ Ó œœœ .. œœœ Ó œœ .. œœ Ó œœ .. œœ Ó
œ. œ b œ .. œ œ. œ œ. œ
j j j j
? b bœ. œ Ó œ. œ Ó bœ. œ Ó bœ. œ Ó
œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ
B b9 B b-7 F 13 D 7#9

& b ww
53

w ww ww
b ww b b ww w
? bw # ww
b w w w

G7 C7 F7 C 7#9

& b ww
57

www ww b ww
nw w w
? w bw ww
b w w

Quite a few harmonic changes here, but all vital to know, and used by Jazz musicians.
At bar 57-58 (bar 9&10 of the blues) there the famous II V progression that is now replacing
V IV (C7 to Bb7) of the previous Blues progressions.
The G7 could have been G-7, however the G7 is slightly more unstable and angular.
The G7 includes the non diatonic B natural. This G7 is the secondary dominant of Chord V.

Previous to this G chord there is a D7 (the secondary dominant of this II7 chord)
The #9 on this chord is a great sound. The sharp 9 is F. So this #9 chord enables the top
note of the chord progression to continue to be F which is pleasing on the ear.

Notice the first chord is now F13, and with the above voicing is quite Bluesy.
One reason this chord sounds so strong is that the 3 top notes are a triad. Here they spell D minor.
So this chord is like D minor over F dominant 7.
I have added in a suggested playing rhythm. (charleston beat)
Also the Bb minor IV minor chord has been changed to a minor 7th for variety- this is a common
sound. The top 3 notes of this chord spell out a Db major chord BTW!

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6. Bars 7& 8 a

6 F 13 B b9 F 13 F 13

& b ww www ww ww
w bw w w
? bw bw bw
b w w w w

B b9 B 7
o F 13 B b7 A -7 D7

& b ww
65

w ˙˙ ˙ ˙˙ ˙˙
b ww b n www ˙ b ˙˙ ˙
? b˙ # ˙˙
b w nw ˙ ˙ ˙

G -7 C 7+5 F7 C 7#9

& b ww
69

w ww b ww
w # www w
? w bw n ww
b w w

In bars 7&8 of this Blues these 'new' chords add movement and flavour.
The A-7 is the relative II-7 minor chord we might expect to hear before the D7. (D7 being the V7 of II)
The Bb7 before this A-7 is the IV7. Incidentally the tritone substitute for this Bb7 chord is E7 which
is the regular V7 of A-7!
At bar 69 (bar 9 of the blues) the G-7 is this time a minor II-7. The G-7 is softer and more diatonic
+ homogeneous than the previous G7.
This time the C7 in bar 10 has been spruced up a little with the addition of the augmented 5th,
Ab, which is also the minor 3rd of F, the key the blues is in!

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7. Bars 7+8 b

7 F 13 B b9 F 13 F 13 F 7+5

& b ww w ww ˙˙ # b ˙˙˙
w b www w ˙
? bw bw b˙
b w w w ˙ ˙

B b9 B b-6 F6 G -7 A -7 A b-7

& b ww
77

b www ˙˙˙ ˙˙˙ ˙˙ b˙

b ww w ˙˙ b b b ˙˙˙
? ˙ ˙
b w w ˙ ˙ ˙ b˙

G -7 C 7b9 F6 D7 G7 C 7+5

& b ww
81

b www ˙˙˙
w w ˙ ˙˙ n ˙˙ b # # ˙˙˙˙
? w ˙ # ˙˙ ˙ ˙
b w ˙

First of all this is the first time a 'turnaround' has been used at the end of the Blues.
A turnaround is a sequence of chords that is usually heard at the end of a sequence that can
be repeated as many times as required as the chords 'turn around ' on themselves logically.
These kind of (turnaround) sequences can be great introductions as well.
Above, the turn around in the last 2 bars features chords I, VI7, II7 and V7.
Apart from the F6 chord all the chords are dominant, adding a bit more spice to the moment.

In bars 7 & 8 this time the chords are again different. These chords start all nice and diatonic
to F major.
The F is chord I , the G-7 chord II-7 and A- is III-7 and then wham! Ab-7.
Ab-7 is a chromatic chord linking the A-7 to the G-7 in bar 81. This is a very
colourful sound so favoured by Charlie Parker in some of his Blues tunes and solos.

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8. Bars 7+8 c

8 F 13 B b9 F 13 B9

jÓ jÓ jÓ
& b œœ .. œœ œ. œœœ œœ .. œœ jÓ
œ. œ b œœœ ... œ œ. œ # # œœœ ... œœœ
? bœ. j j j j
b œ. œ Ó œ. œ Ó bœ. œ Ó nœ. œ Ó
œ œ. œ
B b7 B 7
o F 13 E 13 E b 13 D7

j j
& b œœœ .. œœœ Ó œœ Ó
89

œ ˙˙
b œ .. œ nb œœœ .... œœ # ˙˙ b ˙˙ n ˙˙
? b œ. j
œ Ó nœ.
j
œ Ó b ˙˙ # ˙˙ b ˙˙ # ˙˙
˙ ˙ b˙ ˙
G -7 C 7b9 F7 A b9 G9 G b9

j jÓ
& b œœ .. œœ Ó
93

b œœœ ... œœœ ˙˙ b˙

œ. œ ˙ b ˙˙˙ n ˙˙˙ b b b ˙˙˙
? jÓ j b˙ ˙ ˙
b œ. œ œ. œ Ó b˙ ˙ b˙
˙

The following changes have now been implemented:

1) Bar 4, the B7 is the tritone subsitution for F7 (containing the same 3rd and 7th)
This tritone sound is quite something, and permits and invites the soloist to 'jump'
on this different harmony.
2) In bars 7 and 8 now we see F7 E7 Eb7 and D7. This chromatic movement for me
is a delight! The theory behind why these chords is as follows:
D7 is the V7 of the G-7. Eb13 is the tritone substitute for A7, the V7 dominant of D7.
E7 is the V7 of this A7.
So these chords are incredibly logical. (they need not have been 13ths, they could have been
regular 7ths of 9ths.13ths seem to work well)
3) In the last 2 bars there is a 'turnaround' again that features chromatic chords that are actually
tritone substitutions.
Gb is the tritone substitution for C7 the regular V7 dominant of F
Ab7 is the tritone sub of D7 the dominant of G7.

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9.Major Blues

9 F6 G -7 C7 F maj7 C -7 F7

& b ww ˙˙ ˙˙˙ ww b ˙˙˙ ˙˙

ww ˙ ˙ ww ˙ ˙˙
? ˙ ˙
b w ˙ w ˙
B b6 B 7
o F6 A -7 D 7b9

& b ww
101

w www ˙˙ b ˙˙
ww nb www w ˙ # ˙˙
? ˙
b w nw w ˙

G- G -maj7 G -7 C7 F6 D7 G -7 C 7b9+5

& b ˙˙
105

# ˙˙ n ˙˙ ˙˙˙ ˙˙˙ ˙˙˙ ˙˙ b ˙˙˙

˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
? ˙ # ˙˙ ˙
b ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙

Charlie Parker used this Major Blues progression in various tunes like 'Bird feathers' and
'Au Privave'
Here the first chord is Major. This changes everything! It is written as F6 but Major7 works as well.

In bar 2 the Bluesy previous IV7 chord is replaced by a diatonic II-7 V7. This is happier and jollier
than the F7 and Bb7 (I to IV7) opening chords seen so much.
In the last line of the blues there is an important variation on the regular II-7 V7.
Here the chords are G-, G- maj7, G-7 to C7. This series of chords produces a wistful feeling.
An interesting guide tone line appears in the harmony - G, F#, F to E that can be jumped
upon by the soloist. Parker weaved this sound in to many of his lines seamlessly.

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10. Descending

10 F6 E -7b5 A 7b9 D -9 G 7b9+5 C -9 F 7+

&b w ˙˙
ww ˙˙
˙ # ˙˙˙ ˙˙ n b # ˙˙˙ ˙˙
˙ # b ˙˙˙

? w ˙ ˙ ˙ b ˙˙
b ˙ ˙ ˙

B b6 B b-7 A -7 A b-7

& b ww
113

b ww ww b b b www
ww bw w
?
b w w w bw

G -9 C 7b9+5 F6 D 7b9 G -7 C 7#9

& b ww
117

w ˙˙˙ b ˙˙ ˙˙ b ˙˙
ww # b www ˙
? w ˙ # ˙˙ n ˙˙
b w ˙

The descending Blues is the Blues with the most chords in this PDF.
This Blues features the 'Back Cycle'. This is working out which chords will lead to a target chord
by way of going backwards in the cycle of 4th/5ths (depending on how you call the cycle!)
Here, the Bb6 chord in bar 5 can be thought of as the target chord, from which we will back cycle.

The F7(+5) before this in the cycle of 4/5ths is its dominant V7. The C-9 in bar 3 is the relative II-7
of this F7. The G7(b9) is the V7 of this C-.
The D-7 is the relative II-7 of the G7. The A7 is the V7 of the D-7 and the E-7b5 is the relative
II-7b5 of this A7.

After the Bb6 in bar 5 there are descending parallel minor chords: Bb-7, A-7, Ab-7 then to G-7.
Parker loved this chromatic harmony as he could fly so freely on top of these sounds creating
lines that followed the chromatic movements.
In bar 10 there is a C7b9 with and augmented 5th, to spice things up!

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11. Cycle 5

11 F 13 E b 13 F 13 B9

& b œœ .. j jÓ j
œœ Ó b œœ .. œœ œœ .. œœ Ó # # œœ ..
jÓ
œœ
œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ
j j j œ. œ
? b bœ. œ Ó bœ. œ Ó bœ. œ Ó nœ. œ Ó
œ. œ bœ. œ œ. œ J

E b9 A b9 D b9
B b9
j jÓ jŒ jÓ
& b œœ .. œœ Ó Œ
125

b œœ .. œœ b œœ .. œœ b œœœ ... œœœ n b œœ .. œœ

œ. œ
? j bœ. œ Ó bœ. œ Ó b œœ .. œœ Ó
b œ. œ Ó J bœ. œ J
J

C9 B b9 F7 E b7 F7

& b www
129

w ˙˙ b œœ œœ ww
w b www ˙ œ œ w
? b˙ bœ œ w
b w w ˙ bœ œ w

The chords changes above come from John Coltrane's 'Some other Blues' from Coltrane Jazz-
an amazing record to check out.
I call this the Cycle Blues as the chords in bars 5-8 for the first time follow
the cycle of 4ths or 5ths: Bb7,Eb7 Ab7 Db7 without interruption.
The second chord Eb13 is unusual and sets the tone of the song. It is a tone lower than the
first chord. This sound down to the bVII7 is quite Bluesy and is heard in such classics as
Benny Golson's 'Killer Joe'
After the cycle chords in bars 9 and 10 we hear C7 to Bb7 which is a return to the basic
Blues we started this Pdf with which gives the Blues its 'rootsy' flavour.
I wrote the first chords as 13ths. This is not fixed, they could contain less amount of notes.

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