twelve-bar blues
Classic chord structure
Twelve-bar blues is the most common chord progression in blues music, spanning twelve measures in a specific pattern.
The structure typically moves through three chords—the tonic, subdominant, and dominant—in a predictable sequence that has shaped countless blues, rock, and jazz songs: Once you learn the twelve-bar blues, you can jam with almost anyone.
Randomize by mixing
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
- backbeatAccent on weak beats
- syncopationStressed unexpected beats
walking bass · tempo · pulse · downbeat · boogie-woogie · triplet · laid-back · pocket
Performance by one
- licksTongue strokes
- jammingBlocking or wedging forcefully
- phrasingManner of expressing something
- fillsOccupies completely
bending · vibrato · riff · motif · embellishment · call and response · head · vamp
Alluvial formation at mouth
- MississippiSouthern state or major river
- African AmericanU.S. Black ethnic identity
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- traditionCustom passed through generations
legacy · spirituals · work songs · migration · sharecropping · Robert Johnson · Muddy Waters · juke joint
Sequence of tonal changes
- turnaroundShift in opposite direction
- tonicInvigorating medicinal drink
- subdominantFourth scale degree
- verseMetered poetic passage
call and response · repeat · form · measures · standard · framework · pattern · stanza
Blues guitarist icon
- Muddy WatersChicago blues founding figure
- Howlin WolfInfluential Chicago blues musician
- Buddy GuyLegendary blues guitarist
- Bessie SmithLegendary blues vocalist
Robert Johnson · John Lee Hooker · Stevie Ray Vaughan · Eric Clapton
Amplified stringed instrument
- harmonicaHandheld reed wind instrument
- pianoKeyed percussion instrument
- bassDeep pitch or fish
- drumsStruck membrane instruments
slide guitar · bottleneck · resonator · amplifier · Fender · Gibson · harp · upright bass
Deep emotional distress
- heartacheDeep emotional distress
- lonelinessState of lacking companions
- yearningIntense prolonged craving
- lamentMournful expression of grief
woe · anguish · bittersweet · troubled · hard times · suffering · catharsis · release
shuffle
Randomize by mixing
syncopation · walking bass · tempo · pulse · downbeat · boogie-woogie · triplet · laid-back · pocket
solo
Performance by one
fills · bending · vibrato · riff · motif · embellishment · call and response · head · vamp · pentatonic
Delta
Alluvial formation at mouth
- MississippiSouthern state or major river
- African AmericanU.S. Black ethnic identity
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
tradition · legacy · spirituals · work songs · migration · sharecropping · Robert Johnson · Muddy Waters · juke joint · cotton
chord progression
Sequence of tonal changes
- turnaroundShift in opposite direction
- tonicInvigorating medicinal drink
- subdominantFourth scale degree
verse · call and response · repeat · form · measures · standard · framework · pattern · stanza · coda
B.B. King
Blues guitarist icon
- Muddy WatersChicago blues founding figure
- Howlin WolfInfluential Chicago blues musician
- Buddy GuyLegendary blues guitarist
Robert Johnson · John Lee Hooker · Stevie Ray Vaughan · Eric Clapton · Bessie Smith
electric guitar
Amplified stringed instrument
drums · slide guitar · bottleneck · resonator · amplifier · Fender · Gibson · harp · upright bass · organ
sorrow
Deep emotional distress
- heartacheDeep emotional distress
- lonelinessState of lacking companions
- yearningIntense prolonged craving
lament · woe · anguish · bittersweet · troubled · hard times · suffering · catharsis · release · grit
- BluesB.B. King, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Buddy Guy, Howlin Wolf
- Blues RockEric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, Fleetwood Mac, The Yardbirds
- song partsverse, intro, chorus, verse-chorus, outro
- chord progressionsprogression, chord change, turnaround, vamp
twelve-bar bluesopera
Theatrical art combining song
chamber music · Gregorian chant · minimalism · electronic music · classical music
blue, blues, twelve, bars, barred, twelfth, twentieth, bluish, twelfths