What are the 12-bar blues chords?
William Brown
Published Jun 09, 2026
What are the 12-bar blues chords?
The standard 12-bar blues progression contains three chords. These three chords are the 1 chord, the 4 chord, and the 5 chord. Since we’re in the key of E blues, the 1 chord is E, the 4 chord is A, and the 5 chord is a B.
What are the chords in A blues progression?
The standard 12-bar blues progression has three chords in it – the 1 chord, the 4 chord, and then the 5 chord. In the key of E blues, the 1 chord is an E, the 4 chord is an A, and the 5 chord is a B. Blues music usually has a shuffle feel to it, and you’ll have to get this down to get the feel of blues music right.
What key is the blues played in?
Blues guitar keys The two most common keys in blues music are E and A. There are others, but these two keys are the most common.
What are the chords in blues music?
In blues, the 1 chord is always the same as the key name. Another chord used in blues progressions is known as the 4 chord, also called the subdominant. In our key of G major, that would be C major. In G minor, the 4 chord would be C minor. The final chord in typical blues progressions is the 5 chord, also called the dominant.
What key is E7 in blues guitar?
E major is the most common blues key on guitar, so you could think of E7 as the 1 chord, A7 as the 4 chord and B7 as the 5 chord. E form blues guitar chords E7 Var. 1
How do you play blues with an E chord?
It’s quite rare to find a blues song with an E that doesn’t eventually become an E7, mostly at the end of the second line of verse, or as a lead into the A chord. The basic blues guitar form is to keep the E chord and then fret the B string with your pinkie on the 3rd fret, and this really is the sound of roots blues.
What is 1 4 5 in blues guitar?
1 4 5 is essentially the backbone of blues. A fixed formation of three chords. First, you should learn to visualise this 1 4 5 relationship in whatever key you might be playing. Conveniently, the visual relationship stays the same for any key, a bit like a scale pattern.