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Digital The blues is often thought of as being a simple kind of music, and in some
Downloads ways it is. Of course, anyone who has ever been moved by a blues
performance knows that there must be more to it than the simple chords.
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Though the chords may by simple when compared to jazz or classical music,
blues has great range and complexity in the variety of the tone, touch,
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groove, and mood. The greatest of the blues players were great because of
Sound these subtle and complex instincts, which touch the listener directly.
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Tips for Harmonically, blues was a hand-built compromise between the modal music of
Guitarists Africa and the diatonic (chord changes) music of Europe. The earlier the
blues, the closer it is to African. The oldest blues of 1890-1920 tends to have
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little or no change of chord harmony, simply melody over the grooving tonic
chord. Gradually, from 1920-1940 blues musicians added more sophisticated
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Western harmonies.
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Blues is a very flexible music, and great for improvising and re-inventing. The
blues progressions below will demonstrate the two main branches of
developing blues chord changes. I have used the key of G, but naturally these
would apply in all keys. It is hoped that presenting these examples of blues
progressions in an evolutionary way will help you to increase your general
understanding of blues, and also encourage you to create your own
progressions.
G G G G
G G G G
G G G G
G G G G
G G G G
Dm7* X G G
*WITHOUT A THIRD, IT IS EITHER 7TH OR MINOR...
“X” CAN BE Dm7, partial C7, or G, at the whim of the player...
G Dm G G
G Dm G G
Dm Dm G G
G G G G7
C7 C7 G G
D7 or Dm7 C7 G turn G or D7
G C7* G G7
C7 C7 G G(7)
D7 C7 G D7
* this C7 CAN ALSO BE G dim
FIFTH STAGE - "MATURED" CHICAGO STYLE: this is but one example, there
are many variations on this progression, including versions of all the earlier
ones. Of course, Chicago Blues covers a wide range of sound from electrified
delta to more jazz influenced music.
G7 C9 G9/G#9 G9/G7
C9 C9 G/Am7 Bm7/Bbdim
Am7 Cm6 G6 G7 C9 Cm6 GM7/Bbdim D9
G D7* G** G7
C C*** G/D7 G
D7 C7**** G G7 C Cm G
Asterisks indicate SUBSTITUTE ‘PLUG-IN’ MEASURES TO CREATE
OTHER 12-BAR PROGRESSIONS:
* Measure 2 CAN BE C or C7
** Measure 3 CAN BE G G7 C Cm, one beat each chord
*** Measure 6 CAN BE Cm or C#dim, for 4 beats, or C/Cm, or
C/C#dim, 2 beats each
**** Measure 10 CAN BE A7/D7, or Am/D7, or simply D7
THIRD-FOURTH STAGE: GETTING INTO THE JAZZ ZONE -- This one comes
from a young William Basie (later the Count) written in 1929 for Walter Page's
Blue Devils - other recommended "territory jazz" artists: Benny Moten Orch.,
Tiny Parham & His Musicians, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton.
G D7 G G7 C Cm G/G7
C Cm G/D7 G/Gdim
Am7/D7 A7/D7 G G7 C Cm G/D7
FOURTH STAGE: TYPICAL SWING BLUES, with "cycle of 5ths" chord changes,
which derive from ragtime, and before that, Europe. Lots of different
interpretations are possible, by adding and substituting chords. A 7th chord
can be played whenever you see a chord with a number higher than 7. The
higher numbers are there usually to indicate that a 7th is already in the
chord, i.e. it is a dominant chord.
G/G7 C/C#dim G6 G7 or 9
C6 C#dim* G 6** E9
A9 D13*** GG7CC#dim G/D7+5
*or Cm6 in bar 6
** or try G6/Bm7b5 (like a Dm with a B in the bass) in bar 7
*** or D9, or Db9,13, or D9b13 !
The FIFTH STAGE takes you to bebop and chord substitutions, including the
tritone substitution, a subject for another day.
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