Chord Progression
The 12-bar blues chord progression is as follows:
I - I - I - I
IV - IV - I - I
V (or IV) - IV - I - I
The Roman numerals represent the chords that are played in each measure. The "I" chord is the tonic chord, the "IV" chord is the subdominant chord, and the "V" chord is the dominant chord.
Lyrical Structure
The 12-bar blues lyrical structure is as follows:
A - A - B - A
C - C - D - E
The "A" lines are repeated twice, and the "B" line is played once. The "C" and "D" lines are played once, and the "E" line is played twice.
The lyrical structure of the 12-bar blues is often improvised, and the singer may vary the lyrics from one verse to the next. However, the basic structure remains the same.
Variations
There are many variations of the 12-bar blues. Some common variations include:
* The 8-bar blues: This variation of the 12-bar blues uses only eight measures of music. The chord progression for the 8-bar blues is as follows:
I - I - I - I
IV - IV - I - I
The lyrical structure for the 8-bar blues is as follows:
A - A - B - A
* The 16-bar blues: This variation of the 12-bar blues uses 16 measures of music. The chord progression for the 16-bar blues is as follows:
I - I - I - I
IV - IV - I - I
V - V - I - I
IV - IV - I - I
The lyrical structure for the 16-bar blues is as follows:
A - A - B - A
C - C - D - E
F - F - G - H
The blues is a versatile and expressive musical form that has been used by many great musicians over the years. The 12-bar blues is the most common blues song structure, but there are many variations on this basic form.