Chord and FretBlues · twelve-bar — Guitar
What is the Blues · twelve-bar progression?
The Blues · twelve-bar progression is E → A → E → B → A → E (I – IV – I – V – IV – I), in the key of E. Read as harmonic function it moves tonic → subdominant → tonic → dominant → subdominant → tonic, arriving home on a cadence. Play one chord per bar and let it loop.
Good music works like a good walk: you leave, get a little lost on purpose, and come back. The map of this one: E (I, home) → A (IV, the stroll) → E (I, home) → B (V, time to come back) → A (IV, the stroll) → E (I, home). Press play and follow along — at the "time to come back" chord, notice the physical urge to hear E again — the home chord.
Guitar
Its six strings spread across a wide neck, so each chord has room to ring, and one player can be the rhythm and the harmony at the same time. From campfire pop to rock ballads and blues, the acoustic guitar is the default choice, whether you strum full chords or pick out a quiet verse. Its home chord E keeps its lowest note on E and rings 3 open strings.
Cadences — Harmony comes to rest here — hear every cadence type and train your ear · use it in Chord and Fret
Save this progression in Chord and FretReharmonize — Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize the progression in a tap · try it in Chord and Fret
Learn each chord of the trip
This is one shape of E. In Chord and Fret, you open every position of all 6 chords in this progression along the neck — on any instrument, and hear each one. Open in Chord and Fret →
Metronome — Drill this change in time, with tap tempo and subdivisions · open in Chord and Fret
There are many more ways to play this — and they all fit in the Chord and Fret app. One tap on Google Play and happy playing.