Ever since our first ancestors discovered how to make music the human intellect has been constantly searching for more complex harmonies; go back as far as you can in history and trace the evolution of music and you will discover one common fact; the constant search by musicians to create more complex harmonies to support the 'new' music of their time.
The blues is no exception, most guitar players know how to play a few blues licks and strum the common 12 bar blues progressions in a variety of 'guitar friendly' keys; the advancing guitarist soon tires of the basic chords and begins their search for different and fresh new ways to play the standard 12 blues progressions behind the soloist.
The following blues progression is in the key of C.
Here is a typical 12 bar blues in C major.
Progression #1 C /// | C /// | C /// | C /// | F /// | F /// | C /// | C /// | G7 ///| G7/// | C /// | G7/// || C (last time) In this next example I'm using a few harmonic surprises however if you refer back to progression #1 you will discover we are keeping the original harmonic skeleton intact, it's just how we are introducing the chords to the listener.
Progression #2 CMaj7/// | Dm7 / / / | Em7 / / / | Gm7 / C7 / | FMaj7/// | Fm7/ / / | Em7 / / / | Ebm7 / / / | Dm7 / / /| DbMaj7/// | CMaj7/ / /| G7 / G 7+/ ||CMaj7(last time) Sample harmonic analysis: * bar 1: Cmaj7; substitute for C major * bar 2: Dm7; second chord in the scaletone seventh harmonization of a C major scale * bar 3: Em7; third chord in the scaletone seventh harmonization of a C major scale * bar 4: Gm7 to C7; a two five progression in the key of F major resolving to the one chord (FMaj7) in bar five.
* bar 6: Fm7; temporary 'key of the moment' key of Eb (Fm7 being the second chord in the key of Eb) * bar 7: Em7; used as a substitute for C major (Cmaj9 contains the same notes as Em7 with a C bass e.
g.
, Em7/C = CMaj9) * bar 8: Ebm7; a flat five substitute for A7, creating chromatic movement in the bass * bar 9: Dm7; chord two in the key of C major * bar 10: DbMaj7; a flat five substitution for G7, creating chromatic movement in the bass * bar 11: CMaj7; chord one in C major * bar 12: G7 to G7+; G dominant seventh is the fifth chord in C major to G dominant seventh sharp five (augmented fifth) The G7+ chord has been introduced to create additional musical tension in the turn-a-round bar of the blues.
Notice how this version of the blues has many temporary 'keys of the moment'; it vitality important for the soloist to spot these key changes by sight (via the chord progression) as well as by ear.
The blues is no exception, most guitar players know how to play a few blues licks and strum the common 12 bar blues progressions in a variety of 'guitar friendly' keys; the advancing guitarist soon tires of the basic chords and begins their search for different and fresh new ways to play the standard 12 blues progressions behind the soloist.
The following blues progression is in the key of C.
Here is a typical 12 bar blues in C major.
Progression #1 C /// | C /// | C /// | C /// | F /// | F /// | C /// | C /// | G7 ///| G7/// | C /// | G7/// || C (last time) In this next example I'm using a few harmonic surprises however if you refer back to progression #1 you will discover we are keeping the original harmonic skeleton intact, it's just how we are introducing the chords to the listener.
Progression #2 CMaj7/// | Dm7 / / / | Em7 / / / | Gm7 / C7 / | FMaj7/// | Fm7/ / / | Em7 / / / | Ebm7 / / / | Dm7 / / /| DbMaj7/// | CMaj7/ / /| G7 / G 7+/ ||CMaj7(last time) Sample harmonic analysis: * bar 1: Cmaj7; substitute for C major * bar 2: Dm7; second chord in the scaletone seventh harmonization of a C major scale * bar 3: Em7; third chord in the scaletone seventh harmonization of a C major scale * bar 4: Gm7 to C7; a two five progression in the key of F major resolving to the one chord (FMaj7) in bar five.
* bar 6: Fm7; temporary 'key of the moment' key of Eb (Fm7 being the second chord in the key of Eb) * bar 7: Em7; used as a substitute for C major (Cmaj9 contains the same notes as Em7 with a C bass e.
g.
, Em7/C = CMaj9) * bar 8: Ebm7; a flat five substitute for A7, creating chromatic movement in the bass * bar 9: Dm7; chord two in the key of C major * bar 10: DbMaj7; a flat five substitution for G7, creating chromatic movement in the bass * bar 11: CMaj7; chord one in C major * bar 12: G7 to G7+; G dominant seventh is the fifth chord in C major to G dominant seventh sharp five (augmented fifth) The G7+ chord has been introduced to create additional musical tension in the turn-a-round bar of the blues.
Notice how this version of the blues has many temporary 'keys of the moment'; it vitality important for the soloist to spot these key changes by sight (via the chord progression) as well as by ear.
SHARE
