is it necessary that while playing blues in 12 bars or 16 bars,the standard pattern has to be followed.eg:in the case of 12 bars can't we use-/A/A/E/E/A/A/B/A/E/E/E/E/ ,i mean can't we use the sme 3 chords in different pattern........and if i do will it not be blues then??
plllllllllllllzzzzzzzzzz help.really confused:( Chord patterns don't define the blues. The overall sound is what gets it. The beat. The moanin' guitar. The feelin in the vocals. The boomin bass. Wailin harmonica. Maybe a fatback piano or organ. Horns if necessary.
There are plenty of blues by the greats (BB, Hooker,WOLF, Muddy, Freddie) that do not fit into any standardized chord pattern. Some blues uses fancier chord progressions(Etta James, Ray Charles, Robert Cray) and some very simple(Bo Diddley, Elmore, John Lee Hooker)
I hope this helps.
EDIT::: OK I just played that progression>>A-A-E-E-A-A-B-A-E-E-E-E< ...Using an old acoustic, playing fingerstyle with a slow shuffling beat, and it sounded like the BLUES!!!
Maybe I'll steal it and write a song LOL!!!! I don't think it should matter, as long as it's in a 12 bar progression. the standard 12 bar blues is 4-2-2-1-1-2
E/E/E/E/A/A/E/E/B/A/E/E
you can change it up, but it wont be as easily recognizable as bluesy Typical pattern in key of A:
AAAADDAAEEDDAAEE
Key of E:
EEEEAAEEBBAAEEBB
Most blues purists won't accept other patterns such as the one you use. You can still create your own songs, just call it "modified blues" or something and don't get too obsessive about it and you will be fine! My Babe doesn't follow the "standard" progression. Neither does I Just Want To Make Love To You. You don't even have to move to IV and V, you can stay in the tonic, like Robert Johnson. Assuming you are going for a standard 1 4 5 pattern (E as the root note), some basic standards are to start on the root, use the root for the 11th bar and either the root or the 5th for the 12th, and to move from the 5th (B in this example) to the 4th(A) somewhere near the middle/end (usually the 9th and 10th measure). One last tip, Blues relies on going from the root (E) to the 4th (A) and back to the root as the main groove, too much variation and it won't sound like the blues. Use 7th chords if you want to change it up. Here are three COMMON blues progressions with just a few of their variations:
But if you want real variety, look to the blues prior to WWII - especially the really early stuff in the 1920's. For some reason, the popular conscious has locked blues away in the 12-bar pattern, and this is grossly unfair to a music with many rich possibilities.
Common Blues Progressions:
12 bar 鈥?br>
| I | | | | IV | | I | | V | IV | I (turn around) | V |
Var. 1
| I | IV | I | I | IV | | I | | V | IV | I | V |
Var. 2 (more common before WWII )
| I | IV | I | I | IV | | I | | V7/V | V | I | V |
Minor blues: (Thrill is Gone)
| i | | | | iv | | i | | VI | V | i | V |
8 bar -
Folk Blues (鈥渕omma don鈥檛 鈥榣ow鈥?)
| I | | | V | I V7/IV | IV | I V | I V |
Common 8 bar blues pattern (How Long )
| I | | IV | | I | V | I (Turn around) | V |
Variation 1 (Worried Life)
| I | | IV | iv | I | V | I | V |
Variation 2 (Key to the Highway)
| I | V | IV | | I | V | I | V |
More exotic types are songs like "How can You Have the blues?" "They're Red Hot" "Cocain" (by Dick Justice) and some of the Blind Blake material. Blind Willie Johnson - while playing more slide lines rather than true chords - suggests a number of different progressions drawn more from spirituals and gosphel | 