MASTER THE I-IV-V PROGRESSION
Get to grips with the most important chord progression and you’ll always know where you are in any 12-bar blues jam
The most common blues chord progression is the I-IV-V [one-four-five], so called because the chords are built upon the first, fourth and fifth notes in the relevant major scale. So if we tell you that the notes in the key of C are C, D, E, F, G, A and B, it’s easy enough to tell that a I-IV-V follows the C (first), F (fourth) and G (fifth) chords. Still with us? It’s hard to remember the right notes for every key, but you can work out the right chords just by using the notes on the two lowest strings…
BLUES IN E
The notes in the key of Eare E, F# G# A, B, C# and D# so a I-IV-V progression
