Lesson Goal: To internalize Major 12 Bar Blues Harmony… by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle…
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
Basic music reading skills… basic scale, chord, and chord progression theory… basic technique… the LOVE of music and the discipline to study and practice.
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Major 12-Bar Blues Harmony: The First Lesson
The most basic form and harmony for major 12-bar blues in the key of C.
Within each 12-bar chorus, there are three 4-bar sub-phrases…
Phrase #1 presents the main rhythmic/melodic theme and establishes a clear sense of tonic harmony (I)…
Phrase #2 is typically a variation of or complement to the main theme played over a temporary IV harmony, with a return back to the tonic I.
Phrase #3 typically complements or answers the first two phrases and leads the listener back to the top of the next chorus. It is played over a temporary V harmony with a return to the tonic I.
Now let’s put all three phrases together…
The deep appreciation of this three-phase structure is absolutely essential to playing major 12-bar blues in authentic style. Thinking of 12-bar blues form as a three-line poem will get you off to a great start!
Watch on YouTube
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Major 12-Bar Blues Harmony: Variation #1
The form and harmony for the Major 12 Bar Blues in its most basic form… chord roots in the bass and seventh chords connected by voice leading in the right hand…
Listen to Frank play a real-life example of the above (with a slow triple-feel rhythm with double chop left hand)…
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Major 12-Bar Blues Harmony: Variation #2
This commonly used Major 12 Bar Blues inserts a IV7 chord in bar 10… which adds more harmonic motion and interest than staying on the V7 for two bars…
Hear Frank play a real-world example of the above (Slow shuffle rhythm with double chop left hand and syncopated chord voicings in the right hand)…
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Major 12-Bar Blues Harmony: Variation #3
This commonly used Major 12 Bar Blues variation inserts a IV7 chord in bar 2… which provides a temporary excursion away from the I chord, adding more harmonic interest and motion than the otherwise static harmony in the first four bars…
Frank’s real-world rendition of the above (shuffle rhythm with a double chop left hand)…
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Major 12-Bar Blues Harmony: Variation #4
This commonly used Major 12 Bar Blues variation inserts a V chord in bar 12… in order to create strong harmonic tension that sets up the next chorus…
Hear Frank jam on the form above (slow shuffle rhythm with double-pump bass line)…
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Major 12-Bar Blues Harmony: Variation #5
This commonly used Major 12 Bar Blues variation substitutes a ii7-V7 progression for the V7 chord in bars 9 and 10… which adds more harmonic motion and interest and is the beginning of a jazzier sound…
Hear Frank comp on the form above (fast swing rhythm with walking bass line)…
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Major 12-Bar Blues Harmony: Variation #6
This commonly used Major 12 Bar Blues variation inserts a secondary dominant V7/ii in bar 8… which “tonicizes” the Dm7 (ii7) in bar 9.
Note: It’s ok to think of V7/ii simply as VI7.
Such secondary dominants are a great way to add harmonic interest and to create a more sophisticated, jazzier sound…
Frank Playing a Real-Life Example (medium swing rhythm with walking bass)…
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Major 12-Bar Blues Harmony: Variation #7
This commonly used Major 12 Bar Blues variation substitutes a full turnaround based on secondary dominants V7/II-V7/V-V7 in the last two bars…
Doing so creates lots of harmonic interest, more interesting bass lines, strong harmonic voice leading, and rhythmic momentum back to “the top” of the next chorus…
Note: It’s ok to think of the I7-V7/II-V7/V-V7 turnaround simply as I7-VI7-II7-V7.
Hear Frank play a real-world rendition of the above (slow triple-feel with a stride left hand)…
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Major 12-Bar Blues Harmony: Variation #8
A harmonically sophisticated variation of the Major 12 Bar Blues that combines all the ideas we just studied…
Notice how this creates lots of harmonic interest and sense of forward motion yet remains true to the harmonic outline and three-phrase structure of the most basic major 12 bar blues form…
Listen to Frank play a rendition of the above (fast swing with a walking bass line)…
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learn more… Blues Piano Lessons
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