12 bar Blues - 6 Variations (Ukulele Chord Progressions - 2 Videos)

Get started learning the blues! 

Or spice up those blues progressions with these 6 variations...

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This is from my "Secrets of the Chord Chain" books - GET YOURE PDF HERE of this lesson exactly as it appears in the book.

Learn to play blues progressions or take your blues progressions to the next level with these 6 varations of the 12 bar blues!

You can mix and match any of the variations to create your own progressions!

Have fun...

Each box in the diagrams below is one measure - so each box gets 4 count's - or 4 strums.

Beginners can us basic strums to get the progressions down, but to get that 'blues sound' you may want to use 'shuffle strums' I talk about how to count and use those here.

Here's a video that briefly explains how to do it:

If you use the 'shuffle strum' each box get's a 1, 2, 3, 2, 2, 3, 3 ,2, 3, 4, 2, 3 (see video or article for details).

Standard 12 Bar Blues

Each box is 1 bar (1 measure).

Here it is (12 bars means it's 12 measures long - each measure (box) gets 4 strums):

C	C	C	C
F	F	C	C
G	G	C	C

Normally with 12 bar  blues all the chords are dominant 7 chords - they don't have to be and could actually be other dominant chords instead of dominant 7 chords.

Let's look at our progression now with all dominant 7 chords:

C7	C7	C7	C7
F7	F7	C7	C7
G7	G7	C7	C7

We follow the rule 'any chord can be a dominant' to make all of the chords dominants.

Here a related video:

In the video you'll learn that any chord and any progression can be a dominant and some considerations for the I (one) chord as well...

"Shuffle Blues"

Here we have the 12 bar blues with the "Shuffle Blues" pattern for the last 4 bars:

C7	C7	C7	C7
F7	F7	C7	C7
G7	F7	C7	C7

Highlighted in red is the "Shuffle Blues" pattern - V - IV - I - I. It's be a good idea to memorize this pattern.

"Quick Change"

The “Quick Change” came out of the 30’s. 

Withe the "Quick Change" we have a quick change to the IV chord in the second bar.

We see it here with the “Shuffle Blues” pattern for the last 4 bars, could be played without it as

well. You can mix and match these patterns as you like.

Any bar or number of bars can be swapped out with another pattern giving you a huge amount

of possibilities:

C7	F7	C7	C7
F7	F7	C7	C7
G7	F7	C7	C7

Highlighted in blue is our "Quick Change" Chord. Highlighted in red is the "Shuffle Blues" pattern.

V chord at the end

We can add the V chord at the end to any of the progressions we’ve previously played like so.

Just like the progression above but we add a V chord in the last bar our “Shuffle Blues” se-

quence. The V creates tension and leads back to the I:

C7	F7	C7	C7
F7	F7	C7	C7
G7	F7	C7	G7

Highlighted in purple is our V chord.

With a turnaround at the end

Turnaround can be added to the last 2 bars with or without any of the previous variations - here we have it with all previous variations:

C7	F7	C7	C7
F7	F7	C7	C7
G7	F7	C7 F7	C7 G7

Highlighted in green is the turnaround.

MORE...

This is from my "Secrets of the Chord Chain" books - GET YOURE PDF HERE of this lesson exactly as it appears in the book.

Learn more about how to simplify chords here with my book "Ukulele Chord Tricks: Simplify Any Chord"

To learn how to create beautiful chord progressions in any key - get my "Secrets of the Chord Chain" books.

FREE PDF's - Chord book and all scales harmonized with chords (with related articles):

Chord book (FREE  PDF)

All scales harmonized with chords with chords (FREE PDF)

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