12.4: The 12-Bar Blues
12.4 The 12-Bar Blues
Associated with the Blues genre, which originated in the early 1900s, the 12-bar blues progression was also popular during the Swing Era of the 1930s and 1940s, (examples include “In The Mood” and “One O’Clock Jump”), as well as during the early years of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the 1950s (“Johnny B. Goode,” “Hound Dog,” “Rock around the Clock”). The basic 12-bar blues progression is shown below.
| Bars 1–4: | I | I | I | I |
| Bars 5–8: | IV | IV | I | I |
| Bars 9–12: | V | IV | I | I |