Chord & FretBlues · twelve-bar — Cavaquinho
What is the Blues · twelve-bar progression?
The Blues · twelve-bar progression is E → A → E → B → A → E (I – IV – I – V – IV – I), in the key of E. Read as harmonic function it moves tonic → subdominant → tonic → dominant → subdominant → tonic, arriving home on a cadence. Play one chord per bar and let it loop.
Good music works like a good walk: you leave, get a little lost on purpose, and come back. The map of this one: E (I, home) → A (IV, the stroll) → E (I, home) → B (V, time to come back) → A (IV, the stroll) → E (I, home). Press play and follow along — at the "time to come back" chord, notice the physical urge to hear E again — the home chord.
Cavaquinho
Its chords sound tight and punchy; instead of holding long shapes, it keeps the beat moving with short, repeated strums. In pop, rock or blues the cavaquinho is an unusual guest; it adds a bright, chopping rhythm layer, but it can't cover the low end a band expects. Its home chord E keeps its lowest note on E and rings 1 open string.
Cadences — Harmony comes to rest here — hear every cadence type and train your ear · open in Chord & Fret
Save this progression in Chord & FretReharmonize — Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize the progression in a tap · see it in Chord & Fret
Learn each chord of the trip
This is one shape of E. In Chord & Fret, you open every position of all 6 chords in this progression along the neck — on any instrument, and hear each one. Open in Chord & Fret →
Metronome — Drill this change in time, with tap tempo and subdivisions · use it in Chord & Fret
If this scale won you over, the Chord & Fret app plays it along with you — any key, any tuning. Look it up on the stores.