Blues 12-bar blues progression on ukulele
What is the Blues 12-bar blues progression?
The Blues 12-bar blues progression is E, A, E, B, A and E (I–IV–I–V–IV–I), in the key of E major. 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.
Four chords, a whole story: E (I, home) → A (IV, the stroll) → E (I, home) → B (V, time to come back) → A (IV, the stroll) → E (I, home). Hit play. First pass, just listen. Second pass, follow with your finger on the names — and notice that by the second-to-last chord, your body already knows E — home — is coming.
Ukulele
With only four short strings and no bass note, the ukulele lives in a bright, high register; it sketches the chords and leaves the low end to a voice or another instrument. For bright pop songs and gentle ballads the ukulele fits like a glove, adding an airy sparkle; heavier rock, blues and funk want the punch and bass it simply does not have. Its home chord E keeps its lowest note on E.
Cadences: Harmony comes to rest here: hear cadences on the neck, 9 free and another one each week · see it in Chord and Fret
Save this progression in Chord and FretReharmonize: Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize's Subtle and Medium levels are free; Bold and Jazz are part of Pro · try it in Chord and Fret
Learn each chord of the trip
This is one shape of E. In the app, every chord in this progression comes with its other shapes and audio, free. Open in Chord and Fret →
Metronome: Drill this change in time, with tap tempo and subdivisions · use it in Chord and Fret