Chord & FretBlues · quick-change — Ukulele
What is the Blues · quick-change progression?
The Blues · quick-change progression is E → A → E → E (I – IV – I – I), in the key of E. Read as harmonic function it moves tonic → subdominant → tonic → tonic, cycling as a vamp with no full cadence. Play one chord per bar and let it loop.
Play any song you love and it does this: leaves home, takes a walk, and at the right moment somebody yells "come back!". This progression is that route, road sign by road sign: E (I, home) → A (IV, the stroll) → E (I, home) → E (I, home). Hit play and follow with your finger on the names — when you reach the chord marked "time to come back", notice your own body waiting for E — the home chord.
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.
Circle of Fifths — See the key's diatonic chords and its secondary dominants · see it in Chord & Fret
Save this progression in Chord & FretReharmonize — Want richer substitutions? Reharmonize the progression in a tap · open in Chord & Fret
Learn each chord of the trip
This is one shape of E. In Chord & Fret, you open every position of all 4 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, even left-handed. Look it up on the stores.