Chord & FretBlues · twelve-bar — Ukulele
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.
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
Its fourth string is tuned higher than you would expect, so a chord's notes bunch close together instead of spreading from low to high, giving that clear, chiming sound. 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 every cadence type and train your ear · use it 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 · try it in Chord & Fret
There are many more ways to play this — and they all fit in the Chord & Fret app. One tap on the store and happy playing.