Blues Guitar Chords and Progressions: The Complete Guide

The blues is the foundation of modern popular music. Without the blues, there would be no rock and roll, no R&B, no jazz as we know it, and no pop music in its current form. At its core, the blues is simple — three chords, a repeating structure, and a lifetime of emotional expression. But within that simplicity lies a depth of subtlety that has captivated musicians for over a century. In this guide, we cover the chords, progressions, and techniques that define blues guitar.

The Sound of the Blues

The blues is built on dominant 7th chords. Unlike major chords, which sound bright and resolved, dominant 7th chords contain a flat 7th that gives them a tense, gritty, unresolved quality. This tension is the emotional core of the blues — it is the sound of longing, of trouble, of wanting something you cannot quite reach.

A dominant 7th chord is built from the major triad (root, major 3rd, 5th) plus a flat 7th. For example, A7 = A, C#, E, G. The interval between the major 3rd (C#) and the flat 7th (G) is a tritone — the most dissonant interval in music. This tritone is what gives dominant 7th chords their bluesy bite.

Essential Blues Chord Shapes

Open-Position Dominant 7th Chords

These are the foundational blues chords in open position:

A7: Place your index finger on the 1st fret of the B string (2nd string), middle finger on the 2nd fret of the D string (4th string). Strum from the A string down.

D7: Place your index finger on the 1st fret of the B string (2nd string), middle finger on the 2nd fret of the G string (3rd string), ring finger on the 2nd fret of the high E string (1st string). Strum from the D string down.

E7: Place your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the A string (5th string), ring finger on the 2nd fret of the D string (4th string). Or simply play an E major and lift your ring finger off the D string. Strum all six strings.

These three chords — A7, D7, and E7 — are the basis of the most common blues key: E.

Movable Dominant 7th Barre Chords

For playing blues in any key, you need movable dominant 7th shapes:

E-shape 7th (root on 6th string): Barre all six strings at any fret, then add your middle finger two frets above the barre on the 3rd string (G string). This gives you an E7-shaped barre chord. The root is on the 6th string.

A-shape 7th (root on 5th string): Barre the 5th string through the 1st string at any fret, then place your ring finger two frets above the barre on the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings. This gives you an A7-shaped barre chord. The root is on the 5th string.

9th Chords for a Jazzier Blues

As blues players advance, they often replace dominant 7th chords with 9th chords. A 9th chord adds the 9th (same note as the 2nd, one octave higher) to the dominant 7th, creating a smoother, more sophisticated sound. Think of the difference between raw Chicago blues (7th chords) and smooth Texas blues (9th chords).

A common 9th chord shape: barre the 4th through 1st strings at any fret, with your middle finger on the 3rd string two frets below the barre. This is a movable A-shape 9th chord.

The 12-Bar Blues Progression

The 12-bar blues is the most important chord progression in blues music. It consists of twelve bars (measures) divided into three four-bar phrases:

Basic 12-Bar Blues in A

| Bars | Chord | |------|-------| | 1-4 | A7 | | 5-8 | D7 | | 9 | A7 | | 10 | E7 (or B7) | | 11 | D7 | | 12 | A7 |

Then it repeats. The progression moves from the I chord (A7) to the IV chord (D7) and back, then through a V-IV-I turnaround in the last four bars.

The Quick Change Variation

A common variation adds the IV chord in bar 2:

| Bars | Chord | |------|-------| | 1 | A7 | | 2 | D7 | | 3-4 | A7 | | 5-6 | D7 | | 7-8 | A7 | | 9 | E7 | | 10 | D7 | | 11-12| A7 |

This "quick change" is used in countless blues songs and adds more harmonic movement in the first phrase.

The Turnaround

The last four bars (9-12) are called the turnaround. This is where the harmonic interest happens. Common turnaround variations include:

V-IV-I: E7 - D7 - A7 (the basic turnaround) ii-V-I: Bm7 - E7 - A7 (a jazzier turnaround) #IV diminished: A7 - D7 - A7 - D#dim7 - E7 - A7 (adds a chromatic diminished passing chord)

The turnaround creates tension that resolves back to the I chord at the top of the next chorus, keeping the progression moving forward.

The Blues Shuffle

The blues shuffle is a rhythmic pattern that defines the feel of blues guitar. Instead of strumming full chords, you play a bouncing, syncopated pattern based on power chords and chromatic walks.

The Basic Shuffle Pattern (in A)

Play this pattern for each bar of A7:

• Beat 1: Play A power chord (5th string open, 4th string 2nd fret)
• Beat 1-and: Play A power chord with the 4th string at the 4th fret (creating a chromatic walk-up)
• Beat 2: Back to A power chord (4th string 2nd fret)
• Beat 2-and: A power chord with 4th string 4th fret
• Beats 3-4: Repeat the pattern

For the D7 bars, move the same pattern to the 4th and 3rd strings. For the E7 bars, move it to the 6th and 5th strings.

The shuffle feel is based on triplet rhythms — instead of even eighth notes, you play a long-short pattern (da-DA, da-DA, da-DA). This is what gives the blues its distinctive swing.

The Blues Scale

The blues scale is the primary scale for blues improvisation. It is the minor pentatonic scale with an added flat 5th (the "blue note"):

A Blues Scale: A, C, D, D#/Eb, E, G

The blue note (D#/Eb in A blues) is a passing tone. Use it to slide between the D and E, or to add a quick "scoop" for emotional effect. Do not linger on it — it creates tension that wants to resolve.

Bending for Blues Expression

String bending is what gives blues guitar its vocal, crying quality. The most important bends are:

• Full-step bend: Bend the string up two semitones (e.g., bend the 7th fret note to sound like the 9th fret). This is the most common blues bend.
• Half-step bend: Bend the string up one semitone. Used for subtle, expressive micro-tones.
• Bend and release: Bend the string up, hold it, then release it back to the original pitch.

Practice bending in tune — a slightly sharp or flat bend sounds amateurish. Use your ear to match the bent note to the target pitch.

Blues Turnaround Licks

The turnaround at the end of the 12-bar blues is a prime opportunity for a signature lick. Here are two classic turnaround licks in the key of A:

Lick 1: The Chromatic Walk-Down

Play the high E string (1st string) at the 12th fret while simultaneously playing the B string (2nd string) at progressively lower frets: 12th, 11th, 10th, 9th. This creates a chromatic descent that resolves to the A chord.

Lick 2: The V-IV-I Riff

Play an E7 chord shape, then walk down to D7, then resolve to A7. This can be done with double stops (two-note chords) on the top two strings, sliding down chromatically from E to D to A.

8-Bar and 16-Bar Blues

While the 12-bar blues is the most common form, there are other blues structures:

8-Bar Blues

A shorter form used in songs like "Key to the Highway" and "Sittin' on Top of the World":

| Bars | Chord (in A) | |------|-------| | 1-2 | A7 | | 3 | D7 | | 4 | A7 | | 5 | E7 | | 6 | D7 | | 7-8 | A7 |

16-Bar Blues

An extended form that doubles the first eight bars of the 12-bar blues, creating a longer narrative before the turnaround. Used in some slow blues and jazz blues compositions.

Blues in Different Keys

The blues can be played in any key. The most common keys for guitar are:

• E blues: Uses E7, A7, B7 — all comfortable open-position chords. The most common key for acoustic and electric blues.
• A blues: Uses A7, D7, E7 — also very guitar-friendly.
• G blues: Uses G7, C7, D7 — common in country blues and folk.
• Bb blues: Uses Bb7, Eb7, F7 — common in jazz blues. Requires barre chords.
• C blues: Uses C7, F7, G7 — common in Chicago blues and jazz.

Slow Blues vs. Fast Blues

The tempo of the blues dramatically affects its character:

Slow blues (60-80 BPM): Emotional, spacious, vocal-like. Lots of bending, vibrato, and dramatic pauses. Think B.B. King or "The Thrill Is Gone."

Medium shuffle (100-140 BPM): The classic blues feel. Dancing, swinging, infectious. Think Muddy Waters or T-Bone Walker.

Fast blues (160+ BPM): Energetic, exciting, virtuosic. Often transitions into rock territory. Think Stevie Ray Vaughan or Johnny Winter.

Using FretGlyph for Blues

FretGlyph's chord library includes all the dominant 7th chords you need for blues, plus 9th chords and altered dominants (7b5, 7#5, 7b9, 7#9) for jazzier blues. You can build a 12-bar blues progression as a chord sheet, set the key, and hear each chord played back with the acoustic or electric guitar sound. This is a great way to practice memorizing the blues form in different keys — build the progression in FretGlyph, then play along with the playback.

Conclusion

The blues is a lifetime study. You can learn the 12-bar form in an afternoon, but it takes years to develop the phrasing, tone, and emotional depth that make blues guitar truly compelling. Start with the basic 12-bar blues in E, learn the shuffle pattern, and begin improvising with the blues scale. Listen to the masters — B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan — and absorb their phrasing. The blues is not about how many notes you play; it is about how much feeling you put into each one.