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Common Blues Chord Variations Explained

The document discusses common variations on the standard 12-bar blues progression. Some of the variations include replacing the I chord in measure 2 with the IV chord, creating a "quick change blues". Dominant 7th chords can be substituted with diminished 7th chords a half step higher or minor 7th chords a perfect 4th lower. Another common alteration replaces the V-IV movement in measures 9-10 with a ii-V progression. A technique called "back-cycling" involves inserting secondary dominant chords a half step above or below the target chord to approach it chromatically.

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144 views3 pages

Common Blues Chord Variations Explained

The document discusses common variations on the standard 12-bar blues progression. Some of the variations include replacing the I chord in measure 2 with the IV chord, creating a "quick change blues". Dominant 7th chords can be substituted with diminished 7th chords a half step higher or minor 7th chords a perfect 4th lower. Another common alteration replaces the V-IV movement in measures 9-10 with a ii-V progression. A technique called "back-cycling" involves inserting secondary dominant chords a half step above or below the target chord to approach it chromatically.

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randywimer
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Blues

In its simplest form

The first common change replaces the I chord in the 2nd measure with the IV chord, creating the “quick
change blues”.

The next common change is to apply a couple of often used substitutions. Dominant chords (nat. 3 and b7)
can be replaced by either a dim 7 chord one half-step higher or by a minor 7 chord a perfect 4th lower.

Together creates ii The only note that chang-


V of the IV chord es is the root, which raises
one half-step, effectively
Ii of IV V of IV
creating a IV 7b9
Other changes are based on replacing the V, IV move in measures 9—10 with a ii V.

Most of the remaining common alterations to a blues can be attributed to “back-cycling”, in one form or an-
other. Put simply, back-cycling takes the chord that’s being moved toward as a “target” and moves to it by
inserting either its V chord or a chromatic passing chord a half-step above or below.
Let’s take the ii chord in measure 9. In the key of C that would be Dm7. The V chord of Dm is A7 so we could
insert an A7, perhaps with an altered 5th or 9th, in the 8th measure. We’ll notate the A7 as a VI7 and realize
it’s the V of ii.

Measures 11 and 12 are often referred to as the turn-around. The most common turn-around is the I vi ii V,
which mirrors the progression now in measures 7—12, with the durations cut in half.
The next focus for embellishment becomes measures 7 and 8. There are 2 common variations here. The first
moves back chromatically from I to VI (back-cycling using chromatic upper neighbor tones). The other, often
called “Stormy Monday” changes after a famous song that uses this variation, moves up the harmonized scale
from I to iii then uses a chromatic passing chord to move into the ii in measure 9.

Chromatics

Stormy Monday changes

“Bebop blues” applies the principle of back-cycling to the first 3 measures, using the v-7 in bar 4 as the target.
What leads into that chord? The V of V, or the II7. What leads into that? The V of ii, or the VI7. The V of vi is
the III7. The V of iii is VII. So, here, with chord types altered to create a series of ii V changes, is the result.

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