The 12 Bar Blues
The 12 Bar Blues as we know it today originated in the 1800s from the Deep South region of the United States. The 12 Bar Blues is one of the most prominent Chord Progression in Popular Music. This Blues Progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase, chord structure and duration. It is predominantly based on the I, IV and V chords of a Key and utilizes the Call and Response technique. As the name implies, the 12 Bar Blues has 12 Bars. The first 4 Bars can be termed the Call, the next 4 Bars repeats the Call, and the last 4 Bars is the Response with a slight variation. In the Chord diagram of a 12 Bar Blues in A, the chord progression begins with 4 Bars of A. This is followed by 2 Bars of D, then 2 Bars of A again. The last 4 Bars is the Turnaround consisting of E, D, A and E, going back to A.