Chords for How to Play 12 Bar Blues | Harmonica 101
Tempo:
95.05 bpm
Chords used:
D
G
C
A
Bm
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Hi, my name is Marcus Milius.
I play harmonica.
[G] I got a degree at the University of Southern California,
a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Studies, Chromatic Harmonica.
I play and teach harmonica here in New York [C] City, and I'm happy to show you what I do.
[D] Playing a 12-bar blues on harmonica [D] can be as [C] simple as just playing along with accompaniment [F#] that is doing a 12-bar blues.
So, as long as you're [D] in the same key and you're playing in the correct position, blues tends [A] to be played in second position,
which means you'll be playing in the key of [Bm] G on a C harmonica, and that's also called cross [D]-harp.
As long as you're [G] playing in cross-harp or second position with the [D] accompaniment of a 12-bar blues, you'll be playing a 12-bar blues.
The form is dictated by the [G] accompaniment, and [F] your [D] participation can simply be improvisation on top of that.
[E] It would sound something like this.
[Gm] [E] [G]
[A]
[C] [G]
[D] [C]
[G] [D] [A#]
[F#] So, there are 8-bar blues, [E] 16-bar blues, and even 32-bar form.
And so, what you want to do is learn to play the roots for each chord, [A] just like you would as a bass player.
The root is the lowest note of each chord, [Bm] and so, for instance, in a 12-bar blues in [D] the key of G,
[G]
the G chord, also known [A] as the I chord, because there are 7 [D] notes in a [A] key, typically, and 7 [D] chords,
the I chord in the key of G [C] is a G chord, so you'd play a [D] G for the [C] I chord, and that's to draw.
[G]
[G#] And then you [D] go up to the IV chord, which is a I [C] blow, the V chord, a I [D] draw.
[Bm] And a 12-bar blues [Cm] is [Em] 12 bars, or [D] measures, of 4 [C] beats each that repeats over [F#] and over again.
[A] Let's divide this into [D] 3 lines, the first line being 4 bars of the I chord.
Follow the progression playing [A] roots, you will want to play the I chord for [Bm] 4 bars, that's a II draw.
[G] [B] [D] The IV chord for 2 bars, [G] that's the I blow.
[C] The [Am] I chord, again, for [D] 2 bars, that's a II [G] draw.
[D] The V chord, which [D] is a I draw.
[E] IV chord, which is a I blow.
[C] And the [A] I chord, which is a II [G] draw.
And then [Cm] the V chord will turn you around back to the [D] top, that's a I draw.
So it'll sound like this, I, II, III, [G] IV.
[Bm] [G]
[C]
[G]
[B] [D]
[C]
[B] [D] [G] And that's back to the top.
[C] [N]
I play harmonica.
[G] I got a degree at the University of Southern California,
a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Studies, Chromatic Harmonica.
I play and teach harmonica here in New York [C] City, and I'm happy to show you what I do.
[D] Playing a 12-bar blues on harmonica [D] can be as [C] simple as just playing along with accompaniment [F#] that is doing a 12-bar blues.
So, as long as you're [D] in the same key and you're playing in the correct position, blues tends [A] to be played in second position,
which means you'll be playing in the key of [Bm] G on a C harmonica, and that's also called cross [D]-harp.
As long as you're [G] playing in cross-harp or second position with the [D] accompaniment of a 12-bar blues, you'll be playing a 12-bar blues.
The form is dictated by the [G] accompaniment, and [F] your [D] participation can simply be improvisation on top of that.
[E] It would sound something like this.
[Gm] [E] [G]
[A]
[C] [G]
[D] [C]
[G] [D] [A#]
[F#] So, there are 8-bar blues, [E] 16-bar blues, and even 32-bar form.
And so, what you want to do is learn to play the roots for each chord, [A] just like you would as a bass player.
The root is the lowest note of each chord, [Bm] and so, for instance, in a 12-bar blues in [D] the key of G,
[G]
the G chord, also known [A] as the I chord, because there are 7 [D] notes in a [A] key, typically, and 7 [D] chords,
the I chord in the key of G [C] is a G chord, so you'd play a [D] G for the [C] I chord, and that's to draw.
[G]
[G#] And then you [D] go up to the IV chord, which is a I [C] blow, the V chord, a I [D] draw.
[Bm] And a 12-bar blues [Cm] is [Em] 12 bars, or [D] measures, of 4 [C] beats each that repeats over [F#] and over again.
[A] Let's divide this into [D] 3 lines, the first line being 4 bars of the I chord.
Follow the progression playing [A] roots, you will want to play the I chord for [Bm] 4 bars, that's a II draw.
[G] [B] [D] The IV chord for 2 bars, [G] that's the I blow.
[C] The [Am] I chord, again, for [D] 2 bars, that's a II [G] draw.
[D] The V chord, which [D] is a I draw.
[E] IV chord, which is a I blow.
[C] And the [A] I chord, which is a II [G] draw.
And then [Cm] the V chord will turn you around back to the [D] top, that's a I draw.
So it'll sound like this, I, II, III, [G] IV.
[Bm] [G]
[C]
[G]
[B] [D]
[C]
[B] [D] [G] And that's back to the top.
[C] [N]
Key:
D
G
C
A
Bm
D
G
C
_ _ Hi, my name is Marcus Milius.
I play harmonica.
[G] I got a degree at the University of Southern California,
a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Studies, Chromatic Harmonica.
I play and teach harmonica here in New York [C] City, and I'm happy to show you what I do. _
_ _ _ [D] Playing a 12-bar blues on harmonica [D] can be as [C] simple as just playing along with accompaniment [F#] that is doing a 12-bar blues.
So, as long as you're [D] in the same key and you're playing in the correct position, blues tends [A] to be played in second position,
which means you'll be playing in the key of [Bm] G on a C harmonica, and that's also called cross [D]-harp.
As long as you're [G] playing in cross-harp or second position with the [D] accompaniment of a 12-bar blues, you'll be playing a 12-bar blues.
The form is dictated by the [G] accompaniment, and [F] your [D] participation can simply be improvisation on top of that.
[E] It would sound something like this.
_ _ [Gm] _ _ [E] _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [C] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [C] _
_ [G] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A#] _
_ [F#] So, there are 8-bar blues, [E] 16-bar blues, and even 32-bar form.
And so, what you want to do is learn to play the roots for each chord, [A] just like you would as a bass player.
The root is the lowest note of each chord, [Bm] and so, for instance, in a 12-bar blues in [D] the key of G,
[G] _
the G chord, also known [A] as the I chord, _ because there are 7 [D] notes in a [A] key, typically, and 7 [D] chords,
the I chord in the key of G [C] is a G chord, so you'd play a [D] G for the [C] I chord, and that's to draw.
[G] _
_ _ _ _ _ [G#] And then you [D] go up to the IV chord, which is a I [C] blow, _ the V chord, a I [D] draw.
_ _ _ [Bm] And a 12-bar blues [Cm] is [Em] 12 bars, or [D] measures, of 4 [C] beats each that repeats over [F#] and over again.
[A] Let's divide this into [D] 3 lines, the first line being 4 bars of the I chord.
Follow the progression playing [A] roots, you will want to play the I chord for [Bm] 4 bars, that's a II draw.
[G] _ _ [B] [D] The IV chord for 2 bars, [G] that's the I blow.
[C] _ The [Am] I chord, again, for [D] 2 bars, that's a II [G] draw.
[D] The V chord, which [D] is a I draw.
[E] IV chord, which is a I blow.
[C] _ And the [A] I chord, which is a II [G] draw.
And then [Cm] the V chord will turn you around back to the [D] top, that's a I draw.
_ So it'll sound like this, I, II, III, [G] IV. _ _ _ _
_ _ [Bm] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [G] And that's back to the top.
_ _ [C] _ _ _ [N] _
I play harmonica.
[G] I got a degree at the University of Southern California,
a Bachelor's of Music in Jazz Studies, Chromatic Harmonica.
I play and teach harmonica here in New York [C] City, and I'm happy to show you what I do. _
_ _ _ [D] Playing a 12-bar blues on harmonica [D] can be as [C] simple as just playing along with accompaniment [F#] that is doing a 12-bar blues.
So, as long as you're [D] in the same key and you're playing in the correct position, blues tends [A] to be played in second position,
which means you'll be playing in the key of [Bm] G on a C harmonica, and that's also called cross [D]-harp.
As long as you're [G] playing in cross-harp or second position with the [D] accompaniment of a 12-bar blues, you'll be playing a 12-bar blues.
The form is dictated by the [G] accompaniment, and [F] your [D] participation can simply be improvisation on top of that.
[E] It would sound something like this.
_ _ [Gm] _ _ [E] _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [C] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [C] _
_ [G] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A#] _
_ [F#] So, there are 8-bar blues, [E] 16-bar blues, and even 32-bar form.
And so, what you want to do is learn to play the roots for each chord, [A] just like you would as a bass player.
The root is the lowest note of each chord, [Bm] and so, for instance, in a 12-bar blues in [D] the key of G,
[G] _
the G chord, also known [A] as the I chord, _ because there are 7 [D] notes in a [A] key, typically, and 7 [D] chords,
the I chord in the key of G [C] is a G chord, so you'd play a [D] G for the [C] I chord, and that's to draw.
[G] _
_ _ _ _ _ [G#] And then you [D] go up to the IV chord, which is a I [C] blow, _ the V chord, a I [D] draw.
_ _ _ [Bm] And a 12-bar blues [Cm] is [Em] 12 bars, or [D] measures, of 4 [C] beats each that repeats over [F#] and over again.
[A] Let's divide this into [D] 3 lines, the first line being 4 bars of the I chord.
Follow the progression playing [A] roots, you will want to play the I chord for [Bm] 4 bars, that's a II draw.
[G] _ _ [B] [D] The IV chord for 2 bars, [G] that's the I blow.
[C] _ The [Am] I chord, again, for [D] 2 bars, that's a II [G] draw.
[D] The V chord, which [D] is a I draw.
[E] IV chord, which is a I blow.
[C] _ And the [A] I chord, which is a II [G] draw.
And then [Cm] the V chord will turn you around back to the [D] top, that's a I draw.
_ So it'll sound like this, I, II, III, [G] IV. _ _ _ _
_ _ [Bm] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [G] And that's back to the top.
_ _ [C] _ _ _ [N] _