alternate progressions to the blues

Are there additional musical forms and chord progressions other than the 12 bar blues form that we find the blue colors working their magic? But of course, we have it all here. As the blues colors are eventually found within all of the popular styles of the American sounds, there are really no limits in regards to the mixing of the stylistic colors. What follows here are a couple of basic ways to reshape the 12 bar blues form while retaining a basic bluesy / rockin environment. Explore a different musical form for writing blues tunes, a juxtaposition and expansion of the traditional 12 bar chord progression and a stepwise / Gospel chord progression in the 12 bar form as taken from one very essential blues standard.

So ... why and how do these alternate progressions come about? Venturing to guess, like most new things, alternate progressions come about as the need arises. We probably could extend this process into "alternate anything" as prompted by the "Mother of invention" ...? Let's say a nice idea for a song comes along that just won't allow itself to be placed in a 12 bar format. For those who value innovation, our need to write this tune will simply force us to create a new form. Or, the tune itself will simply dictate the form. Either way, we are altering and expanding the existing form and believe it or not, this simple process is a key component to our musical evolution as a species. So ... if our new tune catches fire with the masses, chances are someone else will come along after and use our exact idea to try and cash in on the coolness. And believe it or not, that also can be a very good thing ... As some often say ... "it's all good."

Starting on the Four chord. Perhaps the most common of the alternate progressions to the 12 blues bar form is to start the song on the Four chord. While the tonic or One chord so often enjoys this positioning, starting on Four can really breathe new life into the standard blues approach. We also often hear this simple juxtoposition of the chords as an intro when players are jamming. Here are the chords symbols followed by their sound, in a bright 12 / 8 shuffle feel. Here are the changes, example 1.

Here is the sound of the above harmonic motion in a quasi rockin 12 / 8 "boogie woogie" groove. Example 1a.

Cool huh ...? But only 8 bars? Yep, just 8 bars but repeated to make 16 yes? Are there 8 bar tunes? Well, yes there is everything somewhere ... but in this case, oftentimes this "cycle" is expanded by adding a second "cycle" of changes. So, how is this potentially extended? Well, we can repeat this 8 bar phrase one time completely then add another 8 bars more centered on the tonic chord / pitch "A." Example 1b.

The "B" section if you will ... Example 1c.

Here is the sound of the whole enchilada. Example 1d.

"Return To Sender", a top 40 tune by Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott, which was a big hit for Elvis, follows somewhat along the above harmonic and structural format. Cool how it loops back to the Four chord for the top of the next chorus via the half step lead in eh? And what about this ...? If we add 8 + 8 + 8 we get 24 eh? 24 / 2 = 12 yes? Kinda back to where we started number of bar wise eh? So what ... nothing really, just perhaps a bit more of the music / numbers symmetrical perfection / magic of the spheres thing. So ... how many eggs in a dozen? Months in the year? Pitches in the chromatic scale?

In this next blues flavored idea not in the essential 12 bar form, we go way back to a song from the early part of the 20th century and examine an 8 bar phrase and harmonic structure that also becomes it's own musical form, as this 8 bar sequence is simply oft repeated with different words / lyrics to create the song. "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" by Jimmy Cox written back in "22" brings this harmonic motion to life. Here are the changes. Example 2.

Here is the sound of this cycle of chords. Example 2a.

Examing the harmonic progression from this last idea. Thinking key of F major, we start on the tonic chord and move to Three, which is altered from it's diatonic spelling to a dominant type chord thus becoming a pivot chord in what theorists call a "Five of Six." Here we are simply using the strength of a dominant type chord to enhance the motion to the next chord of the progression. This same type non diatonic alteration happens again as the altered Six "D 7" in bar 3 chord sets up the modulation to the minor tonality, which in this progression is based on the diatonic Two chord. Two evolves to Four as the second 4 bar phrase begins, as so often happens, moving things back to the major tonal environment, setting up the return of the tonic, via the sharp Four diminished color, a rather adventurous but perfect choice considering the style ... Then to the classic altered Two or Five of Five, then the dominant of our original tonic and resolving back to the tonic F major. Cool with this? A rather adventurous blues harmonic scheme eh?

Ps. Sussing out all the links in just this last paragraph creates a pretty large understanding of the program ...

Key To The Highway changes. Another popular 8 bar harmonic cycle with blues roots from the last century is the classic "Key To The Highway" by Big Bill Broonzy. This tune was recently made popular yet again by British legend Eric Clapton. Here are the chord changes. Example 3.

Here is the sound of the above motion in a suitable tempo. Example 3a.

Nice motion huh? Simply tonic to Five, motion to the Four chord followed by the sharp Four diminished 7th. Second phrase again starts on tonic, then Two / Five into the turnaround. These turnaround changes are potentially essential in that they can form the backbone for a gillion variations ... plus work pretty good themselves. Tonic becomes Five resolving to Four, the triad of which morphs from major to minor, then back to the tonic the Five 7, setting up the return to tonic for the next chorus for the blowing etc. Cool?

Blues with a bridge. In this next idea, we are simply using the predictable cycle of the 12 bar blues form as the "A" section of the standard 32 bar "A / A / B / A" song format. Hip to this gorgeous form? What we get here is simply a nice variation of the standard A / A / B / A form. Here are the changes to the "A" section. Example 4.

Points of interest in the above progression? Well, the "double Two / Five" in the first phrase is neat. Also perhaps the motion of minor chords descending by half steps in the second phrase. Other than that, yer basic 12 bar jazz blues in C.

Bridge changes. The 8 bar bridge modulates via the Two / Five / One cadential motion to the Sixth degree of our original tonic. Here we find the chord built on Six altered from it's diatonic minor incarnation. From here we have 4 bars to find the original tonic, so we simply cycle by Two / Five down a whole step to G major, which then evolves to G7, setting up the Five / One return to our tonic key, C major. Here are the chord symbols. Example 4b.

Return of the "A" section. The form of the song is completed by the repeating of the "A" section once more, completing the A / A / B / A form. Where the "A" section is a 12 bar blues and the "B" section eight bars. Here is the sound of this form, written into a popular tune of me own creation ... titled "Tuxy." Example 4c.

Nice tune huh? The digital thing is a bit weird at times. Anyway, just a 12 bar blues form with an eight bar "Sears n' Roebuck" bridge placed into the A / A / B / A form. Cool?

Stormy Monday changes. In "T" Bone Walker's essential classic "Stormy Monday", his "alternate" changes simply move things stepwise between the diatonic chords of the 12 bar blues. Usually in a slower, bluesy tempo, the story of the song is a sad one with the alternate or additional changes adding a bit of a Gospel feel. Here are the changes with the "new" chords highlighted. Example 5.

Example Notice the flat Two major 7 motion in the third phrase? This coolness comes from the recorded version noted below. Also the augmented 5th on the last chord? Just cool ways of takin care of business. Here is the sound of the above changes. Here's the music. Example 5b.

Lot's of players have recorded this tune. Scope out the The Allman Brothers Band, "Live At The Fillmore East" for an absolutely way happenin version.

blues chord substitutions

major minor

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." Emile Zola