User:BassHistory/Blues progression

The blues progression is the harmonic structure used in the blues. The form can be borrowed in other styles of music in a piece called a "blues."

History
Twelve-bar blues progressions appeared in ragtime compositions in 1904.

Twelve-bar blues
The standard blues progression is twelve measures in length, and can be divided into three four-bar sections.

In jazz
Blues progression are commonplace in jazz, especially in be-bop and hard bop.

In rock and roll
Many early rock and roll songs use the blues progressions.

Other blues progressions
There are several variations on the standard blues form, some of which may vary in length. Country blues performers often adjusted the duration of the individual four bar phrases in order to accommodate lyrics or vocal performance. Other more symmetrical forms have also been used, although with far less frequency than the twelve-bar standard.

Eight-bar blues
One variation is the eight-bar blues.

Sixteen-bar blues
Another variation is the sixteen-bar blues. A famous example of a sixteen-bar blues is George Gershwin's "Summertime", which is in the minor mode.