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E A D G B E
Capo

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Progression

The 12-bar blues in B major

12-bar blues in B major plays B7, E7 and F#7 — I, IV and V — across 12 chords. The foundation of blues, rock and roll, and a huge share of popular music since the 1950s: three dominant seventh chords, one per scale degree, played in a fixed twelve-bar form.

The chords, in order

Bar 1B7I
Bar 2E7IV
Bar 3B7I
Bar 4B7I
Bar 5E7IV
Bar 6E7IV
Bar 7B7I
Bar 8B7I
Bar 9F#7V
Bar 10E7IV
Bar 11B7I
Bar 12F#7V

The shapes

IB7
B dominant seventh, open position, capo 0. Strings from lowest to highest: muted, fret 2, fret 1, fret 2, open, fret 2. Frets are relative to the capo.
x21202IVE7
E dominant seventh, open position, capo 0. Strings from lowest to highest: open, fret 2, open, fret 1, open, open. Frets are relative to the capo.
020100VF#7
F# dominant seventh, open position, capo 0. Strings from lowest to highest: fret 2, fret 4, fret 2, fret 3, fret 2, open. Frets are relative to the capo. Barre at relative fret 2, strings 1 to 5.
242320

The same progression in a nearby key

Open 12-bar blues in B major in the explorer →All seven chords in B major →