From the course: Beginning Blues Keyboard
Join today to access over 22,700 courses taught by industry experts.
Cycle of 5ths
- So far, all the songs we've been playing have been 12-bar blues, either major or minor, with a V-IV-I chord progression in the last four bars. This is by far the most common blues progression, but there are many variations on that theme. A lot of these variations are derived from what we call cycle of fifths harmony. Now, if you have the book that accompanies this video, you can review cycle of fifths harmony in chapter one, but just like we did with our simplest blues progression, we'll describe the new harmonies by using Roman numerals. The cycle of fifths progression most commonly added to 12-bar blues is II-V-I or VI-II-V-I. Let's take a look at how these chords will fit into the last several bars of a slow blues, like the Allman Brothers' famous version of the classic, "Stormy Monday." Here's a diagram of a 12-bar blues in G with a quick four and a typical V-IV-I ending. Let's substitute a II-V-I progression in place of the V-IV-I here in the last four bars. If we remember…
Download courses and learn on the go
Watch courses on your mobile device without an internet connection. Download courses using your iOS or Android LinkedIn Learning app.