What the 12-bar blues progression sounds like
The foundation of blues, rock and roll and much of jazz. In E major it's E7 E7 E7 E7 A7 A7 E7 E7 B7 A7 E7 B7.
Heard in: Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry).
You'll find it in Blues songwriting.
Scales that fit 12-bar blues
Over this progression in E, the best-fitting scales are E Mixolydian, E Blues, E Minor pentatonic. Put your own chords into the scale finder to see more.
12-bar blues in every key
| Key | Chords |
|---|---|
| C major | C7 C7 C7 C7 F7 F7 C7 C7 G7 F7 C7 G7 |
| G major | G7 G7 G7 G7 C7 C7 G7 G7 D7 C7 G7 D7 |
| D major | D7 D7 D7 D7 G7 G7 D7 D7 A7 G7 D7 A7 |
| A major | A7 A7 A7 A7 D7 D7 A7 A7 E7 D7 A7 E7 |
| E major | E7 E7 E7 E7 A7 A7 E7 E7 B7 A7 E7 B7 |
| B major | B7 B7 B7 B7 E7 E7 B7 B7 F#7 E7 B7 F#7 |
| F# major | F#7 F#7 F#7 F#7 B7 B7 F#7 F#7 C#7 B7 F#7 C#7 |
| Db major | Db7 Db7 Db7 Db7 Gb7 Gb7 Db7 Db7 Ab7 Gb7 Db7 Ab7 |
| Ab major | Ab7 Ab7 Ab7 Ab7 Db7 Db7 Ab7 Ab7 Eb7 Db7 Ab7 Eb7 |
| Eb major | Eb7 Eb7 Eb7 Eb7 Ab7 Ab7 Eb7 Eb7 Bb7 Ab7 Eb7 Bb7 |
| Bb major | Bb7 Bb7 Bb7 Bb7 Eb7 Eb7 Bb7 Bb7 F7 Eb7 Bb7 F7 |
| F major | F7 F7 F7 F7 Bb7 Bb7 F7 F7 C7 Bb7 F7 C7 |
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Common questions
What are the chords in the 12-bar blues progression?
In E major the 12-bar blues progression is E7 E7 E7 E7 A7 A7 E7 E7 B7 A7 E7 B7. The pattern is the same in every key; the table above lists all 12.
What scale goes with 12-bar blues?
In E, the E Mixolydian fits best. E Blues and E Minor pentatonic add different colors.
Last updated November 14, 2026.