307 named progressions, from I–V–vi–IV to the 12-bar blues and the Andalusian cadence, in any key and with any capo.
In C major, the 12-bar blues is C7 | C7 | C7 | C7 | F7 | F7 | C7 | C7 | G7 | F7 | C7 | G7. The 12-bar blues: four bars of I, two of IV, two of I, then V–IV–I and a V turnaround. The base of blues, rock and roll and much of jazz.
The library above is set to 12-Bar Blues in C major. Press Play to hear it with strummed guitar, bass and drums in a blues shuffle groove, tap any chord to hear it on its own, or pick another key or a capo.
| Numeral | Chord | Notes | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| I7 | C7 dominant seventh | C E G B♭ | tonic (home) |
| IV7 | F7 dominant seventh | F A C E♭ | predominant (moving away) |
| V7 | G7 dominant seventh | G B D F | dominant (pulling home) |
Chords that share notes slide into each other; a change with no common notes sounds like a bigger step. Here is what each change keeps:
The easiest shape for each chord, with finger numbers. All of them are open-position shapes.
With the capo on the 3rd fret you can play C major with A shapes, A7, D7, E7, and leave out the F7 barre chord. Each row shows the shapes you play and how easy they are (capo positions above the 7th fret are left out: the guitar sounds thin up there).
| Capo | Shapes you play | How easy |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd fret | A7 D7 E7 | Very easy |
| 5th fret | G7 C7 D7 | Easy |
| No capo | C7 F7 G7 | Hard |
| 1st fret | B7 E7 F♯7 | Hard |
C7, F7 and G7, played C7 | C7 | C7 | C7 | F7 | F7 | C7 | C7 | G7 | F7 | C7 | G7.
Capo on the 3rd fret and play A7, D7, E7: the easiest shapes for this key.
Keep the numerals (I7, IV7, V7) and build each chord from the new key, or tap another key in the library above and the chords change for you.
A minor. It has the same notes as C major, so Am (the vi chord) sounds at home in C progressions.