Jazz blues chords, progressions and tunes appear throughout the Jazz genre in many different forms and arrangements.

The influence of Blues on Jazz is undeniable. The Blues form has been adopted and modified through hundreds of different compositions from the greatest musicians in Jazz.

Jazz blues tunes can vary in size, harmonic content, rhythm and melody. However, almost every Jazz blues tune originated from a simple 12-bar blues form.

There are even a few Jazz blues tunes that were written over the basic 12-bar blues form without any harmonic alterations.

If you’re not familiar with the 12-bar blues, don’t worry, this guide will take you from the starting point of the 12-bar blues to a number of different Jazz blues tunes.

Throughout this guide you’ll work through creative comping and chordal arrangements for guitar of each Jazz blues, ranging from compositions of Duke Ellington to John Coltrane.

As you progress from Blues to Blues in the guide, slight modifications will be made to the harmony at each step, taking you from one Jazz blues tune to the next.

For each tune you play, explanations to the change in harmony and new playing examples will be provided. As the focus of this guide is the harmony in Jazz blues tunes, you’ll work through unique comping studies for each tune you encounter.

After playing through this guide, you’ll gain a greater perspective on how flexible Blues harmony really is, and how you can take advantage of it when playing. You’ll also have a number of new comping approaches to work with on the guitar.

Not only that, but you’ll have a better understanding of why Jazz blues harmony is the way it is.

Learn the Jazz guitar basics and more by picking up a free copy of my 64-page eBook, The Jazz Guitar Primer, here.

To get started, you can use the menu below to jump between topics or simply start from the beginning of the guide.

Standard 12-bar blues Forms and Jazz blues Chords



The 12-bar blues is a musical form that has influenced artists since the turn of the 20th century, in genres ranging from Rock and Roll to Bebop.

Before getting started with Jazz blues tunes, it’s important to know the structure of the basic 12-bar blues form first.

The blues has a rich and complex history, which I would invite you to research after the lesson.

As the focus of this guide is on the chords found in Blues tunes, you’ll start with the basic chord structure of a 12-bar blues form.

In the standard 12-bar blues, there are only 3 different chords: the I7 chord, IV7 chord and V7 chord. In the key of F, as in the example below, the chords are as follows:

To create the form of the 12-bar blues, each of the chords above have to be placed in a particular sequence within the 12 bar length of the tune. Here’s what the order of chords in the 12-bar blues looks like:

The chords in bold indicate important harmonic markers that help define the structure of a blues tune.

There are a few important structural elements to take note of before moving on. Knowing the structure behind complex pieces will make playing much easier for any guitarist.

Common to almost all major blues forms are these 3 key harmonic markers:

1) Bar 1 is where the key is established with a a I7 chord.

2) Bar 5 is where the harmony changes to a IV7 chord.

3) Bars 9 and 10 contain the V7 chord that prepares the tune to resolve back to the the I7 chord in bar 11.

As you progress through this guide, you’ll compare each tune you learn to the original 3 harmonic markers. As you’ll see, even Jazz blues tunes with very different chords will contain the same 3 harmonic markers.

The above form on paper looks and sounds like the example below.

Now, this specific form of the blues isn’t found very often in Jazz as is, but it’s the form that almost all Jazz blues tunes can be traced back to.

Knowing this form will allow you to make sense of even the most complex Jazz blues forms.

The example below features the Freddie Green quarter note comping rhythm played over the 12-bar blues form. Instead of using exclusively root position 7th chords, you’ll also use inversions.

Included with each comping exercise is a backing track that you can use to practice playing along to.

Audio Example – 12-bar blues backing track



Audio Example – 12-bar blues comping

In the example above, only 7th chords and their inversions are featured. What is important to note is the way that they’re applied. When transitioning from the F7 in bars 1-4 to the Bb7 in bars 5-6, as little movement as possible occurs between chords. Minimizing the movement of notes in general when switching from chord to chord is an important feature of voiceleading. Voiceleading in the blues is made much easier when you’re already familiar with different 7th chord inversions. If you’re new to inversions, the above comping exercise will be an excellent introduction.

Bessie’s Blues

The next Blues form you’ll take a look at finds itself being used in many genres.

It’s a recognized traditional Blues form, but can also be found in Jazz music.

This Blues form uses the exact same chords as the previous form, but with a few alterations in terms of the order of appearance of each chord.

A quick comparison between this blues form and the 12-bar blues form from the last section will tell us what’s happened here relative to our 3 harmonic blues markers.

1) I7 in bar 1 remains the same. The harmony is established with the same chord.

2) Bar 5 still contains a IV7 chord and marks the first change in harmony.

3) Bar 9 still contains a V7 chord. However, in bar 10 a IV7 chord is introduced to add movement and interest to the progression back to I7 in bar 11.

A classic example of a Jazz standard that takes advantage of this altered 12-bar blues form is John Coltrane’s Bessie’s Blues.

Using Drop 2 chords in this example, you’ll comp through the Blues playing root position dominant 7 chords and their inversions.

This time you’ll make things a bit Jazzier by adding guitar friendly 9 and 13 chords.

You’ll also play through this example using the Charleston Comping pattern.

Audio Example – Bessie’s Blues backing track



Audio Example – Bessie’s Blues comping

What you may notice after listening and playing the above example is that the chords in this version of the blues produce more momentum in terms of harmony when compared with the first 12-bar blues example in this lesson. A prime example of this momentum is the C7 chord in bar 12, which creates additional tension before resolving back to F7 in bar 1 of the blues. Additionally, the 9 and 13 chords that are used over the F7 and Bb7 respectively, create more color in the chords, which suggests a jazzier sound.

II V Progression in the Blues

The II V progression is a defining feature of Jazz music.

Once even a single II V progression is added into the harmony of the Blues, it’s almost guaranteed that you’re dealing with a Jazz blues tune.

In this part of the guide you’ll comp through a number of Jazz blues tunes that involve the usage of the II V progression as part of the overall harmonic structure.

C Jam Blues

If a Jazz blues only has a single II V progression, it’s most likely to occur within a few specific areas of the form.

With a single II V progression, the II will often appear as a substitution for the IV chord. The IV chord, as you may recall from the previous Bessie’s Blues form, occurs in bar 10.

An example of a form of a Jazz blues tune with a single II V progression is as follows:

Before moving on, compare this set of Jazz blues chords to the original harmonic Blues markers that you learned in the first 12-bar blues example. The markers have been bolded in the above form for easier identification.

1) I7 in bar 1 remains the same. The harmony is established with a I7 chord.

2) Bar 5 contains a IV7 chord, which is the first change in harmony.

3) Bar 10 still contains a V7 chord. However, in bar 9 a iim7 chord is introduced to create a II V progression.

Why the iim7 chord in bar 9? The function of the V7 chord at this point in the blues (bars 9-10) is to create tension in order to resolve back to the I7 chord. In Bessie’s Blues, the function of the V7 remains, but the road to the V7 chord has been lengthened via the iim7 chord. One of the most important concepts in Jazz harmony is the idea of extending key harmonic moments (like V7 to I7) by using even more chords! So, to make a V7 to I7 progression sound jazzier and more harmonically interesting, the iim7 is added before the V7. As you’ll see throughout the guide, key harmonic moments like these can be extended even further with more chords.

In this example of a Jazz blues form, you’ll be playing in the key of C.

Not only that, but you’ll be playing the same form used in the classic Duke Ellington standard, C Jam Blues.

If you’re new to Jazz blues tunes, C Jam blues is an excellent tune for any guitarist to get started with.

The form uses one II V progression and the melody is a simple 2 note phrase repeated 3 times over the form.

Here’s a creative comping example of C Jam Blues using Drop 2 chords. In this example you’ll use both root position Drop 2 chords and inversions.

Why all the inversions? Inversions allow you to create smoother voiceleading when moving from chord to chord. Having the ability to move from chord to chord outside of root position chords will provide additional possibilities in both comping and soloing.

Audio Example – C Jam Blues backing track



Audio Example – C Jam Blues comping

In the above example, a few different comping strategies are employed. Firstly, a rhythm featuring 3 quarter notes and 2 eighth notes is carried through most of the tune. Switching up the rhythm when comping is one of the best ways to add a fresh sound to your playing. Next, you may have noticed that a similar chording approach is applied over the rhythm throughout the tune. Over the C7 and F7, 2 root position 7th chords are played followed by a 2nd inversion 7th chord. What’s unique about this comping example is the inclusion of a m7 chord built a 6th above the chord root on the ‘and’ of beat 4 (with the exception of bars 9 and 10). m7 chords built a 6th above the root of a dominant 7th chord are a common chord substitution choice.

Sonnymoon for Two

Moving on, take a look at what happens when bars 11-12 of the 12-bar blues are replaced with a turnaround.

Turnarounds are featured heavily in Jazz blues forms; they contain a set of chord changes that prepare the tune to resolve back to the chords at the beginning of the form.

The standard turnaround progression for a Blues tune is: I7 – VI7b9 – iim7 – V7.

In F major, the turnaround in the last 2 bars of the Blues would therefore be: F7 – D7b9 – Gm7 – C7.

So, the only difference between this evolution of the Blues and the previous C Jam Blues form are the last two bars.

Here’s a look at the form of the blues in writing:

As mentioned previously, this Jazz Blues form is identical to the previous C Jam Blues form with the addition of a turnaround in bars 11 and 12. Thus, all of the harmonic markers of the original Blues form will be found here as well.

What tunes can you relate this form of the Blues to?

Two very well known and must-know tunes in the Jazz world that utilize this version of the Blues are Sonny Rollins’ Sonnymoon for Two, and the Duke Ellington classic Things ain’t what they Used to Be.

If you’re looking for a melody to jam over this version of the Blues, I recommend learning the melodies to either of the previously mentioned tunes.

For now, you’ll play a comping arrangement of this Jazz blues form using Drop 2 chords, both root position and inversion as well as a few substitutions a la Wes Montgomery.

Audio Example – Sonnymoon for Two backing track



Audio Example – Sonnymoon for Two comping

The idea behind this Blues comping study is to create a separate, yet not overpowering, melodic line. This melodic line takes place over the length of the blues and is played exclusively on the ‘and’ of beat 2 (similar to the Charleston rhyhtm). Inversions of the dominant 7 chords are used exclusively from bars 1-8. In bar 9, a Bbmaj7 in 2nd inversion is used as a substitution for Gm7. The notes of Bbmaj7 over a Gm7 give you the Bb, D, F and A, or b3, 5, b7 and 9. Over C7 in bar 10, an Em7b5 chord is used to get the 9 of the C7 as well. The notes in Em7b5 are E, G, Bb and D. Over a C7 Em7b5 gives you the 3rd, 5th, b7th and 9th of the chord.

Blues with Multiple II V Progressions

If you take a step back to the C Jam Blues form before the introduction of the turnaround, there are a few other directions you can go with the harmony. Some of these directions include adding an additional II V progression.

In this section of the lesson, you’ll work through 2 comping studies based on the changes to classic Jazz blues standards.

Each of the studies used in this part of the guide focus on the usage of 2 II V progressions in a Jazz blues form.

Straight, No Chaser

The first form you’ll look at involves playing a II V of II as a substitute for I in bar 8 (when compared to C Jam Blues).

This Jazz blues from is taken from Thelonius Monk’s Straight, No Chaser in the key of C.

Looking back on this Jazz blues form, you can check to see if the harmonic markers of a traditional Blues tune are located here.

1) I7 in bar 1. The harmony is established with the same chord.

2) Bar 5 is a IV7 chord, and marks the primary change in harmony.

3) Bar 10 contains a V7 chord. The iim7 is added in bar 9 to create the II V progression back to I in bar 11.

Functionally, all the markers that were identified and associated with the original 12-bar blues from are located in this version of the Blues.

Take a listen to the audio example below, then comp through this Jazz blues study to get a feel both in your fingers and ear for the II V of II substitution in bar 8.

Audio Example – Straight, No Chaser backing track



Audio Example – Straight, No Chaser comping

In the above chord study, a continuous quarter note Freddie Green rhythm is utilized. To create interest, different chords are used to create a repetitive moving line. Starting in bar 1, a root position C7 progresses to a Dm7 substitution on beat 3 followed by a 3rd inversion C7 on beat 4 (C7/Bb). Bar 2 starts off with the C7/Bb and progresses back to C7 in root position via the Dm7 substitution again. The chord progression in bars 1-2 is repeated throughout bars 3-7 (transposed over the F7 ). The II V progression in bar 8 combines inversions of Em7 and A7 to create smooth voiceleading. Finally, in bars 9-10, Dm7 and Dm9 are featured followed by a series of diminished 7th chords used over G7 to get the 7b9 color.

As you’ll come to observe throughout this guide, using II V progressions as substitutes for single chords is a common approach to altering the harmony of a Jazz blues tune.

Using a series of II V progressions to extend an important harmonic moment is also known as back cycling.

Tenor Madness

Here’s another example using an additional II V progression in a Jazz blues form.

This time you’ll be playing over and analyzing the chord changes from another great Jazz Standard by Sonny Rollins entitled Tenor Madness.

In this Jazz blues form, a II V of IV can be found in bar 4 as a substitute for I.

In bar 9, iiim7 and VI7 chords are featured instead of a VI7 or iim7 chord.

Due to the usage of iim7 and VI7 in bar 9, the II V progression that is normally found over bars 9 and 10 is now compressed in a single bar (bar 10).

This version of the blues has more II V progressions than you’ve encountered so far in the guide. Compare this Jazz blues form to the traditional harmonic Blues markers that were established at the beginning of the guide. See if you can determine the purpose of the extra chords.

1) I7 in bar 1 – the harmony is established with the same chord.

2) Bar 5 is a IV7 chord – the IV7 chord is set up by a II V progression in bar 4, which helps produce a jazzier sound.

3) Bar 10 contains a V7 chord – this time the V7 chord is only in the second half of Bar 10. Instead of have a single V7 chord for both bars 9 and 10, a complete iiim7 VI7 iim7 V7 progression is used.

The function of the iim7 VI7 iim7 V7 progression or just a V7 chord for 2 bars is virtually the same. Both progressions end up with the V7 resolving to the I7 in bar 11.

However, it’s important to remember that a jazzier sound is produced with the inclusion of more 7th chords.

Comp through this Tenor Madness study using the notated and recorded examples below. See if you can identify the changes in harmony (compared to the C Jam Blues form) through listening to the recording first.

Audio Example – Tenor Madness backing track



Audio Example – Tenor Madness comping

After listening to the audio example above, you’ll notice immediately that this study has a freer feel to it. Playing repetitive rhythms and chord shapes is an important part of comping. However, comping can also be about creating more complex melodic lines and rhythms. Being a good accompanist means being able to interact with the soloist and ensemble through dynamic chord and rhythm choices. You can even think of comping as creating a series of melodies all at once, as apposed to static chord choices. Thinking this way will also force you to use your ear to seek out new musical ideas while comping. In this example a series of Drop 2 chords and 3 note chords are used to create moving lines with varying rhythms; the result is a freer and more melodic comping approach.

All the II V’s – Blues for Alice

In this section of the Evolution of the Blues guide, you’ll examine the Jazz blues form with one of the highest rates of harmonic rhythm around, Charlie Parker’s Blues for Alice.

In order to find your bearings and relate this form back to the Jazz blues forms you’ve covered so far, scan through the chords and see if you can find any harmonic markers that might indicate that a blues is buried in here somewhere.

Here’s the Blues for Alice form written bar by bar first:

The bold chords indicate the markers that will lead you to identify this form as a blues.

1) Instead of a I7 chord, a Imaj7 chord has been used as a substitution. Using a maj7 chord instead of a 7 chord has a very noticeable impact when listening and immediately changes the character of the tune away from the traditional blues approach.

2) In Bar 5 you’ll find a IV7 chord.

3) Bar 10 contains a V7 chord. The iim7 is added in bar 9 to create the II V progression back to I7 in bar 11.

It looks like the traditional harmonic markers for a Blues tune can, in fact, be found here.

But what can be said about bars 2 through 4 and 6 through 8 in Blues for Alice? To understand what’s going on in these areas, think back to your harmonic markers. Each of the harmonic markers you just covered indicates a point that has to be reached harmonically in both blues forms. How you reach each of the harmonic markers is where you’ll find the beauty of Jazz harmony. In music and Jazz especially, there is always more than one way to reach a harmonic destination.

In Blues for Alice, bars 2-4 contain a chain of II V progressions that eventually resolve to the Bb7 (IV7) in bar 5.

Blues for Alice takes the scenic route to reach the IV chord in bar 5, whereas Sonnymoon for Two simply remains on an F7 (I7) in bars 2-4. Take a moment to listen and compare the 2 approaches to bars 2-5 in these two Jazz blues tunes.

Here are bars 2-5 of the Sonnymoon for Two featuring the F7, which progresses to Bb7 (IV7) in bar 5.

Audio Example – Sonnymoon for Two Bars 2-5

Here is the chain of II V progressions in Blues for Alice that eventually resolve to Bb7 (IV7) in bar 5. Listen for the differences and similarities between Sonnymoon for Two and Blues for Alice in these two recordings.

Audio Example – Blues for Alice Bars 2-5

The next harmonic marker that you’ll contrast is the V chord generally found in bars 9 and 10 of a blues. In Blues for Alice, bars 6-8 contain a series of chromatically moving II V progressions that end up resolving to Gm7 in bar 9.

Gm7 is the II in the II V progression that is paired with the V chord in bar 10.

Audio Example – Sonnymoon for Two Bars 6-9

In Sonnymoon for Two, the same chord is reached in bar 9 (Gm7), but the harmonic road there is quite different.

Using only the Bb7 and F7, this Jazz blues form ends up at the same destination, but uses fewer chords to get there.

Compare and contrast the recordings from bars 6-9 in both Blues forms to get a better feel for the chords substitutions found in Blues for Alice.

Audio Example – Sonnymoon for Two Bars 6-9

Finally, play through a full comping example over Blues for Alice using Drop 2 chords.

Take extra time with this excerpt and memorize the changes as you progress. Knowing the changes like the back of your hand is imperative for effective soloing and comping.

Audio Example – Blues for Alice backing track



Audio Example – Blues for Alice comping example

In this comping study, different chords are used every two beats regardless of a chord change or not. Over the Fmaj7 in bar one, an Fmaj7 is played followed by an F6 chord on beat 3. The same concept is applied in bar 5 over the Bb7 dominant 7 chord (Bb7 is played for 2 bars followed by Bb6). In bar 9, a Gm7 is played for 2 beats followed by a Bbmaj7 chord. The Bbmaj7 chord over a Gm7 produces chord tones b3, 5, 7, and 9 (Bb, D, F, A). In each bar that contains more than 1 chord, voiceleading is applied so that the least amount of movement occurs from chord to chord. In bars 2-4, 6-8, and 11-12 only 1 note is changed between chords (when moving from chord to chord within the given bar).

Summary

Jazz blues Harmony

After playing through 7 different Blues and Jazz blues tunes, there are a few important concepts to make sure you take away from this guide.

Firstly, no matter how complex the harmony became in each of the blues forms, the 3 harmonic markers remained the same.

1) Bar 1 is where the key is established with a a I7 chord.

2) Bar 5 is where the harmony changes to a IV7 chord.

3) Bars 9 and 10 contain the V7 chord that prepares the tune to resolve back to the the I7 chord in bar 11.

In line with the spirit of Jazz music, exceptions to the three harmonic markers above can, in fact, be found in the Jazz genre. However, it’s important to remember that at the root of each major Blues tune, it is extremely likely that the composer took into account the three harmonic markers before incorporating or excluding them in their composition.

The chords found in all of the Jazz blues tunes contained II V progressions that delayed the arrival of some or all of the 3 harmonic markers.

Delaying the arrival of important harmonic moments is not only a feature of Jazz blues harmony, but Jazz in general.

Comping

When comping through the blues, it’s important to create rhythmic and melodic ideas. These ideas can be repetitive in nature, or have a stream of consciousness feel.

The best approach to comping is to always think about the time first. Play with a metronome and nail the time feel before getting too complex in comping.

If you have any questions or comments about the lesson, please leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.

PS – If you’re interested in studying with a professional Jazz guitarists, check out my Skype Lessons page to see how I can help you reach your Jazz guitar goals!