I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) chord progression
The 12-bar blues. In A major it's A7 – A7 – A7 – A7 – D7 – D7 – A7 – A7 – E7 – D7 – A7 – E7. Press play, then pick any key from the menu.
In A major, 2 beats per chord. Open in the progression builder
- I7A7
- I7A7
- I7A7
- I7A7
- IV7D7
- IV7D7
- I7A7
- I7A7
- V7E7
- IV7D7
- I7A7
- V7E7
Why it works
Twelve bars, three chords, all dominant sevenths: four bars of A7, two of D7, two of A7, then E7, D7, A7 and a turnaround on E7. Making every chord a dominant seventh breaks the usual key rules (only the V is a dominant in a major key), and that friction, especially the flat seventh over the home chord, is the blues sound. The form gives singers a line, a repeat, and an answer, and gives soloists a map they can hear without counting.
The sound in one line: gritty, swinging, call-and-response.
Chord by chord
Roots only: A – A – A – A – D – D – A – A – E – D – A – E. Pianists move as little as possible; here is how:
- I7 → IV7: A7 to D7: play D7 in 2nd inversion (A–C–D–F♯) and A stays under the same finger, while C♯ moves down to C, E down to D and G down to F♯.
- IV7 → I7: D7 to A7: play A7 in 1st inversion (C♯–E–G–A) and A stays under the same finger, while D moves down to C♯, F♯ down to E and C down to G.
- I7 → V7: A7 to E7: play E7 in 1st inversion (G♯–B–D–E) and E stays under the same finger, while A moves down to G♯, C♯ down to B and G down to D.
- V7 → IV7: E7 to D7: play D7 in 1st inversion (F♯–A–C–D) and D stays under the same finger, while E moves up to F♯, G♯ up to A and B up to C.
- V7 → I7 (back to the top): E7 to A7: play A7 in 2nd inversion (E–G–A–C♯) and E stays under the same finger, while G♯ moves down to G, B down to A and D down to C♯.
I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) in all 12 keys
The numerals never change; only the chord names do. Tap Play on any row, or open the key for its other chords.
| 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 | |
| D♭ major | D♭7 – D♭7 – D♭7 – D♭7 – G♭7 – G♭7 – D♭7 – D♭7 – A♭7 – G♭7 – D♭7 – A♭7 | |
| A♭ major | A♭7 – A♭7 – A♭7 – A♭7 – D♭7 – D♭7 – A♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 – D♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 | |
| E♭ major | E♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – A♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – B♭7 – A♭7 – E♭7 – B♭7 | |
| B♭ major | B♭7 – B♭7 – B♭7 – B♭7 – E♭7 – E♭7 – B♭7 – B♭7 – F7 – E♭7 – B♭7 – F7 | |
| F major | F7 – F7 – F7 – F7 – B♭7 – B♭7 – F7 – F7 – C7 – B♭7 – F7 – C7 |
On guitar
The friendliest keys for I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) on guitar are G major and D major, where every chord is an open shape.
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
Need it higher? Keep the G major shapes and move a capo up; each fret raises the key a half step. Capo chart.
Ways to vary it
- Quick change: go to the IV in bar 2 and back to I in bar 3.
- Replace the last two bars with I–V (or I–IV–I–V) for a turnaround that sets up the next chorus.
- Minor blues: use minor sevenths on I and IV and keep a dominant V.
Related progressions
Build your own progression and share it as a link
I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars): questions
What is the I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) chord progression?
The 12-bar blues: the chords on degrees 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 4, 1, 1… of a major key. In A major that's A7 – A7 – A7 – A7 – D7 – D7 – A7 – A7 – E7 – D7 – A7 – E7.
Why does I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) sound good?
Twelve bars, three chords, all dominant sevenths: four bars of A7, two of D7, two of A7, then E7, D7, A7 and a turnaround on E7. Making every chord a dominant seventh breaks the usual key rules (only the V is a dominant in a major key), and that friction, especially the flat seventh over the home chord, is the blues sound.
How do I play I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) in G?
G7 – G7 – G7 – G7 – C7 – C7 – G7 – G7 – D7 – C7 – G7 – D7. Every one of those has an open shape on guitar.
How do I change I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) to another key?
Keep the numerals and swap the key: the numbers say which note of the scale each chord is built on. Use the key menu in the player above, or the table of all 12 keys on this page.
What else is I7–IV7–V7 (12 bars) called?
"12 bar blues". Musicians also call it the 12-bar blues.
Chords in every key are generated from the scale and checked by the site's theory tests. We describe progressions in general terms and don't transcribe songs. Updated September 2026.