12 bar blues in A

A7D7E7

I7–IV7–V7 · A major · 12-bar blues

Play it in the builder →

Bars

  1. 1A7
  2. 2A7
  3. 3A7
  4. 4A7
  5. 5D7
  6. 6D7
  7. 7A7
  8. 8A7
  9. 9E7
  10. 10D7
  11. 11A7
  12. 12E7

How it works

Four bars of I, two of IV, two of I, then V–IV–I–V. Every chord is a dominant 7th, which is why the minor pentatonic works over all of it. The last bar is the turnaround: V sends you back to the top.

The chords

A major scaleA blues scalein Ein Gin Cin D