12 bar blues in C

C7F7G7

I7–IV7–V7 · C major · 12-bar blues

Play it in the builder →

Bars

  1. 1C7
  2. 2C7
  3. 3C7
  4. 4C7
  5. 5F7
  6. 6F7
  7. 7C7
  8. 8C7
  9. 9G7
  10. 10F7
  11. 11C7
  12. 12G7

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

  • C7

    Open

    3241×CRE3B♭♭7CRE3
  • F7

    Barre · E7 shape · 1st fret

    321FRC5E♭♭7A3C5FR
  • G7

    Open

    321GRB3D5GRB3F♭7
C major scaleC blues scalein Ein Ain Gin D