12 bar blues in E

E7A7B7

I7–IV7–V7 · E major · 12-bar blues

Play it in the builder →

Bars

  1. 1E7
  2. 2E7
  3. 3E7
  4. 4E7
  5. 5A7
  6. 6A7
  7. 7E7
  8. 8E7
  9. 9B7
  10. 10A7
  11. 11E7
  12. 12B7

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

E major scaleE blues scalein Ain Gin Cin D