16-Bar Blues Chord Progression

The 16-bar blues is the chord progression I I I I / I I I I / IV IV I I / V IV I I. In the key of C major it is C C C C / C C C C / F F C C / G F C C, and in the Nashville Number System it is written 1 1 1 1 / 1 1 1 1 / 4 4 1 1 / 5 4 1 1.

Jump to the chords and audio in C, G, D, A and E

Why it works

Bars 1 to 4 of the 12-bar are doubled, so eight bars sit on the tonic before the usual IV, I, V, IV, I ending. Those long tonic bars are usually a stop-time riff, with the band hitting a figure and the singer talking over the gaps. The payoff comes when the band finally moves to IV and it feels like a chorus.

Songs that use it

These are the chords as played in each song, in the song's own key.

16-Bar Blues Chord Progression: Chords and Audio in C, G, D, A and E

Press play to hear each key. The diagrams show the shapes used in the audio, and every chord links to its full page.

Key of C major

C   C   C   C

C   C   C   C

F   F   C   C

G   F   C   C

C

F

G

Key of G major

G   G   G   G

G   G   G   G

C   C   G   G

D   C   G   G

G

C

D

Key of D major

D   D   D   D

D   D   D   D

G   G   D   D

A   G   D   D

D

G

A

Key of A major

A   A   A   A

A   A   A   A

D   D   A   A

E   D   A   A

A

D

E

Key of E major

E   E   E   E

E   E   E   E

A   A   E   E

B   A   E   E

E

A

B

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