“Changes” or “Chord Changes” is the term we use for chords in the jazz community. This view of an F Blues starts out simple with three chords and gets progressively more complex as you move down the page. The key ingredient of the blues chords is represented in each example. The key harmonic ingredient is representing the three (4 bar) phrases of a 12 bar blues. Phrase one represents the tonic or the “one” chord. Phrase two represents the “four” chord followed by a return to the “one” chord. The final phrase represents the “five” chord and a turnaround.
The first two lines represent a basic blues progression. On line three Gmi7-C7 crosses the line into jazz opening up the possibility to expand on the chord progression using ii V’s, cycling, tri-tone subs, etc.
This solo guitar improvisation I recorded in 2006 is built on an F Blues and uses many of the sequences shown. Solo Blues Guitar Improvisation.
