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8, 16 and 24 bar blues

12 bar blues
Basic 12-bar blues
revisited

Not all blues-tunes follow the familiar 12-bar pattern. There are other forms you should
know, and you should also know that some tunes don fit into any of these schemes. You
should get to know - in this sequence - the 8, 16 and 24 bar blues.
The 8-bar blues
The 8-bar blues is another standard progression. The most well known song with this
progression is probably Big Bill Broonzy's Key To The Highway. Other songs are Crow
Jane and Sliding Delta.
The progression has two lines, with the following chord structure:
I V7 IV IV

I V7 I V7

In E this will be:

E B7 A(7) A(7)

E B7 E B7

In A, another favorite key for this progression, it will be:

A E7 D(7) D(7)

A E7 A E7

If you go to the 8-bar blues lessonin my Blues Guitar Series you will find some typical
arrangements of this progressions in the keys E and A.
Go here for more.
Another 8-bar blues progression can be heard in I Hurts Me Too. There the progression is E
- E - A - A- E - B7 - E - E or I - I - IV - IV - I - V - I - I.
Go here for more.
16-bar blues
There are (at least) two variations of the 16-bar blues. You get the first one if you repeat
the second line of a 12-bar blues:
I I (IV) I I7

IV IV I I7
IV IV I I

V7 IV I I (V7)

You should be able to figure out what this will be in several keys. In my Blues Guitar
Series you will find one arrangement of See See Rider as a 16-bar blues in E
Go here for more.
Another variation of the the 16-bar blues is simply the 8-bar structure explained in this
lesson, with all chords divided into two.
I I V7 V7 IV IV IV IV

I I V7 V7 I I V7 V7

Go here for more.

24-bar blues
We can divide the bars of a 12-bar blues in two, just as we did with the 8-bar blues. The
result is a 24-bar form.
I I I (IV) I (IV) I I I I(7)

IV IV IV IV I I I I

V7 V7 IV IV I I I (V7) I (V7)

Once again I leave it to you to figure out the chords in several keys. Go here for more.

Basic 12-bar blues 12 bar blues revisited