I–IV–I

The simplest blues motion: tonic to subdominant and back. This two-chord movement captures the essential blues sound and forms the core of countless blues riffs and vamps.

Pattern: I – IV – I   Example in C Major: C – F – C

Genre: blues   Difficulty: beginner

Choose a Key

C Major C – F – C G Major G – C – G D Major D – G – D A Major A – D – A E Major E – A – E B Major B – E – B F♯ Major F♯ – B – F♯ F Major F – B♭ – F B♭ Major B♭ – E♭ – B♭ E♭ Major E♭ – A♭ – E♭ A♭ Major A♭ – D♭ – A♭ D♭ Major D♭ – G♭ – D♭

Song Examples