Some E Blues Jam Tracks

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IMPORTANT: In Fretboard Toolboxes, any time you see a chord or

a note in italics, it means that something is outside of the key.

Each "rule-breaking" note or chord has it's own sound. When

you recognize a rule is being broken, try to figure out how it's

being broken & learn the unique sound of each "rule-breaker"!

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E I IV V 12 Bar Blues 120bpm1:16
E I V IV bIII 120bpm1:01
E I V IV bIII 100bpm1:14
E I V IV bIII 080bpm1:33
E I bIII bVII IV 132bpm0:57
E I bVII IV 110bpm1:08
E I bVII IV 132bpm0:56
E I bIII bVII IV 088bpm1:26
E I bIII bVII IV 110bpm1:12
E I bVII IV 088bpm1:25
E I bVII I 90bpm1:11
E I bVII I 072bpm1:30
E I bVII I 054bpm2:00
E I bIII IV 120bpm0:56
E I bIII IV 100bpm1:08
E I bIII IV 080bpm1:25
E I bIII I 120bpm1:00
E I bIII I 100bpm1:13
E I bIII I 080bpm1:31
E V IV I 132bpm0:58
E V IV I 110bpm1:10
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues QT 096bpm1:34
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues QT 120bpm1:15
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues QT 132bpm1:02
E V IV I 088bpm1:28
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues 144bpm1:03
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues 096bpm1:36
E I 096bpm0:59
E I 080bpm1:11
E I 064bpm1:30
E I 051bpm1:52
E I V IV bIII 064bpm1:56
E I bIII bVII IV 070bpm1:48
E I bVII IV 070bpm1:47
E I bVII I 043bpm2:30
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues QT 077bpm1:58
E V IV I 070bpm1:51
E I bIII I 064bpm1:54
E I bIII IV 064bpm1:47
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues 077bpm2:00

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Track #4: E-G-E

I-bIII-I

Track #1: Simple 12 Bar Blues in E Major

I-IV-V

E I 051bpm1:52
E I 064bpm1:30
E I 080bpm1:11
E I 096bpm0:59

Chord Name	Roman Num.	Chord Notes
E Major (E7)	I(7)	E, G#, B, (D)
A Major (A7)	IV(7)	A, C# E, (G)
B Major (B7)	V(7)	B, D#, F#, (A)

Chord Name	Roman Num.	Chord Notes
E Major (E7)	I(7)	E, G#, B, (D)
A Major (A7)	IV(7)	A, C#, E, (G)
B Major (B7)	V(7)	B, D#, F#, (A)

Track #6: E-D-E

I-bVII-I

Track #2: Quick-change 12 Bar Blues in E

I-IV-V

E Major Chord Jam Track: All E Major

Progression in Roman numerals: I

Scale degree

A Major pentatonic

E minor pentatonic

Scale degree

E minor pentatonic

E I bVII I 043bpm2:30
E I bVII I 054bpm2:00
E I bVII I 072bpm1:30
E I bVII I 90bpm1:11

E I IV V 12 Bar Blues 077bpm2:00
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues 096bpm1:36
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues 120bpm1:16
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues 144bpm1:03

See these scales with a Fretboard Toolbox:

Use pages 29-30 of any Complete Edition
note with (*) is the "flat-5"/"blues note"

Scale degree

E Major pent.

E minor pent.

Now see how many of these chord progressions you can play along with when you don't know which track is coming up next! Use the Roman numerals that show up in the audio player as your clues & practice learning those Roman numerals here!

This is where you really start going a long ways towards training your ear and building the muscle memory you need to play songs "on the fly"!

Track #7: E-D-A

I-bVII-IV

Track #3: B-A-E

V-IV-I

Some E Blues Chord Progressions (blues keys in Complete Editions only)

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Chord Name	Roman numeral in E Major	Chord Notes
B Major (B)	V	B, D#, F#
A Major (A)	IV	A, C#, E
E Major (E)	I	E, G#, B

This progression is another one that shows the power of scales to change the songs feel. If you play the E Major pentatonic scale with this progression, it sounds warm & sweet. However, if you play the E minor pentatonic scale, it sounds super dark! Try mixing and matching them and see what you come up with!

Track #9: E-B-A-G

I-V-IV-bIII

Track #8: E-G-D-A

I-bIII-bVII-IV

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E I bIII I 064bpm1:54
E I bIII I 080bpm1:31
E I bIII I 100bpm1:13
E I bIII I 120bpm1:00

For these E Blues tracks, experiment with these scales:
E Major pentatonic: E, F#, G#, B, C# (underlined notes, pp. 29-30)

E minor pentatonic: E, G, A, B, D (notes in white boxes p. 30)

Scale degree

E minor pentatonic

Chord Name	Roman Num.	Chord Notes
E Major (E)	I	A, C#, E
G Major (G)	bIII	G, B, D
*D Major (D)*	*bVII*	D, F#, A
A Major (A)	IV	A, C#, E

Take a look at all of the chords listed on this page, and then look at

the five minor pentatonic notes in white boxes. The root note of all

of the (Major) chords on this page are minor pentatonic notes!

Scale degree

E minor pentatonic

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Track #5: E-G-A

I-bIII-IV

Scale degree

E Major pent.

E minor pent.

E I bVII IV 070bpm1:47
E I bVII IV 088bpm1:25
E I bVII IV 110bpm1:08
E I bVII IV 132bpm0:56

E I IV V 12 Bar Blues QT 077bpm1:58
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues QT 096bpm1:34
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues QT 120bpm1:15
E I IV V 12 Bar Blues QT 132bpm1:02

If you think of this progression as a V-IV-I in A Major, and play the A Major pentatonic scale, it sounds warm. But if you think of it as a I-bVII-IV in E Major, you can play the E minor pent. (which sounds dark) OR the E Major pent. (which also sounds warm, but different)!

Chord Name	Roman numeral in A Major	Roman numeral in E Blues	Chord Notes
A Major	I	IV	A, C#, E
D Major	IV	bVII	D, F#, A
E Major	V	I	E, G#, B

-First try playing the minor pentatonic scale over this track to get a cool, dark, bluesy sound. (The notes in WHITE BOXES on the even-numbered Blues key pages of any Complete Edition).

-Next, try the Major pentatonic scale with the same track & you'll completely change the feel to sound warmer & more country-like. (All underlined notes in Complete or Essential Editions).

-Great blues players use both scales, often in the same song!

Play this through once soloing with the minor pentatonic, then

use the Major pentatonic the next time to hear a BIG difference!

E I V IV bIII 064bpm1:56
E I V IV bIII 080bpm1:33
E I V IV bIII 100bpm1:14
E I V IV bIII 120bpm1:01

E I bIII bVII IV 070bpm1:48
E I bIII bVII IV 088bpm1:26
E I bIII bVII IV 110bpm1:12
E I bIII bVII IV 132bpm0:57

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E V IV I 070bpm1:51
E V IV I 088bpm1:28
E V IV I 110bpm1:10
E V IV I 132bpm0:58

Scale degree

E minor pentatonic

Scale degree

E Major pent.

E minor pent.

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E I bIII IV 064bpm1:47
E I bIII IV 080bpm1:25
E I bIII IV 100bpm1:08
E I bIII IV 120bpm0:56

Scale degree

E Major pent.

E minor pent.

All of this page's Tracks on Shuffle!

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Scale degree

E minor pentatonic

Chord Name	Roman Num.	Chord Notes
E Major (E)	I	E, G#, B
G Major (G)	bIII	G, B, D
A Major (A)	IV	A, C#, E

Noodle around with the minor pentatonic scale while this track is

being played, and then notice which notes sound best over which chord. The best sounding notes are most often part of the chord

that's currently being played. It's like this in all keys!

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Experiment with the E minor pentatonic, and then the E Major pentatonic (adding in some A & D notes) for different sounds!

Chord Name	Roman Num.	Chord Notes
E Major (E)	I	E, G#, B
G Major (G)	bIII	G, B, D

Bar 1-4: I-I-I-I Bar 5-8: IV-IV-I-I Bar 9-12: V-IV-I-V

The "V" chord in the 12th bar is called the "turn-around".

To play dominant 7 chords (like E7), just add the note shown in parentheses in the "Chord Notes" column to the Major chord.

Chord Name	Roman Num.	Chord Notes
E Major	I	E, G#, B

Chord Name	Roman Num.	Chord Notes
E Major (E)	I	E, G#, B
B Major (B)	V	B, D#, F#
A Major (A)	IV	A, C#, E
*G Major (G)*	*bIII*	G, B, D

Flat-7 chords (bVII) get used lots in all kinds of music including bluesy-rock, bluegrass, country, and more. They're used WAY

more often than the "real" 7 chord, called a "diminished" chord.

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Bar 1-4: I-IV-I-I Bar 5-8: IV-IV-I-I Bar 9-12: V-IV-I-V

The "IV" chord in the second bar is the "quick-change".

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The whole goal of Fretboard Toolboxes is not to memorize all of the notes of each key, scale, and chord -- it's to help you build mental & visual maps of the common shapes you'll use for chords & scales, which leads to strong ear and muscle memory!

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Chord Name	Roman Num.	Chord Notes
E Major (E)	I	E, G#, B
D Major (D)	bVII	D, F#, A