Quick-change Blues

Quick four · Quick change · C major · I7–IV7–I7–IV7–I7–V7–IV7–I7–V7

Play this pattern

Quick-change Blues is a chord pattern you can play in any key. The degrees are I7–IV7–I7–IV7–I7–V7–IV7–I7–V7.

A twelve-bar variant that visits IV7 early, in the second bar. A less plain opening, and the more commonly played form.

Patterns are common chord moves. They are not the chart of a recorded hit.

Patterns are named by theory. Play them in any key that fits your voice.

Each song page has a chord chart, fingerings, and the same song in every key.

The pattern

I7 – IV7 – I7 – IV7 – I7 – V7 – IV7 – I7 – V7

C7 · F7 · C7 · F7 · C7 · G7 · F7 · C7 · G7

Chord chart

Chord chart
1C7F7C7·
2F7·C7·
3G7F7C7G7

How to sing it

The chord moves once in the second bar, so instead of holding one note through the first four bars, bend the line once to match that move. Sing the other ten bars as in the basic twelve-bar.

In every key

In every key
KeysChord chart
C major · Written in this keyC7 · F7 · C7 · F7 · C7 · G7 · F7 · C7 · G7
Db majorDb7 · Gb7 · Db7 · Gb7 · Db7 · Ab7 · Gb7 · Db7 · Ab7
D majorD7 · G7 · D7 · G7 · D7 · A7 · G7 · D7 · A7
Eb majorEb7 · Ab7 · Eb7 · Ab7 · Eb7 · Bb7 · Ab7 · Eb7 · Bb7
E majorE7 · A7 · E7 · A7 · E7 · B7 · A7 · E7 · B7
F majorF7 · Bb7 · F7 · Bb7 · F7 · C7 · Bb7 · F7 · C7
F# majorF#7 · B7 · F#7 · B7 · F#7 · C#7 · B7 · F#7 · C#7
G majorG7 · C7 · G7 · C7 · G7 · D7 · C7 · G7 · D7
Ab majorAb7 · Db7 · Ab7 · Db7 · Ab7 · Eb7 · Db7 · Ab7 · Eb7
A majorA7 · D7 · A7 · D7 · A7 · E7 · D7 · A7 · E7
Bb majorBb7 · Eb7 · Bb7 · Eb7 · Bb7 · F7 · Eb7 · Bb7 · F7
B majorB7 · E7 · B7 · E7 · B7 · F#7 · E7 · B7 · F#7

Heard in

  • Sweet Home Chicago · Robert Johnson. Usually played in E major, and the widely known version is by The Blues Brothers. Whether the second bar goes to IV or stays on I differs from player to player.
  • Before You Accuse Me · Bo Diddley. The Eric Clapton unplugged cover is the better-known one in Korea, and covers differ in key and in how the second bar is handled.

These songs use this pattern. This is not their chord chart: real recordings differ in key, rhythm and the chords they add.

Public-domain songs with this pattern

No Songbook entry uses this pattern as a run of chords.