Twelve More Bars to Go: My Life in Terms of a Chord Progression

In life, we often create tension only to find ways to resolve it. Sometimes tension is created for us and may present itself to us unexpectedly through life changes. But no matter how the tension manifests, there is a need to resolve it. It is part of our maturing process which leads to a deeper level of understanding, and with each tension and resolution cycle we become more layered as individuals. We add depth to our lives and personalities. In a twelve bar blues, the most popular and basic blues chord progression in music, there is tension and resolution. There are only three chords in a twelve bar blues which are referred to as the I (one), the IV (four), and the V (five), or the first, fourth, and fifth notes followed on a musical scale. These three chords are played over 12 bars of music in such a way that they build tension, peak, resolve, and then turn the tune around and start over only to rebuild new tension in a new set of 12 bars. Each set of 12 bars represents a new life experience, each with their own building, peaking, and resolving of tension – which is interestingly how I’ve seen my life unfold over the last 35 years.

And yet my 12 bar blues continues to be written. Although each phase of my life has already created many sets of 12 bars, I still have much to write about, sing about, photograph, laugh about, and learn. There is still tension to be created or stumbled upon and then resolved. Change seems to be the only constant and if there is one thing that I have realized is that just when you think you have it all figured out something comes along and shows you that you can be enlightened again and again. I can write yet another melody over another set of 12 bars and sing a completely different tune. It is the same set of chords but just a different way of presenting them. That is the beauty of this chord progression, and the beauty of life. Its flexibility accommodates to the infinite amount of songs that can be written over it, so no matter what new techniques or lessons you learn throughout your life there will always be a 12 bar blues that can carry your tune…and I find great comfort in that.