: Blues harmony: readings to learn more Reading from similar posts in this site I understood that the standard harmony tools can't explain the typical blues sound made by dominant 7 -chords progressions. But it's clear that

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...the standard harmony tools can't explain the typical blues sound made by dominant 7 -chords progressions

That isn't really true.

By "classical" music Common Practice conventions the seventh of dominant seventh chords is considered a dissonance that must be resolved. The resolution is usually a step down to the third of a tonic chord.

Blues harmony doesn't treat seventh by that "classical" convention. Although when I7 moves to IV7 the "flat" seventh of I does move to the third of IV in the "classical" manner. It just isn't an obligatory resolution like in the "classical" style.

Another difference is about cross relationships which is the simultaneous sounding of two chromatic variations of a tone. In "classical" style cross relationship sometimes happen, like a simultaneous lowered and raised sixth degree in minor. Blues differs from classical in that it uses cross relationships on the thirds of chords. For example, a blues in C might use an E? in a high range above a C7 dominant seventh chord. So, while the particular cross relationship on a chord's third is not used in "classical" style the general concept of cross relationships does exist.

Both of the points above - the handling of chord sevenths and cross relationships on a chords third - have an important point in common: the chord roots do not change and those root's place within the tonality do not change.

When a blues progression uses I7 IV7 V7 the roots are simply I IV V and despite the non-classical treatment of the seventh those chords to have the identities of tonic, subdominant, and dominant. When the chords take a minor third - like a minor third above I7 - the chord is still a I a tonic. If the minor forms are used for various minor flavored blues - i iv v - those chords are still tonic, subdominant, dominant.

From a "classical" perspective using I IV V is not only totally conventional, it is the surest way to create clearly tonal music.

Some may point out that the V IV I "turnaround" part of blues progressions contains a V IV retrogression, something supposedly at odds with "classical" functional harmony. The first response to that is the very common turnaround ending V IV I V leading back to I to repeat the whole progression. That of course gives us the V | I. The other response is the "retrogression" V IV hardly matters. The progression is entirely primary triads, there is no question about the tonal center.

I don't mean to say "classical" and blues harmony are the same. They aren't. But you can use music theory to talk about it and describe the musical aspects.

For a particular resource you might consider Gunther Schuller's Early Jazz: its roots and musical developement. The first chapter is an overview of rhythm, form, harmony, melody, timbre, and improvisation. Don't be put off by the word jazz in the title. The summary talks about blues and traces origins back to African music. The quote from the harmony overview may interest you:

It would be more precise to say that, while European and African harmony are based on two totally different conceptions, there are coincidental, superficial similarities which made the transition (in terms of harmonic practice) from Africa to the Southern United States virutally unbroken.

That isn't a "complete" resource. But it should give you a taste of the kind of material there is to be found.

There is a Google Books preview for volume 2 from Schuller. I'm not sure what the difference is with volume 2. It looks like my volume 1, 1968 edition text.

FWIW, this kind of material is music theory and musicology. Stuff that tries to explain why and trace historical origins. It isn't performance methods. Some of the comments on your question seem to mix up the notion of theoretical questions about the blues with learning how to play blues. If you want theory on the blues you can find it. Just don't mix that up with playing blues.