(O1I TABIIOI IffiTI A B O U T T H E A U T H O R . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . o . . . . . . . . . o4. o . . . . . . . I N T R O D U C T I O N . . . . . . . o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . o .5. . . . . . . . . . . o
CHAPTER 3-Blues Helodies
30
Blues ....3 | Transposing the TWelve-Bar ................ 3| in My Blues Drowning .............. 32 Scale The Major Pentatonic 33 ........ The Major'sBlues 34 .............. Scale The Minor Pentatonic ......... 35 The Miner'sBlues .......36 Dominant7th Chords 37 ................... The BluesScale ... 38 Tth ChordsandThe BluesScale Dcrminant ............ 38 GetTo1t............... ............ 39 Scales CombiningPentatonic 39 EverythingElues .....40 Tensionand Resolution
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Transposing the TwelveBar Blues .... 19 l'4aking a BluesMelodywith Arpeggios ........... 20 MordiGros......... ............. 20 Triplets . . . . . . . . . . . .2. .l . . . lnverting Triads ...22 nversionExcercises.............. .............. 23 -he Left Hand-Swing or ShuffleFeel........ ....24 Working .........24 Meloncholy Blue .............26 = u n k yT h u n k y ......27 FunkyThunky .................27 Y a l o r C h o r d si n t h e M i n o r B l u e s . . . .2 8
............ 53 Blues Lofoyette's ...55 ChicagoPianoSoundson The Minor Blues 55 Rush'sRoads 56 Playingoff of Triads 56 The 3rd Bending 57 TriodB/ues............. ...............58 Playing off the DominantTthChord .......59 DominontBlues
Endings andTurnarounds Turnarounds.......... N e i g h b o r i nC g hords............ ......... MoreTurnarounds TurningTurnaroundsinto Endings Followingthe Leader.............. lntros CHAPTER 8-lntros,
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68 .69 70 ................
Voice Leading
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Track I
85 87 88
CHAPTER 9-Walking Bass and an 90 Introducion to the Slow Blues .......90 Wolkingthe Blues . . . . . . . . . .9. .l . . B u i l d i na g W a l k i n gB a s sL i n e .......92 GettingFrom One Measureto the Next 93 ................... PracticeMakingBassLines.............. ...94 ii-v-I ............-....... Blues Sodond Lonely
7l CompingShufflein D .. .....72 T h e B e a u t yo f F i 1 1 s . . . . . . . . . l Ur$COGmFHY .................. 73 GuitorPloyer .....74 CompingWith Octaves ..........74 Octovioin F........... Dominan7 t th ChordInversions.............. .........75 VoiceLeading With Dominant7th Chords ....76 ...............,.77 H i d e a w aC y omp YouConRunButYouCon'tHide......... .........77 .....78 ScratchMy BackComp Ihe Bluesltch.......... .....78 ............7 . .8. . . . P a r a l l e6lt h s . . . . . . . . 81ues........ Porollel ..........79 .................. 80 Minor 7th Chord Inversions ............ TenO'Aock Blues ....... 8|
1'-
82 . . . . . . . . . . .8.2. . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.3. . . .....84
A compact disc is available for this book. This disc can make learning with this book easier and more enjoyable. This symbol will appear next to every example that is on the CD. Use the CD to help insure that you are capturing the feel of the examples, interpreting the rhythms correctln and so on. The track numbers below the symbols correspond directly to the example you want to heaa Track I will help you tune an electronic keyboard to this CD, Have fun!
95
lt's time to get the left handworking harder.This is a typical shufflebasspattern usingtriplets in the right hand. lt alsousesthe triplet feel in the left hand,but insteadof beingnotatedas tripletsir'sshownas eighthnoteswith an indicationthat the eighthsare swung.The marking, Swing8ths meansthat the first eighth note of each beat is held longer than the second. lmagineaccentingthe first and third of three triple eighthnotes like you did on page2l. Swing8ths
Playthrough the next songwith just your left hand. Now you are readyto add the right-handpart. The right handis playingthree triple eighth notestriplets per beat. So,the secondeighthnote in the left handcoincideswith the third eighthnote in the right-handtriplet. lf this seemstricky at first,don't worry. You will have lots of opportunity to practiceit throughoutthis book, and it will becomeeasy.
J=60 Swing Sths
c
24
Chapter 2-The Twelve-BarBlues
WORK'NG
Roosevelt"The Honeydripper" Sykcs, born in 1906,was equallygtftedas a hluespiani.st, songwriter and singer. He freqtrentl-vsang w,hilehe played, but also accompaniedmany great blues vocalists.Rooseveltbeganhis careerin St.Louis at the age of 14, ran away to play in barrelhousesin Mississippiand Louisianawhen he was 15,and made his first recordingfor Okeh recordsin New Yorkat the age of 23. He later spenta great deal of time in Chicago where he was an integral part of the Chicago blues scene,influencing many young pianists, espec'ialllt Memphis Slim. Listen to blues by Roosevelt"The Honeydripper" Sykeson SmithsonianlFolkways recordingsfor some incredibleplaying, including examplesof the shffie basspattern you just learned.
U
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l
N N L
U F l F F
z
U I F
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Practicethis pattern throughthe descending cycleof Sths. H e r e i s an exerciseto take you through six keys:
.= 60
U
o F o I
SwingSths
c
lr
Now playthe other six keysto finishthe cycleof 5ths:Gb,B, E,A, D and G.
Chapter2-The Twelve-BarBlues
25
Sometimesthe twelve-barbluesis playedin a minor key. Look at what happenswhen we take diatonictriads from the naturalminor to makea twelve-barblues. Let's start with the key of A Minor:
A I
c
B 2
3
E 5
D 4
G 7
F 6
The pattern of diatonictriads for minor keys is:
.
i
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ii-Iiliv
The"one" chordThe"four" chordThe"five"chord-
v VIVII will beA Minor will be D Minor will be E Minor
i iv v
H e r e i s a m i n o r b l u e su s i n gi n v e r s i o n o s f m i n o r t r i a d s . P l a yt h e b a s sl i n e a l o n ef i r s t . P
BLUE ffi MEIANCHoLY
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26
Chapter 2-The Twelve-BarBlues
21
= Piano.Soft.
This minor blues has an eighth-notepattern in the left hand which is playedin straight eighthsrather than swung. This meansthat all the eighth notes are of equaltime value. The resultingfeel is more like funk or rock. the key of C Minor hasthree flat notes:Bb,EbandAb. Remember, N o t i c e h o w a l m o s ta l l o f t h e m e l o d yn o t e s i n t h i s b l u e so u t l i n et h e m i n o r t r i a d s . I n t h e next chapterwe will look at bluesmelodiesin more detail.Your left handis introducedto a new bassline. lt is comprisedentirelyof roots, but in alternatingoctaves.This type of b a s sl i n e i s v e r y c o m m o n .
, = 100
f=
FUNKYTHUNKY StrorghtSths
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Track 12
Cmin(i)
C m i n( i )
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Transposethis blues into the key of A Minor. Start by writing out the Your left handwill playthe roots (useRomannumerals). chord progression s f the triads. m a i n l yo u t l i n ei n v e r s i o n o o f t h e c h o r d s .Y o u r r i g h t h a n dw i l l You're on your way to playingthe blues in twelve keys!
Chapter2-The Twelve-BarBlues
27
A m i n o r b l u e sa l w a y ss t a r t so n a m i n o r c h o r d ,b u t q u i t eo f t e nt h e V c h o r d i s m a j o r i n s t e a d o f m i n o r , a n ds o m e t i m e sb o t h t h e I V a n d t h e V c h o r d sa r e m a j o r .T h i s i s t h e c a s ei n t h e , h i c h u s e st h e s a m es h u f f l eb a s sl i n e w e l e a r n e do n p a g e2 4 . T h e f e e l f o r t h i s n e x t b l u e sw b l u e si s s w i n ge i g h t h s .B o t h t h e m e l o d ya n d t h e b a s sl i n e a r e s w u n g . Look out-this bluesis in B Minor,one of the saddestkeys.
BLUES WORRY'NG .= 60
SwingSths Bm i n t2
mf
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Bm i n I
W i t h o u t t h i n k i n g a b o u t i t , y o u p r o b a b l y n o t i c e d t h a t a m i n o r b l u e s h a s a d a r k e r ,o r s a d d e r s o u n d t h a n a m a j o r b l u e s . D i f f e r e n t m u s i c a ls o u n d s e v o k e d i f f e r e n t e m o t i o n a l r e s p o n s e s i n u s . l t ' s i m p o r t a n t t o l e a r n t o t r u s t y o u r i n s t i n c t sa b o u t s o u n d s o y o u w i l l c h o o s e w h a t yo u play t o c onv e y a fe e l i n g ,ra th e r th a n to fol l ow a rul e.
28
Blues Chapter2-The TWelve-Bar
Here'sa major bluesfor you to learn.
ry#ry BTUES THE MAJOR',S Track 14
I
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I
C h a p t e r3 - B l u e s M e l o d i e s 3 3
Justas for every major scalethere is a relativeminor scale(seepage | 3),for every major pentatonicscalethere is a relativeminor pentatonicscale.The root of the relativeminor key is a 6th abovethe root of the major key. Major Pentatonic Formula: I C Major Pentatonic: C A Minor Pentatonic:
2 3 DE
Numberingthe notes of the minor pentatonic relativeto its root givesus a new formula:
ACDEG lbr45tl
5 5l G AC ACDE
G(A)
Let' s fi nd the notes of the C Mi nor P entatonic:
cEb
FGBb
lo3
4sb7
The C Minor Pentatonicscalecontainstwo blue notes for the key of C: Eband Bb.lt also containschord tones from all three triads used in a C bluesprogression.Listento how a C b l u e ss o u n d sw h e n t h e m e l o d yi s t a k e nf r o m t h e C M i n o r P e n t a t o n i cs c a l e .
BTUES @ THEM'NER',S
J=80 SwingSths
c
34
Chapter 3-Blues Melodies
Track 15
T
a c
R e view t he pent ato n i c s c a l e fo rm u l a :
Minor Pentatonic Scale Formula bl 4 5t,7 l
r T r 1 a o c
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Major Pentatonic Scale Formula
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StevieRayVaughan came to '80s. He prominencein the 1970sand took soloing with pentatonic scalesto new heights. Listen to his strongly minor pentatonicflavored playing on "TexasFlood" (Epic Records).
SCALES FORTHE MINORPENTATONIC FINGERINGS TWO.OCTAVE A Minor Pentatonic
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Chapter 3-Blues Melodies
35
chords
S o f ar , t he c h o rd s w e ' v e u s e d to p l a y the bl ues have been tri ads-three-note c ont aining t he ro o t, 3 rd a n d 5 th o f th e scal e they are from.
Now we're going to add one more note to the chords to make them 7th chords. Let's look at the notes of the major scaleagain,and this time, notice every other note:
c
D 2
I
E 3
G 5
F 4
B 7
Tomakea C Dominant7th chord,orC7,we lower the major Tthby a halfstepfrom B to BfZ).
We can use every other note of the scaleto build a four-notechord:
CEGB l3 57
A 6
CEGBO | 3 5 b7 This is a C7 chord.
ThisisaCMajorTchord.
Practiceplayingdominant7th chords in root positionaround the cycleof 5ths. Playthe root of eachchord in your left hand.
This exercisegets you playingdominantchords in your left hand. Beforeyou start,playa C7 chord with your left handstartingon C one octavebelow middleC on the piano. Now , u t l e s s" m u d d y , " p l a yC , E a n d B bb, u t l e a v eo u t t h e G . l t s o u n d sa l m o s te x a c t l yt h e s a m e b o r c l u t t e r e d . P i a n o p l a y e r sh a v e t o b e c a r e f u lo f p l a y i n gt o o m a n y n o t e s ,t o o c l o s e together in the lower rangesof the piano.Sometimesyou can leavea note out of a chord, a n d s t i l lg e t t h e s a m es o u n d . I n t h i s e x e r c i s ey o u w i l l l e a v eo u t t h e 5 t h ,p l a y i n go n l y t h e l , 3 and b7of eachchord.
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C7
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B7
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A n o t h e r w a y t o u n d e r s t a n dd o m i n a n t 7th chords is to build them from the m a j o r s c a l ei n w h i c h t h e i r r o o t i s t h e 5th degree. For example,C is the 5th degreeof F Major. So build a C7 chord by takingevery other note of the F Major scalestartingon C.
35
C h a p t e r3 - B l u e s M e l o d i e s
obt
Ab7
Position in scale: I F F Major scale: C7 chord: Position in chord:
2 3 4 GABb
56 CD
c I
7l EF E 3
2 3 4... G A 8h... Bb G b7 5
We c an m ak e t he m i n o r p e n ta to n i c s c a l e b l uesi er by addi ng one more note to i t-the t5 . Thi r scal e is often called the blues scole. ke yboar d play er ' sfa v o ri te b l u e n o te -th e
H e r e i s t h e C B l u e ss c a l e : The Formula: InC:
I C
13 Eo
4 F
u5 G'
5 G
b7 Bb
5 n db 7 , t h i ,s c a l ei s g o i n gt o p r o v i d ey o u w i t h S i n c ei t i n c l u d e sa l l t h r e e b l u en o t e s , t h eb 3 , b a a l o t o f g r e a tb l u e ss o u n d s .S o m eo f y o u r f a v o r i t el i c k sw i l l c o m e o u t o f t h i s s c a l es, o y o u s h o u l dl e a r ni t v e r y w e l l i n a l l t w e l v ek e y s .
: G H T . H A N DF I N G E R I N GFSO R T H EB L U E S C A L EI N T W E L V E KEYS Sincethe bluesscalecontainssix notes,eachone-octave f i n g e r i n gh a se i t h e rt w o g r o u p so f t h r e e ( l - 2 - 3 , l - 2 - 3 ) o r a group of two and a group of four (l -2,1-2-3-4).You can p r a c t i c eb l u e ss c a l e sj u s t l i k e y o u p r a c t i c e dm a j o r s c a l e s (seethe PracticeTip on the bottom of page l0).
E Blues Scale
i :es Scale
€> l2 - 3 uesScale
Blues Scale Formula: bT I b3 4 b5 5
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B BluesScale
Ff, BluesScale
3 uesScale
Cf, BluesScale
Ab BluesScale : ,es Scale
Eb BluesScale 3 uesScale
Chapter 3-Blues Melodies
37
Dominant7th chords createtension in a chord progression.Let'ssee why: W i t h i n t h e n o t e s o f e v e r y d o m i n a n t7 t h c h o r d i s a n i n t e r v a lc a l l e da t r i t o n e , w h i c ihs a n o t h e r n a m e f o r a d i m i n i s h e d5 t h o r augmented4th (a distanceof six halfsteps).
A
LookatcTzc [."'8'"il
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The intervalfrom E to Bhis a tritone. Played together,E and Bbcreate a very unresolved or tensesound.Your ear wantsto hear one or both of the notes move somewhere.Play E and Bbtogether,then move each note in by one half-stepto F andA. You havejust resolvedthe very unstablesoundof a tritone to a stablesoundingmaior3rd. This type of resolutionis the basisof most harmonicmovementin our culture. Blues harmonyis uniquein that it frequentlyis basedsolelyon dominantchords.The harmonicmovementis from one dominant7th chordto another and the tritone never fully resolves. I n t h i s b l u e s , y o u ' lpl l a yd o m i n a n t7 t h c h o r d si n y o u r l e f t h a n d , a n dm e l o d i e sf r o m t h e b l u e s s c a l ei n y o u r r i g h t h a n d . I n a d d i t i o nt o t h e t e n s i o nw i t h i n e a c hd o m i n a n t T t hc h o r d , y o u ' l l (clashes)betweenthe chord tones in your left handand find some inrerestingdissonances some of the right-handmelody notes. Welcome to the blues! .&;^"iA -FT ff ff ii sf cf i' lw- F r I t r r r \rl-l
j = 8o t*rr ?f
Track 18
I
f,
tb
c7 5
38
ebt 4
C h a o t e r3 - B l u e s M e l o d i e s
Tfl ,\t
tT rr
O b s e r v ew h a t h a p p e n si f w e c o m b i n ea l l t h e n o t e sf r o m t h e t h r e e d o m i n a n t7 t h c h o r d si n a C bluesprogression(C7-C, E,G, B!;F7-F,A,C, Eband G7-G, B,D,F) and numberthem in relationto the key:
W it h t he ex c ep ti o n o f B , a l l o f th e s e n o te s are found i n ei ther the C Maj or P entatoni c s c a l e( C , D , E , G , A ) o r t h e C M i n o r P e n t a t o n i cs c a l e( C , E t , F ,G , B b ; .
Bluesmelodiessoundgreat with notes from both t h e m a j o r a n d m i n o r p e n t a t o n i cs c a l e sc o m b i n e d . Blues,notice which notes are from the maior pentatonic As you play through Everything s c a l ea n d w h i c h a r e f r o m t h e m i n o r p e n t a t o n i cs c a l e .
SwingSths
=80
BTUES @ EvERvrH'NG
Track 19
C7
45 23
t-tj--'t\i<
I 5
I
F7
c7 )
C h a p t e r3 - B l u e s M e l o d i e s
39
Once again,it's time for you to be the composer and experimentwith creatingblues melodies. In C Blues,there is an accompanimentprovided.lf you havethe CD that is availablefor this book, you'll be able to practice playingyour own blues along with a rhythm section! Remember,we havetalked about three different scalesthat you can use: major pentatonic minor pentatonic blues scale Choosingnotesfrom just one scolecon be os effectiveos usingnotesfrom combinedscoles.Letyour eor be your guide. Here are a few other things to think about: ' lmaginethat there are lyrics.You are tellinga story,so r e m e m b e rt o s p e a ki n c l e a rs e n t e n c e s . . Tensionis ok. Just be sure to follow it with some resolution. . Repetitionand call and responseare integralparts of the blues. ' Lessis more. Spacebetween phrasesmakesthem stronger.
W C BLUES
Track 20
/ I
C h a p t e r3 - B l u e s M e l o d i e s
4l
Here'sa shufflein F usinganother type of shufflebassline.First,playthe left hand alone and remember to swing the eighth notes. In your right hand,you'll be addingtriplets. Sincethe basslineis swung,your left and right handswill play together on the first and third part of eachtriplet.
M CHICAGOTIME Track 2 |
Swing8ths
F7 3
3
F7
C7
3 I
23
5
ebt
[bs,s]
c7
F7 5
)
13
2
Co *[ugh this bluesand notice where the b5(Cbor ah)is beingplayed. Playeachphrasewith , b5in it a few times to get familiarwith how it is used. Transposethis basslineinto the key of C. lt's easy,becausethe bassline o u t l i n e se a c hc h o r d t h e s a m ew a y :R , 3 , 5 , 6 , ' 7 .
Chapter 4-Playing a Shuffle
43
you playeda figurethat is very common in the b l u e st:h e ln bars9 and l0 of ChicogoTime resolvingto the 5. This figuresoundseven better when you add the root on toP. y o u r r i g h t h a n d t h u m ba n d s e c o n df i n g e rw i l l a l t e r n a t eb e t w e e nt h e pinkierepeatsthe root on toP. Try it slowly.
b5,
t5 and 5,while your
l7
Fsw lrack 22
J-1 -) 33 { octave. one uP h a n d r i g h t Now playthe ex e rc i s e a g a i n ,b u t m o v e y o u r 1
Sometimesyour favoriteblueslickswill sound better in the higherrangesof the piano. lf, for example,you playwith guitar players,most of the guitar notes will be in a relativelylow range. lf you playfiguresin the l o w t o m i d d l er a n g eo f t h e p i a n o ( a r o u n dm i d d l eC ) while the guitarplayeris in the samerange'your sound w i l l g e t l o s t ,o r i t w i l l a d d t o o m u c h c l u t t e r t o t h e
sound. There will be too much goingon in one ran8e. B ut, i f i n the same si tuati on,you pl ay i n the upper r ange of the keyboard,your sound w i l l come th r ough on t he toP . of course, the gui tar p| ayer mi ght not I ike you pl ayi ngsomethi ngabove w hat they are doing,but som eti mes i t' s very effecti ve. U se di screti on. List en t o gr eat ' pl ayers and then trust Y our ears.
L e a r nt o f i n d t h i s c o m m o n l i c k q u i c k l ya n d e a s i l yi n a l l twelve keys. Here is an exercise taking it through four keys starting with E (a favorite key of gui tar pl aY ers). C onti nue through the cycleof 5ths. SwingBths
r8 to# 'rack
23
G7
D7 G^
tIl
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2_
-
2_
-
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-
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practiceslowly and stop if you feel fatigued. lt takesa little patienceto 8et usedto playing these repetitive figuressmoothly. Chapter 4-Playing a Shuffle
7-
JJJJ
,lt
44
a-
--oa -
FlotFiveShuffle givesyou some more practicewith your newo5 lick,aswell as a new bass line pattern.
@ FIATFIVESHUFFLE Track 29
C7
SwingSths
J=80
55
t2
,-3-LJJLJ-J-J-
G7
F7
c7
G7
5)
12
,
J
,,
3
,
Observewhat's happeningin the last bar. That little musicalfigure,and the G7 chord,is A turnaroundbringsyou backto the beginningof the form so you can calleda turnoround. playanother chorus(once through the form is usuallyreferredto as one chorus). We'll l e a r nm o r e a b o u tt u r n a r o u n d sa l i t t l e l a t e r i n t h i s b o o k .
You'veheard them-maybe you've alreadyplayedthem. lf you haven't,you undoubtedly want to. Tremolos in the right hand,over a nice shufflegroove,are an essentialingredient in the bluessound.A tremolo is a rapidalternationbetweentwo notes. Sometimesblues playerswill call this a roll. There are a few different notes you can tremolo between that sound great. We'll start with the most obvious: the root.
45
Chapter 4-Playing a Shuffle
You can tremolo betweenthe root and the b3 of the key over almost the whole b l u e sp r o g e s s i o n . ln the key of F: Put your thumb on F,and your 2nd or 3rd fingeron Ab.Now roll your hand backand forth betweenthe two notes. lt might seemawkwardat first, but it will become more natural as you keep working at it. The key is to keep your hand relaxed. lf this techniqueis new to you, be careful not to overdo it in the beginning. lt is better to practicenew techniquesfor a few momentsfrequently,rather than trying to sit down and m a s t e rs o m e t h i n ga l l a t o n c e . T h i s i s h o w t r e m o l o so r r o l l e d n o t e sa r e n o t a t e di n t h e w r i t t e n m u s i c :
Tremolo on F andAbfor 5 beats. T h e n e x t s o n gw i l l h e l p y o u d e v e l o pt h i s n e w t e c h n i q u e .
FTLLS w TREMSAND
SwingSths
Track 30
F7 1-3
ebl
C7 5 ) -'t
Bbt
F7 4l 2?
N o t i c e w h a t h a p p e n e d i n b a r 9 . T h a t l i t t l e F #i s a n e n h a r m o n i c r e s p e l l i n go f t h e b 5 ( G b )i n th e ke y of C, whic h i s th e c h o rd y o u a re p l a y i n g over i n that bar. P l ay the Ff,qui ckl y w i th t h e C a n d s l i d e t o t h e G , t h e 5 i n t h e k e y o f C . S o m e p e o p l e c a l l t h i s a c r u s ht o n e o r a g r o c e n o te . W e' ll do m or e o f th i s i n th e n e x t fe w c h apters.
Chapter 4-Playing a Shuffle 47
In the pre-electricand earlyelectricdaysof the blues,pianistslike Otis Spannwere playing unamplifiedpianosin noisy clubs and had to find ways of being heard. This led to the developmentof techniquesto make big sounds. Lickswere frequentlyplayedin the high rangesof the piano,noteswere tremoloed or playedin octavesand dissonantclusters(groups of notes a major or minor 2nd apart playedsimultaneously) were barkedout in the guitar These breaks. soundsare still an integralpart of playingthe style.A good blueskeyboardist needsto know exactlyhow and when to usethem in order to enhancethe music.
,= 100
Swing 8ths
El
w ors'sBtuEs
Track 3 |
5
3
E7
B7 5
3
A7 43
B7
E7
The most importantpart of learningthe bluesis listening.lt's time for you to start shopping around for your own favorite soundson recordings. Listento Otis Spannsolo or with MuddyWaters' incredibleband. Check out Maceo Merriweather,LafayetteLeake,Memphis Slim,MeadeLux LewisandJimmyYancey. Stop your recordingat the spot that grabsyou the most and see if you can figureout what soundthe piano playeris playing.lf you don't a l r e a d yh a v e m a n y b l u e s r e c o r d i n g st,h e r e a r e s o m e g r e a t b l u e s p i a n o c o m p i l a t i o n s available which will giveyou a sampling(seethe discography in the backof this book). You can also find classicbluesrecordingsin your library. Chapter S-Piano BluesSounds
49
Let's take a look at what you were playingwhen you playedOtis'sBlueson Page49. The first line starts out with a classicOtis Spannsound playedas a cluster.The notes are Af,,B t7-three notesout of the b5, and D. In relationto the key of E,theseare the thu 5 and the E B l u e ss c a l e .I n t h e f i r s t t w o b a r st h e y ' r ep l a y e da s a c l u s t e r , a n di n t h e t h i r d b a r t h e y a r e which we know meansplayedone at a time. Both of thesewaysof playingthe arpeggiated, b5,5 and b7 sound greatover the blues progressionin any key. You should know where these notes are in every key and be ableto grab them quickly.
$''ira*rrsrrF*4#Ha*n wf
4ths (or playthe followingfour-barfigurein all twelvekeys,movingthroughthe keysin ascending right your In learned. we downwardSths). In your left hand,playthe first basicshufflepattern b7 b5, as a 5 and for that key. Experimentwith playingthe notes individually, hand play the started: you repeatedcluster,or try trilling them. Here are a few keysto get Swing8ths
73
Fory Track 32
II i
Ii I
t"_ 50
C h a p t e rS - P i a n o B l u e sS o u n d s
Undersungpianist Lafayette Leake played w,itha host of Chicago bluesguitaristsand vocalistsin the 1950s and' 60s inc'ludingOtis Rush'sand Muddy Water'smain rival for attentionon the Chic:agoscene,H owlin' WolJ'Q hester Burnett).
c
o iY
.) d 6 co
(, z o I I
-
F n I c
Swing8ths
A7
A7 23
)
M IAFAYETTE'S BTUES Track 39
E7 4321
C h a p t e rS - P i a n o B l u e sS o u n d s
53
F r e q u e n t l ya,m i n o r b l u e sw i l l b e a f u n k yo r jazzyblues,with a whole differentfeel from a s h u f f l eo r d e l t a b l u e s . T h e r e a r e b l u e s tunes,however,that sound similarto Otis's Blues(pag" 49), except that the i chord is m i n o r .I n t h e s e c a s e st h e f o r m i s u s u a l l yi , IV V. For example,in the keyof F,the chords in the progressionwould be Fmin,Bo7and
C7. Sincethe soundswe've been working on in this chaptercomefrom the bluesscale, w h i c h i s m a i n l yt h e m i n o r p e n t a t o n i c , t h e y ' l l w o r k f i n e o v e r a b l u e sw i t h a r , I Y 7 , Y 7 progression.Below is an exampleof a minor b l u e ss h u f f l e .l t i n c l u d e ss o u n d sy o u k n o w , but puts them into a slightlydifferentcontext.
This blues is in the style of a very successful tune that left-handedguitaristand vocalist * A pickup is a note Otis Rushrecordedfor ChessRecordscalledSoMony Roods. (or notes)that occur before the first full r rv r !'r K : _ 7 measureof a piece. SwingSths
ffir Rt/sH's ROADS
Track 40
5
I
111
wl
t2
x pickup/ notes
J5
mf
---
tremolo
I
Fmin
Fmin
C h a p t e rS - P i a n o B l u e sS o u n d s
55
I n C h a p t e r3 , y o u l e a r n e dt h a t w e c a na l t e r b l u e sm e l o d i e st o f i t t h e c h o r d sa s t h e y c h a n g e (page40). Let'stake that conceptone step further and considerplayingdeliberately"off of" each chord. Here is a way of playingoff of triads that might be the most frequently playedkeyboard s o u n di n p o p u l a rm u s i c :
(t
p 'a(x
{ I
you could sayit's a quick I-IV-I Progressionwith lf you wanted to analyzeit harmonically, che IV chord in secondinversion,and the I chord in root position(seethe triads review on page 15,and the sectionon triad inversionson page22). Everychord in the bluesis then treated as a I-IV-I. Alternatively,you could lust think of it as tension-resolutionmovingawayfrom the chord tones and then comingback.
b3 When we playthesefiguresoff of triads,it's niceto add the as a grocenotePrecedingthe 3rd. A gracenote is a quick ornamentalnote playeddirectlybeforethe main note. Some of us callthis bendingthe3rd becauseit soundssimilarto a guitar playerbendinga note. lt feelsmore naturalin some keysthan in others,dependingupon where the blacknotes and white notes fall under your fingers. Here'show it works: lf the b3i, . blacknote,and the 3 is a white note,as in the keysof C, F or G, you can simply b3 slideyour 2nd fingerfrom the to the 3.
c 4 2- ) I
'rzck
)-)
G
F 4
)-)
4 I
I
47
l f t h e ' 3 is a whit e n o te , a n d th e 3 is a blacknote,it's a little more awkward.Try playingthe '3 with y o u r 2 n d f i n g e r a n d t h e 3 with your 3rd finger. 8ths s Swing
2-3
5
I
55
33 l1
32
tq
'r?
.{
Yo u' ll f ind t hat y o u g ra v i ta te to c e rta i n s o u n ds i n certai n keys,and each key w i l l have i ts o wn v oc abular y f o r th a t re a s o n . l t' s a g o o d i dea, how ever, to practi ce each new sound i n a l l twelv e k ey s . lt h e l p s y o u to l e a rn th e s o u nd real l y w el l -and someti mes you w i l l have r o p l a y i n G bo n a g i g !
iA
I n a p r e r S - P i a n o B l u e sS o u n d s
TriodBluesgivesyou some practicewith the deviceyou just learned.Although it is not indicatedin the music,go aheadandtry bendingthe 3rd of eachchord. In this case,all the o3s are blacknotes and all the 3s are white notes,so you can slideyour 2nd fingerfrom b3to 3.
w IR,ADBrUES
Track 44
23
c
fry t. pfay through TriodBluesin the key of F. The I will be F,the IV will be Bband the V w i l l b e C . B e n d i n gt h e 3 r d f o r t h e I V ( B b ;c h o r d i s a l i t t l e t r i c k i e r t h a n i t w a s i n C (where the IV is F). All the notes will be a perfect4th higher.Try it, but remember, bendingnotes is an aestheticchoice.You don't needto do it all the time. Sometimes, you might want to just playthe chord cleanly. Chapter S-Piano BluesSounds
57
In the sameway that we playedoff of triads,we can playfiguresoff of dominant7th chords. Let's look againat the figure you fust playedoff of a triad:
F/C *
c
c I
F s r r - h ks s v s fc , , o u o r a v e d +-
backro
and
\\1,
r) v
t!
=and
JJ
=
I n s t e a do f r e t u r n i n gt o t h e t r i a d ( C , E a n d G ) , m o v e t h e n o t e F u p a whole step to G and bTthof a C7 chord. the note A ,p a half step to Bb.You are playingthe root, 5th and Try playingthis sequencethat starts from the top and goes down:
c7
R,5,h7
FIC
C x
R,4,6
R,3,5
This is called a slosh chord. The letter to the left of the sl ashi s the name of t he chor d. The l etter to the r ight of t he chord i s the name of t he not e on the bottom. This is a convenient way to indicate a c h o r d i n v e r s i o n ,o r t h e P r e s ence of a non-chord tone in
Now try the samething startingwith a G 7 c h o r d :
c/G
R,5,b7
R,4,6
the bass.
G
R,3,5
With a D7 chord,let's start from the triad and go up to the dominant7th chord:
G/D 35
Foq Trac-i 4
R,3,5
58
R,4,6
C h a p t e rS - P i a n o B l u e sS o u n d s
R,5,b7
BLUES @ BOOGIE
Track 49
AlmostStrorghtSths
.=120 C7
)
I
I
I
Chapter6-A
Look at Boogie-Woogie
6|
oir l
"Sr qs.
Let'sreview eighth-notefeels,usingthe melodyfrom BoogieBlues. You'llplaythe first line of the melodythree times with your metronomeset to 80. The first time, playthe eighthnores straight:
35 FS'! T . a c k5 0
Th e sec ond t im e, pla y th e l i n e a s y o u d i d fo r a s huffl e-sw i ngi ng the ei ghth notes i n a tri pl et feel : SwingSths
,=80
c7
37 pC}+ T.ack 5 |
Th e thir d t im e, t r y to p l a y th e m e l o d y i n a feel somew here betw een strai ght ei ghths and t r i p l e t f e e l . T h i n k a b o u t m a k i n gt h e f i r s t n o t e o f e a c h p a i r j u s t a l i t t l e l o n g e r t h a n t h e s e c o n d . Do n 't wor r y if it s ee ms d i ffi c u l t,a t th i s p o i n t y o u are j ust tryi ng to i ncreaseyour understandi ng o f th e dif f er ent f eel s . AlmostStrorghtBths
,=80
c7
38 r'C'* |.acx
)L
A boogie-woogiebassline haseither four or eight notes per bar. lt either outlinesthe chords or "walks." In either caseit might contain repeatednotes,or notes repeatedan octaveaway. Look at the bassline you just playedfor BoogieBlues(p"g. 6 l). The noresare similarto other basslinesyou haveplayed,but the feel is different. For a shuffle,your left hand playseighth notes with a triplet feel,while your right hand either playedtriplets,or swungthe eighths alongwith your left. In this boogie bassline,/ou playquarter notes insteadof eighth nores. That leavesthe right hand free to play the eighths note a little more evenly. At quicker rempos,the eighthnotes will sound almoststraight. To ma k e t his bas s li n e i n to a n e i g h th -n o te l i n e i n a boogi e styl e, w e coul d add octaves:
62
Chapter 5-A
Look at Boogie-Woogie
Justas for other bluesstyles,boogie-woogiecan be in a maior or minor key. Here is a minor boogiethat usesthe sametype of walking bassline you just played.Sincethe chords are minor,the notes in the b a s sl i n e c o m e f r o m a m i n o r s c a l e . T h i s t u n e u s e sm i n o r 7 t h c h o r d s( m i n 7 ) .T o m a k ea m i n o r 7 t h chord,take the formula for a dominant7th chord ( 1 , 3 ,5 , b 7 a ) n df l a tt h e 3 r d ( l , b 3 , 5 , b 7 7 .
AlmostStroight8ths = 1 2 0 Amin .
BooGtE w so LONG
Amin
D min
Amin
W e c o u l d a l s o turn this walking boogie line upsidedown, walking down from the root rather than up. Let's keep the octaves. The chords are minT chords,so the next note down from the root will be a whole step b e l o w t h e r o o t ( t h e ' 7 ) . D min Amin ,i^
lan
-a:.
: :
64
Chapter 6-A
Look at Boogie-Woogie
5[,7
This is a CminT chord.
Track 55
D minT
Emin
lbr5b7 cEl
C minT
fn BoogieTroin,your right hand providessome forward momentum. Right-handboogie parts were often simple and repetitive. The most important part of boogie-woogieis Troinseveraltimes,then add the alwaysthe rhythm. Playjust the right hand part to Boogie left hand. Playthe eighthnotes with an almost straightfeel.
M
BOOQEfR/qlN
Track 57
AlmostStrorght8ths
C
ll L>
3l
c
4 2.
Chapter 6-A
Look at Boogie-Woogie
65
It's time to put the two parts together.
SwingSths
a=120
c 5
BOOGIE @ JtMMv',S
Track 60
3
c 5
3,
I
James Edward "Jimmy" Yancey is thought by many to be the master of boogie-w,oogie,but his quiet stage demeanor did not lend itselJ'to stardom, and he did not tour or rec'ord as proliJtc'ally as his own protogdes. On the bandstand, J i mmy .freque ntly provided accompaniment to his w,ife, a vocalist, Estelle " Mema" Yancey. Despite J immy Yancey's subdued natLu'e,his musit'v'as part ofthe hctogie' woogie L'raze.JimmyYancey is respected by both blues and iazz enthusiasts as a master of'his art.
U
4 6
U
= s d
o F d l
o o F o I c
Chapter 6-A
Look at Boogie-Woogie 5 V
" u s i c i a n su s e" c o m P c o m p i n gi s a w o r d t h a t c o m e sf r o m t h e w o r d " a c c o m p a n i m e n t . M soloist' ing" as a catch-allterm for what piano playersor guitar playersplay behind a to comp is to playthe chords. Basically, melody' W h e n c o m p i n gy, o u d e a l w i t h t h r e e e l e m e n t so f m u s i c : r h y t h m ,h a r m o n ya n d we will dealwith knowingwhat chordsto play(harmony),having Over the next few pages, the chord control over where you want to Put them in the time (rhythm) and making the band m o r i o n s o u n dg o o d ( m e l o d y ) .l f y o u m a s t e ry o u r c o m p i n gs k i l l sy, o u w i l l m a k e s o u n dg r e a ta n d b e i n d e m a n d ! first and Let'sstart with a simplecompingexerciseusingtriads.Your left handplayson the third beatsof eachbar,while your right hand playson two and four'
J=90
W BTUES'N G
\
G;
Track 6 I
I
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,
D
t
r-\--------!
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t
t?
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A
A
A
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-T
-
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s.i$4s.itr6}$is!111!"**aE{6ii{i'1'!'?raq*u4e''i
ffi
Transposethe above exerciseinto the key of F. D ete r m ine t he for the I, [V andV chords. $ i n u e r s i o n us s e d
f
fu .***,*-*,,*"'*:t!'F
lar.:r. :rdi!ii*,4r'.
;;
Chapter7-Rhythm, Comping,Playingin a Band
69
The triads in the Bluesin G (page69) were in certain inversionsto create good voice leading.Notice how the top note stayedthe samewhen you movedfrom the I chord to t h e I V c h o r d ( m e a s u r e4 a n d 5 ) . A l s o ,t h e t o p n o t e o f y o u r v o i c i n g sf o r t h e w h o l e f i r s t eight bars was the root of the key. You can almost nevergo wrong with the root as the top note of your chord. Keepingthis idea in mind will help you playmore complexchords and progressions. ln Compingin D, you will use the samepattern of invertedtriads,but your right handwill playa dotted-quarterrhythm (seepage20).
@ coMPlNGlN D Track 62
J=80
D 5
)
1l
G
D
5
3 I
A
70
G
Chapter 7-Rhythm, Comping,Playingin a Band
D
Now that you're comfortable with that rhythm, we're going to make the left hand work a little harder. Your left hand is going to play the first shufflepattern you learned (page24). Swingthe eighths. Insteadof just countingthe beats,think about playingthe shufflepatter in your left hand and then addingyour right. Your handsshould line up on the first beat of every bar and the "and of 2" of every bar. Another way to think of it is that your right hand playsthe secondchord of each bar together with the fourth note of your left hand.
D SHUFFIE,N @ coMPtNG
Track 63
J=80
7 5
I
L"t's assumethat our shufflejust becamean uPtemPoboogie-woogie o r r o c k - a n d - r o l tl u n e . P l a yt h r o u g h t h e s a m e e x e r c i s ea g a i n , exacdy as written, but play the eighth notes almost straightwith the metronome set at 120.
Chapter7-Rhythm, Comping,Playingin a Band
7|
GuitorPloyeris a shufflein C. There is a melodypart written for guitar (in small,cue-sized for notes)so that you get a chanceto be the fill-master.lf you havethe CD that is available this book, you can play alongwith it. Otherwise it might be time for you to start hanging out with some fellow bluesplayersand working on these conceptstogether. Communication with other musiciansis the most important musicalskill you can have.
Track 54
SwingSths
)
- t08
C7
4 ) I
b
C h a p t e r7 - R h y t h m , C o m p i n g ,P l a y i n gi n a B a n d
73
You don't alwayshaveto play all of the notes in the chords. In fact, if someoneelse is alreadycomping,or playinga very densesolo right in the midrange(like a guitar player) you could chooseto lay out completely, or playsomethingwith a more open sound. One way to add to the groove without clutteringthe sonic spaceis to play a repeated rhythmic figure in octaves. ln Octovio,your right hand playsa rhythm that is typical of what a horn section might play. Again,you will haveto subdivideto eighthnotes to count the rhythm. Makesure to note the beatson which your right hand plays. SwingSths
) = 100
a'f l (r) & (2 &) 3 (& 4 &)
3OTOCTAVIA Track 65
l(&2)&(3&4&)
After you have mastered Octovio,play through it againwith your right handone octavehigherthan written. A great thing about the tradition of bluespiano is that you get to use the whole rangeof the piano. Have fun with it.
74
Chapter7-Rhythm, Comping,Playingin a Band
S i n c em u c ho f b l u e sh a r m o n yi s b a s e do n t h e s o u n do f d o m i n a n t7 t h c h o r d s i, t ' s i m p o r t a n t to be very familiarwith them in every key. Good voice leadingis somethingyou'll always want to strivefor,and that meansyou needto be ableto easilyinvert dominant7th chords. SincedominantTth chords havefour notes,they havefour positions.
Let'slook at a C7 chord: .A
C7 Root Position
C 7 l s t l n v e rs i o n
C7 2nd lnversion
C 7 3rd Inversi on
p l a y t h r o u g h t h e f o l l o w i n g e x e r c i s et o f a m i l i a r i z ey o u r s e l fw i t h a l l t h e d o m i n a n t 7 t h chord positionsin all keys. Somethingto notice: with the excePtionof root position, y o u w i l l a l w a y sh a v e a w h o l e s t e p b e t w e e n t h e d o m i n a n t 7 t h a n d t h e r o o t i n y o u r voicing.Try it with your left hand,too. F7 C7
15
fr@ --ack
66
N ow c ont inue d o w n th ro u g h th e s e c o n d h al f of the cycl e of 5ths. D on' t forget, gui tar p l a y er s lik e t o pl a y i n s h a rp k e y s l i k e A a n d E, so don' t i gnore them!
C h a p t e r7 - R h y t h m , C o m p i n g ,P l a y i n gi n a B a n d
75
N o w w e c a n u s e i n v e r t e dd o m i n a n t7 t h c h o r d s t o c o m p t h r o u g h a b l u e si n G , u s i n g classicrhythm that will work over a swing or straighteighth feel. Becausewe know s o u n d sg o o d ,w e ' l l s t a r t w i t h t h e r o o t ( G ) ,a s t h e t o p n o t e o f t h e c h o r d . T h e r e ' sn o l e f t h a n d p a r t w r i t t e n h e r e . S o m e t i m e sw, h e n y o u ' r e c o m p i n gi n a b a n d ,i t s o u n d st o o c l u t t e r e di f y o u p l a yw i t h b o t h h a n d s .F o c u so n l y o n y o u r r i g h t h a n df o r a f e w t i m e st h e n ,i f y o u w i s h ,t r y i t t o g e t h e rw i t h a s i m p l el e f t h a n ds h u f f l ep a t t e r n .
5
G 7 42 I
45
'74<
a /
& tlej
3ie4e)
{e ;)
5A
C 7 +2
e] G7
1
Let'stry puttingthe 5th in the top voice of the first chord. The 5th of G7 is D, so . h e n y o u m o v et o t h e C T , y o u r o u r f i r s t c h o r d w o u l d b e G 7 i n 3 r d i n v e r s i o nW rop note has to change,becausethere is no D in C7. Try to make it changeas , a k i n ga m e l o d i cm o v e r a t h e r t h a n a b i g l e a p .T h e r e a r e t w o l i t t l e a s p o s s i b l em n o t e s i n C 7 t h a t a r e o n l y a w h o l e s t e p f r o m D ( C a n d E ) . P i c ke i t h e r o n e a n d m a k et h a t t h e t o p n o t e o f y o u r C 7 c h o r d . E x p e r i m e n at n d d i s c o v e rf o r y o u r s e l fw h a t w i l l h a p p e nw h e n y o u g e t t o t h e V c h o r d ,D 7 . Y o u ' l lf i n d t h a t i f y o u p l a yt h e V i n l s t i n v e r s i o nt,h e t o p v o i c e w i l l n o t h a v et o m o v e - t h e D i s c o m m o n t o b o t h c h o r d s ( I a n d V ) .
, l a y i n gi n a B a n d C r a p t e r7 - R h y t h m , C o m p i n gP
The followingexampleis a compingpattern in t h e s t y l e o f g u i t a r i s t F r e d d i e K i n g ' s c l a s s i c shuffle,Hideawoy. The exampleis in E,which is t h e k e y o f t h e o r i g i n a l s o n g .
M YOUCANRUNBUTYOUCAN'I HIDE Track 68
SwingBths
)- il6 it
A7
E7 ,
o'Y fr# bb
hhlr
-
'a
-E
au
A
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.5 ilJ { iai -
-
fn Y ou Con Run b u tY o u C o n ' t H i d e , th e b a s s l i ne i s w ri tten out for your l eft hand. l f you w er e on a gig w i th a b a s s p l a y e r,th e b a s s pl ayer w oul d pl ay that l i ne, and you w oul d not w a n t t o d o u b l e i t . I n s t e a d ,y o u c o u l d e i t h e r p l a y n o t h i n g w i t h y o u r l e f t h a n d , ( u s u a l l ya saf e c hoic e) or th e ro o t, 5 , 6 s h u ffl e p a tte rn from page 24.
C h a p t e r7 - R h y t h m , C o m p i n g ,P l a y i n gi n a B a n d
77
l n C h a p t e r 5 , y o u l e a r n e da b o u t p l a y i n go f f o f t r i a d s . Y o u c a n u s e t h i s c o n c e p t f o r c o m p i n ga s w e l l . T h e f o l l o w i n ge x a m p l ei s i n t h e s t y l e o f t h e c o m p i n gp a t t e r n f o r t h e on the third eighth c l a s s i cS l i m H a r p o t u n e , S u o t c hM y B o c k N o t i c e t h e l e a d i n g - t o n e note of each bar. The tension it causesmakesthis a very distinctivepattern.
SwingBths F
Track 59
\ )
\i ),
I
)
I
N o w t h a t y o u k n o w d o m i n a n t T t hc h o r d i n v e r s i o n s , wcea n c h a n g et h e t r i a d p a t t e r ni u s t a favoredcalledporollel6ths little bit to get another classiccompingpatternthatJimmyYancey {the intervalbetweentwo notes in the pattern remainsthat of a 6th-hence the name). Let's look again at the ScrotchMy Bock pattern you learned in fhe B/uesltch and see how w e c an c hange a fe w th i n g s to g e t a p a ra l lel 6ths pattern:
/5
C h a p t e r7 - R h y t h m , C o m p i n g P , l a y i n gi n a B a n d
PorollelB/uesgivesyou a chanceto practice the most commonly heard way of playing parallel6ths. In this twelve-barblues,the IV chord appearsin the secondbar,for just one measure.This is common in severalbluesstyles.Next time you listento a bluesrecording, l i s t e nf o r a " q u i c kI V " i n t h e s e c o n db a r .
BTUES @$ PAPALLEL -J = 8 0
Track 70
?.
Swing Sths
F7
ebt
ffisffiftffi*@-*n@ka'ftd
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TransposePorollelBlues into the key of D. lf it seemstricky to play. start by playinga D triad and figuring out the ScrotchMy Bock , . Pattern you learnedin fhe B/uesltch (page78) in D.
@ffi€#*wlhi;{x,**?4n$*
C h a p t e r7 - R h y t h m , C o m p i n g ,P l a y i n gi n a B a n d
79
A s y o u u s e df o u r - n o t ec h o r d st o c o m p o n a d o m i n a n t T t hb l u e s , y o um i g h t w a n t t o u s e m i n o r 7 t h c h o r d so n a m i n o r b l u e s .T h i s w i l l b e t h e c a s em o r e f r e q u e n t l yo n a f u n k y o r jazz-styleblues,where the harmonyis specifically basedon minor 7th chords.
s i t h a C m i n Tc h o r d : L e t ' sc h e c ko u t m i n o r 7 t h c h o r d i n v e r s i o n w CminT
CminT
CminT
CminT
48 F.@ Root Position
Track 7 |
lst lnversion
2nd l nversi on
3rd l nversi on
Playthrough the fo l l o w i n g e x e rc i s e to f a m i l i a r i z ey o u r s e l fw i t h i n v e r s i o n so f m i n o r 7 t h , oving c h o r d s .T h i s t i m e w e a re g o i n g a ro u n d t h e c y c l eo f 5 t h s i n t h e o p p o s i t ed i r e c t i o nm up in 5ths. CminT
GminT
49
*sq Trask 72
D minT
A minT
Bm i n T
C o n t i n u eu p t h r o u g ht h e r e s t o f t h e c y c l e . T h e v o i c el e a d i n gc o n c e p t sy o u k n o w a p p l yw h e n y o u a r e c o m p i n gw i t h m i n o r 7 t h c h o r d s . lf,for example,you wantedto start a minor blueswith the root at the top of your voicing, y o u w o u l d u s ea A m i n T c h o r d i n l s t i n v e r s i o n : AminT
D e t e r m i n ew h i c h i n v e r s i o no f D m i n T you would use to keep the note A as the top note of the iv chord.
80
Chapter7-Rhythm, Comping,Playingin a Band
T e n O ' C l o c kB l u e su s e s i n v e r s i o n so f m i n o r 7 t h c h o r d s . T h i s i s a f u n k y t u n e w i t h a melody,a compingpattern and a bassline pattern that introducesa new rhythm in your l e f t h a n d . O n t h e C D t h a t i s a v a i l a b l feo r t h i s b o o k ,y o u w i l l h e a r t h e g u i t a r p l a y i n gt h e melody. For some help in coordinatingthe compingand bassparts,see the box at the bottom of the page.
r00
.ryrEN O'CLOCKBLUES AminT
Track 73
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T o c o u n t t h e r h y t h m s i n e a c h h a n d ,s u b d i v i d ee a c h b a r i n t o e i g h t h n o t e s . Playeach hand s epar at ely unt i l y o u a re c o mfo rta b l e w i th i t.
5l
& 4 & When y ou wa n t to p u t th e tw o p a rts to g ether, make a note of w hic h beat s t h e h a n d s p l a y to g e th e r a n d whi ch they pl ay apart. I n t h i s c a s e ,y o u r t w o h a n d s n e v e r p l a y a t t h e s a m e t i m e .
R . H .l & @ & 3 @ 4 &
L.H.O & 2 @@ & @ &
C h a p t e r 7 - R h y t h m , C o m p i n g , P l a y i n gi n a B a n d
8l
II|IPINO
nl larnaunlt tnliil$ lntrot,
you'vealreadygot quite a blues stew going,but there are a few more essentialingredients t i m e h a sc o m e t o a d d r e s so n e o f t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n ta n d c h a l l e n g i nags P e c t s needed.The of blues playing-turnoroundsand endings. c r e a t ec o n t i n u o u sh a r m o n i cm o A l l t h o s e d o m i n a n t T t hc h o r d si n t h e b l u e sp r o g r e s s i o n dramatic tion becausethey don't sound resolved.So,we need to haveSreat'sometimes motion' forward the to on the other hand,add endingsto wrap up the story. Turnarounds, as room for As with any aspectof bluespiano,there is a classicvocabularyto learnas well your own design.We'll start with the basics.
A turnaround A turnaroundis a musicalfigureusedto leadyou backto the top of the form. to the tonic' back leads sincethe dominantV7 chord usuallyendson aV7 chord (a halfcodence) includedaYl S o m eo f t h e c o m p o s i t i o nesa r l i e ri n t h i s b o o k i n c l u d e dt u r n a r o u n d sT. h e y top of the chord in the last bar of the form, and a repeatsignto indicatea return to the form. Try to find them.
BASICTURNAROUNDS Basswalks up from the 3rd of the I chord to the root of the V chord' Swing Sths
"c7
G7
52
trs6
54
TrackT4
b7 Basswalks down from the of the I chord to the root of the V chord' Swine " cSths 7 G7
53
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-
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Track 75
together w i th We can put these two chromotic(usingnotes outsi de the key) approaches two hands. G7 SwingBths C7
54 ffiffi \./
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Track 76
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i n the chromoti c T h e w o r d " c h r o m a t i c " a l s o i m p l i e s m o v e m e n t i n hal f-step i ncrements, as the bl ack notes of al l and notes s c o l e( a t w e l v e - n o t e s c a l ew h i c h i n c l u d e sa l l o f the w hi te on the piano).
82
C h a p t e r8 - l n t r o s , E n d i n g sa n dT u r n a r o u n d s
To play more involvedturnarounds,you need to be familiarwith the neighboringchords for the key. Neighboringchords lie a half step awayfrom the chord you are approaching. A o 7i s a n e i g h b o r i n cgh o r d t o G 7 . D h 7i s a n e i g h b o r i n cgh o r d t o C 7 . Swing8ths
eD cl
C7 Here is a basicturnaroundyou havealready l e a r n e db, u t w i t h a n e i g h b o r i n cg h o r d u s e d t o a p p r o a c ht h e V c h o r d :
55 {' .M
Playthe followingexerciseto familiarizeyourselfwith neighboringchords. Notice that eachfinger is movingonly a half step.There is no needto move your hand awayfrom the piano as you move from chord to chord. Just slide each finger to its neighboringnote. Remember, all half stepson the pianoare betweena blacknote and a white note, except where the half step is betweentwo white notes:E to F and B to C. T h i s e x e r c i s eu s e sd o m i n a n t7 t h c h o r d s i n l s t i n v e r s i o n .W h e n t h i s i s m a s t e r e,d t r y i t u s i n gr o o t p o s i t i o n 2, n d i n v e r s i o na n d 3 r d i n v e r s i o n .P r a c t i c ei t w i t h t h e l e f t h a n d t, o o . SwingSths tC7
obt
C7
t7
56 f Track78
gbl
a\
A7
c7
C h a p t e r8 - l n t r o s , E n d i n gas n dT u r n a r o u n d s 8 3
l r d s i n t h e s t y l eo f J i m m y Y a n c e y . E x a m p l e 6 4 i s a t u r n a r o u n dt h a t i n c l u d e sp a r a l l e 3 Swing8ths
c7 57{
3,\ /
L e t ' s t ak e t he s a me tu rn a ro u n d a n d m a k e i t i nto a tri pl et fi gure. SwingSths
A'G
C7)..?.-"r,
J v
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t
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E x a m p l e6 6 i s t h e " w a l k - u p "t u r n a r o u n da g a i nb, u t w i t h t h e i n n e r v o i c e sf i l l e d i n . SwingSths I
C7
59 r
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Ff,diM
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C h e c ko u t t h e h a r m o n i cm o v e m e n ti n t h i s t u r n a r o u n d .G o i n gf r o m t h e C 7 t o t h e F i s l i k e a \ ' 7 ( C 7 ) t o I ( F ) p r o g r e s s i o ne,v e nt h o u g ht h i s e x a m p l ei s i n C . T h i s i d e aw i l l b e c o m e more important as you learn differentapproachesto bluesplaying.
84
C h a p t e r8 - l n t r o s , E n d i n g sa n dT u r n a r o u n d s
S t u d y t h e s e e x a m p l e su n t i l y o u a r e c o m f o r t a b l e e n o u g h w i t h e a c h t u r n a r o u n d t o transposeit to any key.
TURNAROUND# I Swing8ths
J=80
F7
obl
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rracii 82
TURNAROUND #2 J =80
SwinsSths
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G7
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83
TURNAROUND#3
J =80
Swing8ths
D
DTIFI G
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B?7 A7
s n dT u r n a r o u n d s 8 5 C h a p t e r8 - l n t r o s , E n d i n g a
Endingshavethe oppositefunctionof turnarounds.Insteadof takingus backto the top of you can transformmanyturnaroundfiguresinto the form, they take us out. Interestingly, endingsjust by endingon a I chord insteadof the V7. Her e' s a f am i l i a r tu rn a ro u n d tra n s fo rm e d i nto an endi ng: SwingSths
r0
c/G
c7
DD7
C7
63 s-- l
W
Track 85
T his ending a p p ro a c h e s th e I c h o rd fro m bel ow :
J
SwingBths , n C7 =80
B7
C7
64
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Track 86
J
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HARMONYLESSON: Approachinga chord with i t s u p p e r n e i g h b o r i n cgh o r d i s a l m o s t t h e s a m e t h i n g a s p l a y i n g bIU .hotd have the same 3rds and a Y l - l l . T h i s i s b e c a u s ei n any key,the V7 chord and the 7ths,but inverted:
In the key of C: The 3rd and 7th of G7 (V7) are B (3rd) and F (7th).The3rd and 7th of D'7 (II7) are F (3rd) and Cbw , h i c h i s t h e e n h a r m o n i ce q u i v a l e not f B ( 7 t h ) .
The intervalbetweenDband G is calleda tritone (seepage38),and any two dominant 7th chords a tritone away from each other share the same 3rds and 7ths.
86
Chapter8-lntros, EndingsandTurnarounds
Let'sassumenow that you're in a band,backingup a soloist(guitarplayer,singer,harmonica player,etc.). You'll need to listen and follow the soloist through the ending. He or she might want the bandto breoksomewhereduringthe lastfew bars. During a break,everyone sropsplayingbut the soloist.The soloistmight playa fill in time or might playa codenzo*. ln the first case,you simplykeepcountingthroughthe barsand playthe lastchord (or two you needto stoP playingand chordsbU7to 17)at the right time. In the caseof a cadenza, wait for the soloist'scue to come back in and end the tune.
* A cadenza is an out-of-timesolo passage, which can b e a s l o n g o r s h o r t a s t h e s o l o i s tw i s h e s .
for this book, playalongwith this exampleof a shuffle lf you havethe CD that is available endingwith a break. lf you don't havethe CD, try this at your next iam session. =80
Swing8ths R7
F7 E7
A,
65
w
- rack
87
bIIZana the final chord. This is shown In this example,the soloistplaysa cadenzaon the with the fermoto4\ , or hold sign,over the lasttwo chords.
D7
c7
G
c7 c7 cilatmz cTtD n\ AA
G7
66
FsS -.ack
88
s n dT u r n a r o u n d s 8 : C h a p t e r8 - l n t r o s , E n d i n g a
ilr#it*i #lui:*il i'i:tl*i*+J#;#ir
ffi$$frffi$ffi,
Not every bluesstarts with an introduction,but many of them do. As with every other as pec t of t he b l u e s th a t w e ' v e ta l k e d a b o ut, there i s some standard vocabul ary to l earn, as well as some room for creativity.
A common way to start a bluesis to playa four-bar,V-IV-I intro with a little turnaroundat the end. Swing Sths
J =80 G7
c/G
F7
2 I
Nt c7
67 ffi \. . ..1 Track
89
lf the songyou're about to playincludesa riff (a short repeatedfigurethat is the basisfor t h e s o n g ) , y o uo r t h e s o l o i s tm i g h tp l a y t h a tr i f f a st h e i n t r o . N o t i c e h o w w e l l t h e r i f f i n b a r 3 wor k s as a n i n tro . SwingBths
J =80 G7
F7
c7 tt
Ab7 G7
4 I
b
68 ffi -.-J " Track 90
4 5
an intro might just focus on the rhythm and set t h e Alternatively,
groove.
Swing 8ths
J=80 G7 s I
n
F7 5
'r2
69 ---
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ni
88
C h a p t e r8 - l n t r o s , E n d i n g sa n dT u r n a r o u n d s
c7
lf you're playings o l o p i a n o , o r y o u ' r e w i t h a b a n d b u t t h e l e a d e r says " pi ano, take the intro..."then you c a n p u t a n y o f y o u r fa v o ri te l i c k s o r l i n e s o v e r t h e c h o r d p r o g r e s s i o n .
SwingSths G7
F7i 3 I ',
C7
nD c7
I
'rack
92
t
iW#iiffiffiffi;#9""'*'0"'u
ffi*.w#il-+-T t i
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Pict a shufflefrom earlier in the book and make uP two, four-bar V-IV-I intros. Let o n e i n t r o h a v ea m e l o d i cf o c u s ,a n d m a k et h e other as rhythmica s p o s s i b l e .
*x'].]]n.'!'''**.i'iiiIxi]:]!i.::rn:]*1:']!|tI+!{]9!|+gF!s]i:;:]|!:1!'!t]w4!]li.l:i:i::i|::l.*9gssn
P roducer, composer, p erformer Willie Dixon had a career in professionalboxing beJorepursuing a musical career. Dixon led several bands in Chicagctin the 1940s. The most popular of thesewas The Big Three Trio, with Leonard " Baby Doo" Caston on piano-a sophisticatedjump blues trio with tight arrangementsby Dixon, oftenfeaturing three-part vocal harmonies.In the I950sWillie Dixort produced sessionsfor Leonard Chess, wrote tunesJbr Chessartists like Muddy Waters,Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter and played in Muddy Waters' '50sprogressed,Willie band. As the Dixon rose to greaterfame and had an incredible influence on the Chicago scene.WillieDixon c'laimsto have written over 250 songsand has said, "l em the Blues." He certainly put his stampfirmly on blues history.
C h a p t e r8 - l n t r o s , E n d i n gas n dT u r n a r o u n d s 8 9
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Blae t0lfieIlow emnl lilliltrulafiiun Wilfiiil!
In Chapter 6 you were introducedto the walking bassline.In this chapter,we will look more closelyat how walkinglines are constructed.As a keyboardplayer,you are doing one of two things:either providinga basslineor respondingto one. lf you are not playing the basslinebecausethere is a bassplayer,you needto be hearingthe bassclearlyenough t o m a k eg o o d h a r m o n i ca n d m e l o d i cc h o i c e s .A b l u e sw i t h a w a l k i n gb a s s l i n ep r o v i d e s manyopportunitiesfor choicesbecausethere are many differentwaysto "walk" through a givenset of chord changes.In addition,there will be choicesabout which chord changes as you start to slow down the blues,thus stretchingout the progression. to play,especially Playingslow bluesis a hugetopic which we will beginto addresshere,and then flesh-out where we will look at more complex chord motion, BluesKeyboord, further in lntermediote and voicings,how to improviseover them and how to playin the stylesof several basslines influentialbluesfigures. PlayWolkingthe Bluesslowly,payingclose attention to the left hand.
SlowSwingSths
BtuEs W wALKTNGTHE
Track 93
)= 66 C73
F7
c7
5
90
Chapter 9-Walking Bassand an Introductionto the Slow Blues
Let ' s f ook m o re c l o s e l y a t h o w th e b a s sl i nefor W ol ki ng the B l uesi s constructed: l)
Loo k a t th e fi rs t b e a t o f e a c h b ar. In al most every measure,the root of t he c h o rd i s p l a y e d o n th e fi rs t beat. The onl y excepti ons are bars four, eigh t a n d tw e l v e , w h e re th e 5 th of the chord i s pl ayed. N oti ce that i n eac h c a s e w h e re th e 5 th o f th e chord i s pl ayed on beat one, the chord bein g p l a y e d i s th e to n i c I a n d i t i s bei ng conti nued for a second bar. l f y ou s ta rt y o u r w a l k i n g b a s s l i n esw i th thi s ki nd of skel eton and fi l l i n the blanks, you cannot go too far astray.
C7 7l
c7
F7
\. , . L
F7 l.
C7 l
'a
-
V-
I
-
,V-
Des c e n d i nlgi n e
G7
-
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c7
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2) Look at the shapeof the line. Most barsare either ascending(the notes all go up the staff,or descending(the notes all go down). Whether a m e a s u r ei s a s c e n d i n o g r d e s c e n d i ndge p e n d su p o n w h i c h o c t a v ey o u choosefor eachroot when you outlinethe root motion. There are no hard-and-fast rulesaboutwhetheryou shouldwalk up or down from one root to the next. In the first bar of WolkingtheBlues,thebassmight havewalked from C down to F rather than up. As always,let your ear guideyou.
3 ) The notesyou playon beatstwo, three and four of eachbar connectthe roots(or Sths). Most of these notes come from the scaleof the chord. Others are leadingor possingtoneswhich are outsidethe scalebut help t o c o n n e c tt h i n g ss m o o t h l y .S i n c ey o u a r e w a l k i n gy, o u w i l l g e n e r a l l y take smallstepsrather than largeleaps. However,the most important t h i n g i s t o m a k et h e c h o r d c h a n g e sc l e a ra n d t h e l i n e s o u n dg o o d ,s o there will alwaysbe some exceptions.
c7
F7
C7
72
E is a chord tone for 'leads'to and F7
c7
' l eadi ng' C hromati c o r ' p a s s i n g 't o n e s
Chord tones
C h a p t e r9 - W a l k i n g B a s sa n d a n I n t r o d u c t i o nt o t h e S l o w B l u e s
9|
There are manyways to get from C7 (I) to F7 (IV) in four beats: ln Wolkingthe Blueswe walked up. We used some chromatictones becauseotherwisewe would havegotten to F too quickly.
C7
F7
73
An alternativemight be to break up the ascendingpattern, but sti ck to tones that are w i t h i n t h e s c a l eo f t h e C 7 c h o r d ( FM a j o r ) .
c7
F7
74
Another way to get from C to F is to walk down. C7
F7
75
ln the twelve-barprogression, there are three times we stay on C7 for two bars. That m e a n se i g h tb e a t so f C 7 l e a d i n gt o e i t h e r F 7 ,G 7 o r a t u r n a r o u n d . ln Wolkingthe Blues,we playedthe 5th of the chord on beat one of the secondbar,but it would be OK to playthe root (C) again.
C7 76
):-'
G7
-
tI
Y o u c a n c h a n g e t h e d i r e c t i o n o f y o u r w a l k i n g l i n e whenever you want. You can also p u t a lar ge int erv a l l e a p i n w h e re v e r i t s e e ms ri ght. The fourth bar of Wolkingthe Blues d o e s n ' t w a l k i n j u s t o n e d i r e c t i o n , b u t i t d o e s i t s j o b b e c a u s ei t o u t l i n e sa C 7 c h o r d a n d i t l e ads t o t he F 7 c h o rd w i th th e n o te E .
C7
F7
77
Look againat the basslinefor Wolkingthe Blues.This time, noticehow beatfour of eachbar leadsto beat one of the followingbar. Most of the time, but not always,it will soundgood to approacha root from a half-stepaway.Don't think of it as a rule to follow.The only rule i s t o m a k ei t s o u n dg o o d . 92
Chapter9-Walking Bassand an Introductionto the Slow Blues
I n C h a p t e r l , y o u s t u d i e dd i a t o n i ct r i a d s ( p a g " | 5 ) . A s y o u l e a r n e dt h e n ,t h e i i c h o r d i s m i n o r . T h a t i s w h y i t i s s h o w n w i t h a l o w e r c a s eR o m a nn u m e r a l .T h e i i - V - I c h o r d progressionis commonlyused in a slow bluesto substitutefor the V-IV-I that normally makesup the lastfour bars of a twelve-barblues. ln the key of C, this progressionwould b e D m i n T- G 7 - C . The basswalks easilythrough this progression.
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Sodand LonelyBluesis a slow r w b l u e si n G u s i n ga i i - V - I ( A m i n 7 ,D 7 , G 7 ) t u r n a r o u n d .
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Chapter9-Walking Bassand an Introductionto the Slow Blues
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