Blues

FromFundamentalsofJazzImprovisation:WhatEverybodyThinksYouAlreadyKnow

Dr.MarkWatkins

DirectorofJazzStudiesBrighamYoungUniversity–Idaho

©2010byMarkWatkinsMaterials herein are provided for personal use. No part may be reproduced without

written permission from the author.

BackgroundInthe19thCentury,AfricanAmericanmalesprimarilyperformedBlues.Itwassungandusuallyaccompaniedbyguitar.Manybluessingershadsometypeofdisability,albeitnotrequisite.Formsvaried.Inflections,pitchvariations(bluesnotes),andotherelementswereinheritedfromfiledhollersandworksongsdatingbacktotheslaveera.BluesatthistimewasprimarilyinruralareasoftheSouth.Bythe1920’s,blueshadbecomecommoninnorthernterritoriesandfocusedinurbancommunities.PerformerswereprimarilyfemaleofAfricanAmericandecent.The12‐barformhadbecomecommon.Accompanimentmayincludepianoorarhythmsectionofpiano,bass,anddrumset.Often,otherinstrumentsjoined.Blueswasandsometimesstillisawaytodealwithlife.Inasenseitisgrouppsychotherapy.Onewouldsingaboutone’stroublesinordertofeelbetter,sympathyfrompeers,expression.

BluesNotesExtendedchordswerenotthenorminthe19thCentury.Triadswerethemainstayofhymns,gospelmusic,marchingbands,andotherstyleswithdominant7thchordsfunctioningatcadencepoints,notasasoundfortonic.Theuseofaminor7thoveratriadisauniquesoundwhennotfunctioninginadominanttotonicresolutioncontext;yet,tonicinthebluesaswellassubdominantanddominantareallmajorminor7thchords.Whethervocalorinstrumental,thisnotemaybeconsideredabluesnoteandacontributortothebluessound.

Probablythemostsignificantofthebluesnotesistheflat‐3.Thisissobecausethe3rdisafunctionalnote,notanextension,colortone,orinanywayredundant.Harmonically,the3rdoftonicismajor(excludingminorblues).Whenaminor3rdisplayedbyaninstrumentalistorsungbyasinger,averydistinctrubresults;rhythmsectionplayersholdtothemajorharmony.Iftheperformerknowsandhears,thisrubisawonderfullysoulfulsound.

Bythe1940’stheflat‐5hadtakenitsplaceamongstacceptablenon‐harmonictonescommontotheblues.Sustainingthenoteisnotuncommonbutthereisastrongtendencytomovemelodically.Itsresolutioniseitheruptothe5thofdowntothe4th.Notationofthisnoteiseither

flat‐5orsharp‐4.Technically,thisdependsonwhereitisgoing,sharpforuporflatfordown.Successofthe4th(theflat‐5’slowerresolution),whichrubsagainstthe3rd,iscontextual.Thiswillbediscussedfurtherwiththeminorpentatonicscalebelow.

PentatonicsandtheBlues

FivenotescalesusedmelodicallydatebacktotheancientGreeks.TheyareknownaspentatonicscalesandarefrequentinmusicfromIrelandtoAppalachiatoChinaandpointsbetween.Anygroupoffivedifferentnotesisapentatonicscale,buttwoaremostusedinclassicalmusicandjazz:majorandminor.Themajorpentatonicscalesiscomprisedofdegrees1,2,3,5,and6ofthemajorscale.Theminorpentatonicis1,flat‐3,4,5,flat‐7startingonthetonicoftheblueskey.Otherwaysandmeansarediscussedinthesectionspecifictopentatonics,i.e.relativeminorrelationship.MajorPentatonic

MinorPentatonic

Manybluesmelodiesandimprovisationsarebasedonthesescales.Theflat‐3bluesnotecanbeaddedtothemajorpentatonictogreateffect.Thesoundofthemajorpentatonic,especiallywithitsmajor6th,harkenstoanoldergenerationbutisinvaluableinmanycontextstoday.Resolutionfromtheflat‐3tothemajor3rdistypical.Theminorpentatonicalreadycontainstheflat‐3andtheflat‐7.Whentheflat‐5isaddeditbecomeswhatisoftenreferredtoasthebluesscale.MajorPentatonic(withflat‐3)

MinorPentatonic(withflat‐5):TheBluesScale

FormandHarmony

Twelvemeasuresisthemostfrequentlyusedlengthforablueschorus.Thereareonlythreedifferentchordscreatingitsunderlyingharmonicframework:fourmeasuresoftonic,twomeasuresofsubdominant,twotonic,twodominant,andtwotonic.B‐flatandFarethemostcommonconcertkeysforthebluesbutarenotexclusive;bluescanbeinanykey.FundamentalStructure

Fromthesechordsandtheirstructuralplacement,manychordscanbeaddedorsubstitutedallowingmuchdiversity(seeAnalysisbelowandthesectionsFundamentalChordProgressionsandSubstitutionsandTurnarounds).Someofthemostfundamentaloptionsincludethefollowing.iiVinmm.9‐10InsertingaiiVontopofthestructuralVchordformm.9‐10isprobablythemostcommonusageinthebluespresently.

VIVinmm.9‐10

QuickChange(m.2)andTurnaround(m.12)Aquickchangeisajumptothesubdominantinm.2.Turnaroundsareprogressionsthatbringthemusicbackorintoasection;inthiscase,backtothetopoftheform.Turnaroundsvaryandcanbeasimpleasthedominantchordbelow.

Phrasesareusuallygroupedintothree,fourbarunits.Threemelodictypesaretypical:AAB,riff,andthroughcomposed.AABmelodiesrepeatthefirstphrasebutadjustforthesubdominantharmony;thethirdphrasecontrasts.Riffbluesoftenstatethesamemelodythreetimes.ThroughcomposedtuneshavelittlemelodicrepetitionandcannotbegroupedwithAABorriffbluesprinciples.TheAnalysissectionbelowgivesexamplesofthesemelodictypes.Non‐12BarBluesFormsEight‐barbluesprogressionsvaryconsiderably.Oneofthemostcommonis:

8‐barBlues,Example1:

Otherpossibilitiesinclude:8‐barBlues,Example2:

8‐barBlues,Example3:

8‐barBlues,Example4:

8‐barBlues,Example5:

8‐barBlues,Example6:

Likewise,therearemanyvariantsofthe16‐barblues.Mostareanextensionofsomepartofthe12‐barform.Thefollowingexamplesarenotnecessarilyinanorderofcommonality.16‐barBlues,Example1:

16‐barBlues,Example2:

16‐barBlues,Example3:

16‐barBlues,Example4:

16‐barBlues,Example5:

Twenty‐fourbarbluesareextant,oftendemonstratingtheproportionsofthe12‐barblueswithdoubledurations.

Improvisation

Listeningisalwaysthefirststeptowardslearningtoimprovise,listeningtogreatperformances.Listeningtotheunderlyingharmonyanditsrelationtomelodicmaterialisessential.Duetotheprevalenceofbluesnotes,oneshouldfirstbecomefamiliarwiththeprimaryconsonancesofthebluesprogression,thesoundofin.Careshouldbetakentoheartherubscreatedbybluesnotesasnon‐harmonictones.Ifthesenon‐harmonicpitchesareheardasconsonances,someofthesoulislost.One’sear,abilitytodiscerninfromout,isadverselyaffected.Whenaperformerisfamiliarwiththeconsonantsoundsofchordtones,bluesnoteshavegreateraffect.Conversely,ifanindividualistaughtTheBluesScale,forexample,astheirfirstmeanstonavigatetheblues,thedissonantflat‐3,4th,flat‐5,andeventhesoulintheflat‐7canbelost.Theirabilitytohearconsonant/dissonantrelationshipsinothertunesisinfluenced.Theseexercisesshouldbepracticedwithaccompaniment:playthechordsonthepiano,workwithapianist,usearecordedrhythmsection,etc.ChordTones(TheSoundofIN)Singthechordtones.Firstsingtherootsthroughtheform,thenthe3rds,5ths,and7ths.Singthechordsaccordingtothetunebeinglearned.Theexamplebelowisthemostsimple.

ArpeggiosSingthechordtonesarpeggiatingintime,quarternotesfirst,theneighths.ThefollowingexampleusestheiiVoptionformm.9‐10.

MixolydianScalesPracticemixolydianscalesintimeoverthechanges,stillwithanaccompaniment.AdditionalmethodsofapplyingscalestochordchangesisfoundinPracticeTechnique#5.ThefollowingexampleaddsthequickchangeandsimpleVturnaroundandisinthekeyofB‐flat.

PentatonicsandBluesScalesPreparemajorandparallelminorpentatonicsviaappropriatePracticeTechniques.Majorandminorpentatonicsapplyprimarilytotonicchords.Themajorpentatoniccanbeusedpurelyasafivenotegroupofmelodicchoicesorwiththeadditionoftheminor3rd.

Minorpentatonicscanbeplayedpurelyorwithanaddedflat‐5creatingTheBluesScale.Thisscaleismostoftenappliedtothetonicchordsbutcanbeusedtoblanketanentirechorus.Multiplechorusesofblanketingcanlosemelodicandharmoniceffect.

PatternsPatternscanbepracticedasanexercisetobeincludedinanimprovisationifitsinclusionflowsnaturally.Placethedesiredpatternineverypossiblelocation(asadrill).BluespatternwillhaveanelementofthebluessuchasaBluesScalederivative,andflat‐3tomajor3rdpair,orsomeotheruseofbluesnotes.

GuideTonesDelineationofthebluesstructureismadeclearbyemphasizingnotesthataremostdifferentbetweenchords.Guidetonesmaybeembellishedandneednotebedirectlyonbarlines.Theygenerallyconsistofthe3rdsand7thsofchord,whicharetheprimenotesforchordqualityandfunction.

Analysis

BasicBlues1:CJamBlues(Ellington)Fundamentalchordstructure:IIVIVI.Melody:riff.Ariffisarepeatingmotiveandcommontotheblues.Riffbluescanusethesamemelodyforallthreesectionsoftheblues.Thisthree‐sectionformconceptisexplainedbelow,FineandMellow.

BasicBlues2:FineandMellow(Holliday)Melody:AAB;IambicPentameterThetextisAABbutmayhavenewtextforeachchorus.MelodicmaterialisAABthroughoutbutwillbevariedinseveralways.Often,themelodywillonlyadjustafewnotestofittheIVchordwithnosignificanttransposition.Atothertimes,themelodicconstructisshiftedupordownforthesecondAtofittheIVchord.Interpretiveembellishmentsofbothpitchandrhythmarecommonlyapplied.Historically,AABiscalledbarform.IambicPentameter:5stressedsyllablesoneachline.Embellishmentsmaystilloccurcreatingunevennumbersofsyllables.Thisiambicpentameteroftenfitswithinthefirstfivehalfnotesofeachline(i.e.halfnotesonbeats13131ofthefirstthreemeasures).Harmonically,thestructurefitswithintheIIVIVIpatternoutlinedabove.FineandMellowaddstheIVchordtomeasuretoandaVinmeasure11.Chordsubstitutionsarefurtherexplainedinsubsequentexamples.Oneshouldalsonoticetheprominenceoftheflat‐3bluesnote(A‐flat)inthemelodythroughout.A

A

B

A

A

B

Formcontinues

Substitutions1:BlueSeven(Rollins)UseoftheIVchordinthesecondmeasureiscommonandoftenaddedevenwhenitisnotincludedonthescoreorleadsheet.Somerefertothisasthequickchange.MovingfromtheVtotheIVinmm.9‐10isoftenappliedtotheblues.Inaperformance,onemightcall,“Takeitfromthefive,“toinsertthissubstitutionifnotinthescore.Therearemanyturnaroundpossibilities(seethesectionTurnarounds).Mostplayerswillnotleavetonicinm.12butwillapplyaturnaround.Inthiscase,V7suffices.Melody:riffbluesAABhybrid.Measure5isanembellishedversionofmeasure1andadjustedforIV;theA‐flatisappropriateastheflat‐7ofIVandtheEisthesharp‐11,acolorcreatinginterest.Riffprinciplesapplytomm.2‐3,6‐7,and10‐11beingidentical.Bnaturalsinmm.3,7,and11aresharp‐11toF7.AnAissoundedinm.8toparalleltheAinm.1whiletheF‐sharpissharp‐11toCinm.9astheEinm.5issharp‐11toB‐flat.ThesemotivicparallelsshowtheriffprinciplesappliedwhereastheembellishmentsandpitchadjustmentsdelineatetheAABform.

Substitutions2:TenorMadness(Rollins)Measures9‐10usewhatmaybethemostcommonformulae:iiV7insteadofV7forbothbars.Thisisprecededbyasecondarydominantinm.8:G7toCminorisV7/ii.Amoreextendedturnaroundisseeninmm.11‐12.G7toC7toF7toB‐flatisacycleofdominants.Melody:AAB.ThelastpartofAreturnsasthelastpartofB.Inclassicalterminology,thismightbeconsideredroundedbinaryasfollows,||:A:||BA’.A

A

B

Substitutions3:BluesforAlice(Parker)ThisanalysiswillbemoreclearlyunderstoodafterstudyofthesectionsFundamentalChordProgressionsandSubstitutionsandTurnarounds.ThesechangesareoftenreferredtoasBirdBlues.AnFmajorinm.1(insteadofF7)signalstheprogression.Startinginm.2thechordsmoveinaiiV7cyclelandingonIVinm.5.Thefirstchordofm.2isoftenhalf‐diminished;thisreducesthecontrastbykeepingthe5thinthekeysignature.Themajor7fromFinm.1alsomakesthetransitionsmoother:major7thEinm.1istherootofEøinm.2.Asomewhatcommonchordprogressionisivflat‐VII7I,i.e.inthekeyofF:B‐flatminortoE‐flat7toF.Intheblues,tonicisreturnedtoinm.7.Althoughanothersubstitutionprincipleisincorporatedform.7inBluesforAlice,theprecedingprogressionassumetonic.B‐flat7inm.5changesmodestoB‐flatminorinm.6,whichbecomesminorivofaivflat‐VII7Isequence.Measure7landsonAminorinsteadofF.Themediantiiiisasuccessfulalternatefortonicinmajorkeys(IIIinminor).Measure7appliesthisprincipleandbecomesiiofaiiV7progression.TheE‐flat7ofm.6totheAminorofm.7worksnotonlybecauseoftheiiiforIsubstitutebutbecauseatritoneresolutionisagoodforwardmotionsound.TherootsE‐flattoAareatritonapart.Thenexttwomeasuresaremoreeasilyunderstoodwhencalculatingbackwardsfromm.10,whichwillbeexplainedmomentarily.Measures10‐11applytheoptionseeninTenormadnessabove.InsteadofV7forbothmeasures,iiV7isused;inthiscase,GminormovestoC7.WithGminorexplainedasasubstituteforC7inm.10,theprecedingbarsareclearer.Onemustunderstandtheconceptoftritonesubstitution(seethesectionSubstitutions).Thisallowsachordatritoneawayfromthechordinquestiontosubstitute:D‐flatisatritoneawayfromG;D‐flatcanbeusedinsteadofG.InTenorMadnessabove,asecondarydominantwasusedinm.8,G7toCminor.AsimilarprincipleisusedinBluesforAlicebutattachedtoVinsteadofii.GivenGminorinm.9isasubstituteforC7(aiiV7cansubstituteforV7andviceversainmostinstances,asabove),asecondarydominantofVcanbeinsertedinm.8buttoC7,theV,insteadofthemoredirectGminor,ii:G7equalsV7ofCorV/V.C7canbeGminortoC7;V7canbeiiV7.So,V/VcanbeVofiiVorV/iiV.WithanimaginaryV/VorG7inm.8,atritronesubstitutioncanbeunderstood:D‐flatisatritoneawayfromG.BothG7andD‐flat7aregoodresolutiontoC7;D‐flatisused.

Anotherreasonthissoundsgoodisthetritoneresolutionconceptexplainedaboveasappliedtomm.6‐7.Chordswhoserootsareatritoneapartcanbeplacedinsequence.TheD‐flatofm.8progresseswelltotheGminorofm.9.TheiiVsubstituteforVisplacedinm.8turningD‐flat7intoA‐flatminortoD‐flat7.Measure7movestom.8bymeansofthesametechniquejustpresented.A‐flatminortoD‐flat7becomesD‐flat7alone.ThedominantofD‐flatisA‐flat.AtritoneawayformA‐flatisD.Thus,DcanbesubstitutedforA‐flat.ReturningtheA‐flatminortom.8,theDofm.7createsatritoneresolutiontoA‐flat.D7inm.7becomesiiVorAminortoD7andthecycleisbacktotheAminorsubstituteforF(iiiforI).Measure11startswiththesameiiiforI,AminorforFsubstitutionandproceedscyclically.AtoDtoGtoCtoFisacircleof5ths,orcycle,progression.InthekeyofF,thequalitiesareiiiviiiV7I.WhenviisalteredtobecomeVI7acycleofiiV7’siscreated,asbelow.Melody:ThroughComposed.TherearenorepeatingelementsinthemannerofariffbluesorAABform.Noticethenotechoicesinmm.1,2,4,10,and11.Measureonehasthemajor7ofF.Theflat‐9ofAisinm.2.Whenarestfollowsanupbeatnote,thenotewillsoundontheharmonyoftherestbeat;thus,thefourtheighthnoteinm.4willbeheardonbeatthree.TheC‐sharpisthesharp‐5ofF.E‐flatonC7isabluesnote,m.10.Onmajorandsometimesondominantchords,fourthsarecontroversial.Intheblues,thefourthscaledegreemayworkwhenassociatedwiththebluesscaleoftonic.However,thesustainedfourthscaledegree(G)oftheD7inm.11isnotthefourthoftonic.Itworksbecausethemelodicsequencefrommm.11‐12(andintom.1)isstrongandbecausetonicinthebluesisverypowerful,Gdoesn’tconflictwithF7orFmajor.

MinorBlues:Mr.P.C.(Coltrane)Minorbluesgenerallyuseaminortonic(mm.1‐4,7‐8,and11‐12)andminorsubdominant(mm.5‐6).IntheplacewhereVisusedstructurally(mm.9‐10),thequalityisnotminor;asinaclassicalminormode,dominantborrowsthemajor3rdofthechord(theleadingtoneoftonic).Often,aminorblueswillusesometypeofchordsubstitutionintheactive,dominantfunctioningarea.Mr.P.C.usesminorforiandivasexplained.Measures9‐10includeatritonesubstitution.OneofthemostcommonsequencesinthebluesisiiVinmm.9‐10;thisisDminortoG7inMr.P.C.AtritoneawayfromDisA‐flat.Measures9‐10inMr.P.C.movesfromA‐flattoG.Melody:AAB.LikeTenorMadness,Mr.P.C.hasanelementofroundedbinarywithafragmentofAreturningattheendofB(comparemm.3‐4,7‐8,and11‐12).Transpositionofthemm.1‐2melodyoccursinmm.5‐6toadjustfortheivchord.

ExtendedBlues:WatermelonMan(Hancock)Acommonmethodoflengtheningtheformofthebluesisbyrepeatingmm.9‐10.WatermelonMandoessotwice,creatinga16barchorus.

Harmonically,chordsarekeptsimple;veryunlikeBluesforAlice.Thisistypicalofthe“Funky”styleofthelate1950’sandearly‘60’s.Theaccompanimentcouldbelabeledanostinatoasitisarepetitivevamp.Aharmonylineaccompaniesseveralspotsofmelody,originallybytenorsaxophone.

TuneList

Early/TraditionalBlues JazzBlues RiffBlues MinorBlues Non‐12BarBluesBigPBirk'sWorksEquinoxFootprintsHassan'sDreamMr.P.C.SeñorBluesWhyDon’tYouDo

Right?

Bluesw/Bridge

BagsGrooveBemshaSwingBessie’sBluesBlue‘n’BoogieBlueMonkBlueSevenBluesbyFiveBluesintheClosetBluesWalk,TheBud'sBluesCJamBluesCenterpieceChamp,TheCoolBluesDigDisFreddieFreeloaderMisteriosoNightTrainNoBlues(Pfrancin’)Now'stheTimeSonnymoonforTwoSpeedballSpontaneous

CombustionTenorMadnessThingsAin'tWhatThey

UsedtoBe

BebopBlues

AllRight,Ok,YouWinBackattheChicken

ShackC.C.RiderEmptyBedBluesFineandMellowGreenOnionsI’mToreDownMemphisBluesPineTopBoogiePrideandJoyRoyalGardenBluesSearchin’foraWomanShake,Rattle,‘n’RollSt.LouisBluesSweetHomeChicagoStormyMondayT‐BoneShuffleWestEndBlues

AfroBlueAfterHoursAllBluesBessie’sBluesBlackCoffee(ballad)Blowin’theBluesAwayBlueBolivarBluesBlueTraneBluesConnotationBluesforPhillyJoeBluesforStephanieBluesMarchBluesontheCornerCedar’sBluesChasin’theTraneChicken,The(fusion)ChitlinsconCarne

(Latin/fusion)Comin’HomeBabyCoolStruttin’CousinMaryDecisionDoodlin’EyeoftheHurricane

(Hancock,V.S.O.P.)FilthyMcNastyFiveSpotAfterDarkFreddietheFreeloaderGingerbreadBoyGothamCityIsraelJodieGrind,TheJumpin’withSymphony

Sid(swing)MatrixMissileBluesMr.DayNoLineNutvilleOneforDaddy’ORedTopRoute66(swing)SackO’WoeSanduSeñorBlues(Latin)StolenMomentsTeenie’sBluesThrillisGone,The

(blues)TwoDegreesEast,Three

DegreesWestVierdBluesWalkin'WhenWilltheBlues

Leave

AuPrivaveBarbadosBillie'sBounceBirdlikeBloomdidoBluesforAliceBuzzy(CharlieParker)CherylChiChiContinentalCookin’attheSippin’at

BellsCoolBluesDanceoftheInfidelsMohawkNow'stheTimeOolyacooParker’sMoodRelaxin’atCamarilloStraight,NoChaserTwistedWeeDotYabadaOolYa(Dizzy

Gillespie)

LocomotionUnit7SomeoneElseisSleepin’

InBikiniScotchandWaterWord,The(Beatles)TheBalladOfJohnAnd

Yoko(Beatles)ICanHelp(BillySwan)I'mOnFire(Bruce

Springsteen)

C.C.Rider[old](16)ClosetoYou(16)CRSCraft(8)GetaHaircut(8)HeartbreakHotel(8)I'mYourHoochie

CoochieMan(16)KeytotheHighway(8)Let’sDance(16)MustangSally(24)Oh,PrettyWoman(16)Sidewinder(24)Travelin’Blues(16)WalkingbyMyself(8)WatermelonMan(16))WorriedLifeBlues(8)

WorksheetPacket#6:Blues

ScaleWriteallscalesuptotherootanddown.Donotusekeysignatures.Includeaccidentalsascendinganddescending.Inpracticethebluesscalecanstartonthetonicofthetuneandthetonicofthescale:keyofthepieceisB‐flat,B‐flatbluesscaleused.Or,thebluesscalecanstartonthe6thofthekeyofthepiece:tuneinB‐flat,Gbluesscaleused.Intheformersituation,thescalecanbeusedonlyonthetonicchorddelineatingthedifferencesofIV,ii,andV;or,thescalecanblankettheform.Inthelatersituation,thescaleisusuallyonlyusedontonic.ChordProgressionsWritechordvoicingsasintheexamplegiven.KeepvoicingscenteredaroundmiddleC.Playallchordsonthepiano,listen,becomefamiliarwiththesoundofthebluesvoicings.Twoworksheetsareprovided.Theseexamplesdemonstratetwodifferentvoicingsandtwovariationsofthebluesprogression.Voicingsandprogressionsareinterchangeable.Theyrepresentonlyasmallsampleofbluesvoicingsandchordsubstitutions.PatternsSeveralexamplesaregivenwiththechordmostappropriatetothepatternincluded.Findtwopatternsthatarespecifictothequality(major).Sourcesmightincludeatranscription,a

jazzimprovisationtextbook,Aebersoldplay‐a‐longseries,abookonjazzpatternssuchasJerryCoker’sPatternforJazz,areputableprofessional(i.e.AaronMiller,RyanNielsen,MarkWatkins,JayLawrence,KeithPhillips,JustinNielsen,oravisitingguest).

Includetheappropriatechordsymbolandpatternsource.Addpatternstothelogtoincreasevocabulary.

ScaleExample:

Progression1

Progression2

Patterns(treble)

Examples:

Patterns(bass)

Examples: