play some blues

The following ideas are directed towards the emerging soloist looking for new ideas to expand their blues palette of colors. What follows are links to the sound, written music and theoretical analysis of two extended blues solo's as presented in the blues substitution pages. In these discussions are dozens of jamm loops for playing the blues. One solo is in C major blues and is 18 choruses in length, plus the tag. The second is created in C minor and is 11 choruses plus the tag. Click to hear either ride. Example 1.

Got a preference? Major or minor? Hear anything that perks your interest? Can you identify in theoretical terms what these sounds are? Yes? No? The idea here is that if one could theoretically identify these "interesting" sounds aurally or by ear, we then could research their theoretical ties into where they come from within equal temper. We could then create exercises to strengthen our skills with these sounds to better place them on our palette of musical colors. Once there we use them as we need them. Once there, we strengthen our ability to recognize the color regardless of where we find it, in whatever music, musical setting, style etc., it becomes a part of our internalized musical vocabulary that we create our improvised lines from. Cool with this process?

The following links below take the reader to discussions that explore these two solos chorus by chorus. The first few choruses are deeply blues based and quite simple harmonically and melodically. These choruses are a reasonable place to start for the emerging artist. If you find them too complicated, try these couple of choruses. Try to get as much of the basic lines / scales and chords under your fingers. As the solo builds, each successive chorus adds a new harmonic substitution, the color of which is reflected in the melodic line, gradually increasing the complexity of the music. These new colors are oftentimes retained in the succeeding choruses. As the solo begins to climax, the complexity starts to go away and the overall feel returns to a more solid blues coloring. Each of the two solos then end in a similar manner as to how they began, with the original theme restated followed by the tag, following common practice performance guidelines. Both solos simply try to recreate what usually happens when players get together and jamm on a simple 12 bar blues. Hope you dig them and that they help to expand your artistic horizons. So, one of two choices here and off ya go!

"Take the "e" out of "ego" and GO !"

Dr. James B. Miller