Some Blues
by lettonico (Jul 18, 2010)
I've decided to talk a bit about blues. Why? I'll give you two reasons why.
Reason #1: If you are really into blues, then you may find this helpful. If you don't like blues very much, you should learn to keep your mind open to good music. My advice is not to categorize music in 'jazz', 'metal', 'blues', 'funk' and so on... there are only two types of music - good music, which makes the world a better place, and bad music.
Reason #2: if you are a total beginner in learning guitar (to whom this lesson is actually aimed to), blues is perfect for you, because it's great to learn how to improvise on.
Down to business...
Minor Pentatonic Scales
A pentatonic scale is a scale that contains only five notes, and are quite popular in western music.
You could say they derive from major or minor scales. If you have a major (or minor) scale that have seven notes, and take out two notes, you'll get a five-note scale.
Let's take a look at minor pentatonics:
Let's say we have the A minor (aeolyan) scale, which is: A - B - C - D - E - F - G.
If we take out the second and sixth notes, we get:
A - C - D - E - G, which happens to be the A minor pentatonic scale.
Go up and down A minor scale, and then move on to A minor pentatonic scale? Hear the difference?
As an exercice, play both A minor and A minor pentatonic scale across the fretboard (you already know the notes!)
Once you've done this, let's move forwards.
Da blue note: this is nothing more than the flattened fifth degree. Play now A minor pentatonic scale, but add bE now (Let's not say d#, so as not to repeat note's names. A minor pentatonic with the bluw note added - or 'A Blue Scale' - is: A - C - D - Eb - E - G).
WOW! WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE! that flattened fifth changes it all, doesn't it?
[dot] Improvise blues.
I want you to take your time and listen to great bluesman guitar players, like B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Blues is all about playing very brief but emotional-filled phrases, and then stop. It's about playing and stops. Say what you have to say and shut up. Silence is a key part in a blues motive.
I highly recommend to record yourself playing a twelve-bar blues progressions. Blues progressions are basically made from seventh chords in a shuffle feel: I7 - IV7 - V7 is an easy sequence. I'm sorry, but you are on your own here, I'm going to supose you know what a twelve-bar blues progression, since you can find examples without any difficulty on the web.
Above your recordings, play this licks and use them on your improvisations.
B.B. king uses this minor 'little scale' a lot (this one is in A position):
[10] is the root note here, A note.
I know this lesson might not look very useful at first, but if you listen to some blues and learn your scales, hopefully things will start to work out.
I'm uploading a short lick for you to hear, using A minor pentatonic and BBking's scale. I hope this shows you what I mean. And I hope you like it, the sound is not very good though, you better turn your volume up.
Mp3 Title
Reason #1: If you are really into blues, then you may find this helpful. If you don't like blues very much, you should learn to keep your mind open to good music. My advice is not to categorize music in 'jazz', 'metal', 'blues', 'funk' and so on... there are only two types of music - good music, which makes the world a better place, and bad music.
Reason #2: if you are a total beginner in learning guitar (to whom this lesson is actually aimed to), blues is perfect for you, because it's great to learn how to improvise on.
Down to business...
Minor Pentatonic Scales
A pentatonic scale is a scale that contains only five notes, and are quite popular in western music.
You could say they derive from major or minor scales. If you have a major (or minor) scale that have seven notes, and take out two notes, you'll get a five-note scale.
Let's take a look at minor pentatonics:
Let's say we have the A minor (aeolyan) scale, which is: A - B - C - D - E - F - G.
E|--------------------------------------------------------------7---8--10--|
B|--------------------------------------------------6--8--10---------------|
G|--------------------------------------5--7--9----------------------------|
D|-------------------------5---7---9---------------------------------------|
A|---------------5---7--8--------------------------------------------------|
e|--5----7---8-------------------------------------------------------------|
If we take out the second and sixth notes, we get:
A - C - D - E - G, which happens to be the A minor pentatonic scale.
E|-------------------------------------------------------5-----8-----------|
B|---------------------------------------------5----8----------------------|
G|----------------------------------5----7---------------------------------|
D|-----------------------5----7--------------------------------------------|
A|------------5----7-------------------------------------------------------|
e|--5----8-----------------------------------------------------------------|
Go up and down A minor scale, and then move on to A minor pentatonic scale? Hear the difference?
As an exercice, play both A minor and A minor pentatonic scale across the fretboard (you already know the notes!)
Once you've done this, let's move forwards.
Da blue note: this is nothing more than the flattened fifth degree. Play now A minor pentatonic scale, but add bE now (Let's not say d#, so as not to repeat note's names. A minor pentatonic with the bluw note added - or 'A Blue Scale' - is: A - C - D - Eb - E - G).
E|---------------------------------------------------------5-----8-----------|
B|-----------------------------------------------5----8----------------------|
G|----------------------------------5----7---8-------------------------------|
D|------------------------5----7---------------------------------------------|
A|------------5---6---7------------------------------------------------------|
e|--5----8-------------------------------------------------------------------|
WOW! WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE! that flattened fifth changes it all, doesn't it?
[dot] Improvise blues.
I want you to take your time and listen to great bluesman guitar players, like B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Blues is all about playing very brief but emotional-filled phrases, and then stop. It's about playing and stops. Say what you have to say and shut up. Silence is a key part in a blues motive.
I highly recommend to record yourself playing a twelve-bar blues progressions. Blues progressions are basically made from seventh chords in a shuffle feel: I7 - IV7 - V7 is an easy sequence. I'm sorry, but you are on your own here, I'm going to supose you know what a twelve-bar blues progression, since you can find examples without any difficulty on the web.
Above your recordings, play this licks and use them on your improvisations.
Pattern n1
E|------------------------------------|
B|---------------------5-------5------|
G|-----------5----7b9----7b9----------|
D|------7-----------------------------|
A|------------------------------------|
e|------------------------------------|
Pattern n2
E|--8---5--------8---------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------8--------8-----5--------8-----5--------5-----------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------7---------7-----5------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------7h5h7---|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Pattern n9
E|--8-----------------8------------------|
B|--------8h5---------------8h5----------|
G|-------------7b8----------------7b8----|
D|---------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------|
B.B. king uses this minor 'little scale' a lot (this one is in A position):
[10] is the root note here, A note.
E|-------------------------10---12-------|
B|--------------[10]--12-----------------|
G|----9---11-----------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------|
I know this lesson might not look very useful at first, but if you listen to some blues and learn your scales, hopefully things will start to work out.
I'm uploading a short lick for you to hear, using A minor pentatonic and BBking's scale. I hope this shows you what I mean. And I hope you like it, the sound is not very good though, you better turn your volume up.
Mp3 Title