Blues Improvisation

Summary of Improvisation Methods

At this point, we can summarize the methods of improvisation we've discussed so far. We can divide these into two basic camps: vertical and horizontal.

Horizontal Improvisation

Horizontal improvisation is when you play one scale across all three chords in a blues.

Example:

• F Minor Pentatonic or the Blues Scale over a blues in F.

An alternative to the blues scale or the minor pentatonic would be a B3 Pentatonic, which, as we've seen, also works across all three chords.

Important Note:

Neither of these methods is foolproof. Some of the notes might clash with some of the chords. However, some of these clashes can produce unexpected and exciting effects, like the sharp nine melody note included in the melody of Rootless Blues.

Vertical Improvisation

The other style of improvising, which I call vertical, involves referring to the chord symbols to guide your choice of notes.

In a Blues:

You have the one, four, and five chords. Safe choices would be the notes of those chords:

• F7
• Bb7
• C

For the C chord, you would play the notes of the C chord. This method is foolproof, providing you are really on top of those arpeggios and broken chord shapes.

Reference:

We explored this style of improvising back in Chapter One.

Another method in vertical improvisation would be to play major pentatonic scales. However, you cannot use F Major Pentatonic over Bb because of potential clashes. This forces you to change the pentatonic scale when the chord changes.

Combining Major and Flat 3 Pentatonics

Now, let's discuss how to use major pentatonics and flat 3 pentatonics together by combining pentatonic scales.

Key Points:

• F Major Pentatonic is the best fit for an F7 chord.
• When changing to Bb, the best fit might be the BIII Pentatonic.

Practical Method:

One really useful method of improvising over a blues is to:

1. Play a phrase from the F Major Pentatonic over F7.
2. Play the same phrase when you change to Bb, but flatten the third.
   • Make sure you play A natural in the F7 bar and Ab in the Bb7 bar.
   • The last thing you need is to avoid playing an A natural in the Bb bar.

Application

Now, why don't you go back and review Shell Blues and Rootless Blues in the keys of F or G and use all these devices in turn?

Options Available:

• In the right hand, you have the choice of:

  • The pentatonic scale
  • Notes of the chord
  • Flat three, and so on.

• In the left hand, you could be playing:

  • Shells
  • Rootless voicings
  • Tritones

This approach gives you quite a lot of choice and many opportunities for variety!