Blues Scale and Swing Quavers Lesson

Introduction

In this lesson, we're going to put together the blues scale and the swing quavers, and start to alter melodies to create melodies using the blues sound.

Major Melody Example

Here's what we'll do:

• I've written a very major sounding melody in the same way as "Leaving Town," but without any blues touches.
• The exercise is to try and turn it into a blues melody yourself.

Original Melody Sound

Here's how the melody sounds with no blues at all:

"1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4."

Hopefully you're hearing that melody. While the swing is authentic, the notes sound too major, too bright, and they're not really evoking the sound of the blues.

Altering Melodies

You've got lots of options to change:

• Thirds
• Sevenths
• Fifths

For example:

• In the first phrase, I could change my C sharp to a C natural.
• If I want to go really bluesy, I could change the third as well (the F).

It's really yours to take control of:

• You can choose to make everything bluesy and really create a full-on blues-sounding tune.
• Alternatively, you can add blues touches to it and change certain notes.
• Aim to make each performance a little different, and learn to experiment with these sounds through the sequence.

Understanding the 12 Bar Blues

So far, we've talked about the melodic properties of the blues and the rhythmic swing feel to capture authenticity.

12 Bar Sequence

I haven't really talked yet about the 12 bar blues sequence itself:

• As the name suggests, it's a 12 bar sequence of chords that moves throughout the performance.
• It consists of three chords:
  • Chord I: D
  • Chord IV: G
  • Chord V: A

As the lessons progress, you'll learn how to flesh out these chords and play different notes, scales, and lines over them.

Demonstrating the Blues

For the moment, I'm just going to focus on the bass notes so that your saxophone can effectively double what the bass player is doing, allowing you to hear how the chords move through the sequence.

Playing the Root Notes

• The first time through, I'll play long notes on each of the roots of the chord (D, G, and A).
• To demonstrate how a 12 bar blues is constructed, in the second chorus, I'll add a few rhythmic variations.
• I won't change any notes, but I'll incorporate some more authentic sounding rhythms and syncopations to make it sound a bit more effective.

What's a Chorus?

Good point! Each time a 12 bar cycle is repeated, it's called a chorus of the blues.

• Each time through, the melody is called a chorus.
• For a solo, each lap of the 12 bar sequence is also called a chorus.

Performance Demonstration

In this demonstration of the root notes of the blues:

• I'm going to play one chorus that is 12 bars of root notes.
• On my second chorus, I'll play a rhythmic figure with exactly the same notes to make it a bit more interesting and authentic.