Lesson 21 of 29PianoIntermediate

Using chord tones

2:23

Improvise over the blues using each chord's tones (the 1, 3, 5 and 7) instead of just the blues scale, so your lines spell out the harmony rather than skating over it.

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29 lessons (2h 21m) · 1 free

- 01. Welcome to the online course
  1:46
- 02. Meet Paddy Milner
  1:31
- 03. Meet Marina Haywood-Lieberman
  4:32
- 04. Meet Andrew Johnson
  2:28
- 05. Meet James Beckwith
  1:42
- 06. Meet Ross Stanley
  3:30
- 01. Hallelujah I Love Her So, Ray Charles (Performance)
  Free lesson
  2:39
- 02. I See Fire, Ed Sheeran (Performance)
  2:40
- 03. Your Song, Ellie Goulding (Performance)
  3:35
- 04. Funkometer, Kit Morgan (Performance)
  2:21
- 05. Crop Duster, Kit Morgan (Performance)
  2:10
- 06. Circus Experience, Joe Bennett (Performance)
  2:19
- 01. Hallelujah I Love Her So, Ray Charles (Lesson)
  17:59
- 02. I See Fire, Ed Sheeran (Lesson)
  10:45
- 03. Your Song, Ellie Goulding (Lesson)
  9:21
- 04. Funkometer, Kit Morgan (Lesson)
  8:46
- 05. Crop Duster, Kit Morgan (Lesson)
  15:37
- 06. Circus Experience, Joe Bennett (Lesson)
  12:01
- 01. Developing your improvisation
  1:46
- 02. Intermeidate Blues Form
  4:00
- 03. Using chord tones
  You are here
  2:23
- 04. Mixing chord tones and the blues scale
  2:38
- 01. Intro to scales, arpeggios and voicings - why they're useful
  2:49
- 02. Scales - Grade 4
  5:44
- 03. Arpeggios / broken chords - Grade 4
  2:43
- 04. Chord voicings - Grade 4
  2:40
- 01. Sight reading with the "KAT TRAP" method
  9:04
- 01. Course outro
  0:49
- 02. About Rockschool & exams
  0:55

Lesson transcript

Improvising with Chord Tones in the Blues Form

I'm going to show you how to improvise using the chord tones throughout the blues form.

What are Chord Tones?

Chord tones, like we said, are the 1, 3, 5, and 7 of each chord. By using these tones,

it's slightly more inventive and original than using the blues scale.

The Limitations of the Blues Scale

The blues scale, which we'll have learned from the first video, is a great way of improvising and playing over music. However:

It can be limiting.
It doesn't normally stress the harmony we're playing.

While the blues scale works well to play over the music, it doesn't necessarily highlight the harmony of the music.

The Importance of Harmony in Improvisation

When we use the chord tones, what we're saying to the rest of the band and to ourselves is that:

We know the harmony that we're playing.
We are able to show off our skill of improvising within the harmony of the music.

It's really important, as an improviser, to not just play over the music that you're playing.

Key Points

Be inside the music.
Nail the harmony.
Get the ideas of the chords down.

Demonstration

I'm going to play the chord tones of each chord:

F
B flat
F
B flat

Using the right hand only, I'm going to improvise using the chord tones of the blues. What I was doing here is using the chords as a way of improvising.

Part of the courseRockschool Piano Grade 429 lessons (2h 21m)

This lesson is part of the full course. 1 lesson is free to watch.

from$13/month

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