Exploring Chromaticism and Voicings in Blues Improvisation

Introduction to Chromatic Notes

Playing chromatic notes within a solo is a great way to make things sound more natural and vocal. A wonderful method of learning how to improvise is to be able to sing what you play.

I'm going to try and do that right now while playing the blues. We will incorporate scale chord tones and chromatic ideas.

There are quite a lot of interesting things going on here. We're still using the essential chords of the blues, but by adding extra elements, it starts to sound really intriguing.

I'll play a chorus now of the blues using these formats. Afterwards, there's a backing track that you can listen to and play along with at home. There will be about three or four choruses of this interesting blues structure.

Have Fun!

• Play around with it.
• Improvising is all about expressing yourself while using the template and harmony that you've been given to express and develop your ideas.
• So, have fun with it!

Voicings and Harmony

1, 2. Now, one thing we need to talk about when dealing with more interesting harmony is more interesting voicings.

It's important to note that while playing, some voicings can be slightly boring or dry. Great ways of playing voicings over these tunes are to use chromaticism within the voicing.

For example, when we have F7, we can easily play that with the nine and the six included. This crunchy sound might not seem pleasant on its own, but when combined with other elements, it sounds really good.

Example of B Flat 7 Voicing

Consider this voicing for a B flat 7, which is the fourth chord in the blues:

• Starting with the 7,
• Then the 9,
• Followed by the 3rd and the 6th.

Many of these types of voicings can be found within the Rock School pieces and syllabus. However, it can sometimes be difficult to know exactly what they are.

Breaking them down and hearing them individually is a great way of understanding your musical vocabulary and getting to grips with some of these slightly trickier voicings.

Voicings Without Roots

A lot of voicings that piano players use don't necessarily contain the root. For example, here's a B flat 7 that lacks the root.

There's another great minor chord I can show you, which would be very useful to play over the 2-5-1 transition back to the final I chord of the blues form:

• This voicing includes the 7, 9, minor third, and fifth.

Then the same chord transitions into the dominant.

Exploring Different Voicings

This is just a taste of the hundreds of different ways you can use voicings and improvisation to explore and create your own unique sounds.

The best method is to take different chords, voicings, and scales and apply them to all 12 keys. While we're using the blues in F for simplicity, many musicians play blues in various keys, particularly B flat, C, and G. Often, if playing with guitar players, tunes are in E because guitarists love those big open strings.

Practical Application

I'm going to play another chorus now, using everything we've learned today. After that, I recommend trying out a backing track that I've created for you.

Exploring Ideas:

• Use your right hand first to grasp the ideas of chord tones, the blues scale, and chromaticism.
• Finally, use your left hand as a form of accompaniment.

1, 2.

In the previous example, I was really trying to hear and think about what I'm playing. I'm not just playing a line or just chord tones. I am considering all the techniques and skills I've learned throughout this process and combining them into one cohesive performance.

The Language of Music

We start learning a language with words, build phrases, then sentences, and eventually we can have a full conversation.

All these elements are coming from the mind. A great exercise is attempting to sing the lines of what you're playing.

Now, I'm not a singer, and you don't have to be one either. However, if you can hear what you're playing, it's an amazing way to be authentic in your improvisation.

Here's an embarrassing example for you right now. (As you can see, it might not be the most pleasant thing to listen to, but it's an effective method for developing your technique and understanding the harmony of what you're playing.)

Summary

To summarize:

• We're exploring more interesting chords and harmony within the blues form.
• We're taking 2-5-1 transitions in both major and minor keys and altering them, making the form increasingly engaging.
• We're utilizing the blues scale, chord tones, and some chromaticism in our music.
• Techniques like bending notes and using passing chords enhance our harmonic approach.

Put it all together, and you have a really intriguing template for harmony.

Improvisation is Expression

Remember, improvisation is all about expressing yourself.

Enjoy the journey!