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Blues Lesson 9
EMBELLISHED BLUES

  1. Embellished Blues Format
  2. Effect on Blues Improvisation
  3. The Critical Tones
  4. Critical Tones Practice
  5. Chasing the Blues
  6. Improvisation
  7. Quiz - Quiz Answers
  8. Exercises
  9. Lesson Material

    Library - Keyboard Comping



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BL 9.1 - Embellished Blues Format

Up to now we have dealt with the Basic Blues chord progression format.

Audio 9.1
(for Blues in C)
| I | I | I | I |

| IV

| IV

| I

| I

|

| V

| V

| I

| I

:||

The chords may be either simple major triads, or, like most common in Jazz, they are dominant 7th chords (or a combination of triads and 7th chords).

This basic format essentially underlies most blues songs. But there are a great number of variations that embellish the simple form.
The most common and important embellishments are :

  1. substitution of a IV7 chord in bar 2

  2. substitution of a IV7 chord in bar 10

  3. insertion of a V7 chord as a turn-around in bar 12
    (this V7 chord can either cover all 4 or only the last 2 beats of bar 12).
    This turn-around is omitted in the final chorus.

These substitutions can occur individually, or all three together in the same format.

| I7 | IV7 | I7 | I7 |

| IV7

| IV7

| I7

| I7

|

| V7

| IV7

| I7

| V7

:||

The Play-along Midi files indicated as 'Embellished Blues' all use the above chord progression format.

Audio 9.2
lesson09/bl1001.gif
Here are some examples of these chords substituions.

There are many blues with even more involved chord progressions, but the basic 3-phrase structure and its principal I, IV and V chords are always recognisable.


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BL 9.2 - Effect on Blues Improvisation

The above three substitutions still allow you to improvise over the blues using the Minor pentatonic scale or the Blues scale. But be aware of these chord substitutions when they are used in a song. Knowing, hearing and reacting to all chord changes are the hall mark of a good improviser.

The Embellished Blues format dramatically affects the improvisation when using Mixolydian modes or other individual scales for each chord.

The scales used for an Embellished Blues in C for example are :

| C7
| C Mixolydian
| F7
| F Mixolydian
| C7
| C Mixolydian
| C7
| C Mixolydian
|
|

| F7
| F Mixolydian

| F7
| F Mixolydian

| C7
| C Mixolydian

| C7
| C Mixolydian

|
|

| G7
| G Mixolydian

| F7
| F Mixolydian

| C7
| C Mixolydian

| G7
| G Mixolydian

||
||

Audio 9.3
lesson09/bl1002.gif

The scales used for the Blues in F are :

| F7
| F Mixolydian
| Bb7
| Bb Mixolydian
| F7
| F Mixolydian
| F7
| F Mixolydian
|
|

| Bb7
| Bb Mixolydian

| Bb7
| Bb Mixolydian

| F7
| F Mixolydian

| F7
| F Mixolydian

|
|

| C7
| C Mixolydian

| Bb7
| Bb Mixolydian

| F7
| F Mixolydian

| C7
| C Mixolydian

||
||

The scales used for the Blues in G are :

| G7
| G Mixolydian
| C7
| C Mixolydian
| G7
| G Mixolydian
| G7
| G Mixolydian
|
|

| C7
| C Mixolydian

| C7
| C Mixolydian

| G7
| G Mixolydian

| G7
| G Mixolydian

|
|

| D7
| D Mixolydian

| C7
| C Mixolydian

| G7
| G Mixolydian

| D7
| D Mixolydian

||
||


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BL 9.3 - The Critical Tones

Let us compare the C- and F-Mixolydian modes for the Blues in C.

C Mixolydian mode :   C   D   E   F   G   A   Bb   c

F Mixolydian mode :   F   G   A   Bb   C   D   Eb   f

A practical person might say

"Look, both scales have the C D F G A and Bb in common.
I will stick with these notes for my improvisation over all the C7 and F7 chords and don't have to worry about anything else."

This is true, but it ignores the essential point of improvisation, which is

to reflect the chord changes in your improvisation !

You should identify the notes which are different from one scale to the next and focus on those in your improvisation.

Going from the C- to the F-Mixolydian mode (or vice versa) these notes are the E and the Eb.

C Mixolydian mode :   C   D   E   F   G   A   Bb   c

F Mixolydian mode :   F   G   A   Bb   C   D Eb   f
I call these two notes the critical tones. They define the difference between the two scales and are therefore the most important notes to think of when moving from one scale to the other.

Going from the C- to the G-Mixolydian mode (or vice versa) the critical tones are the Bb and the B.

C Mixolydian mode :   C   D   E   F   G   A   Bb   c

G Mixolydian mode :   G   A   B   C   D   E   F   g

Going from the G- to the F-Mixolydian mode (or vice versa) the critical tones are theB and the Bb, and also the E and the Eb.
G Mixolydian mode :   G   A   B   C   D   E   F   g

F Mixolydian mode :   F   G   A   Bb   C   D Eb   f

Therefore in an entire Mixolydian Blues chorus there are only two notes that change.
For the Blues in C

E to Eb and Bb to B

You can easily identify these notes for the blues in any key, for they are the 3rd and b7th of the I7 chord.
The 3rd is flattened and the b7th is raised.

For the blues in C :

lesson09/bl1003.gif

For the blues in F :

lesson09/bl1004.gif


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BL 9.4 - Critical Tones Practice

The best way to incorporate the Critical Tones in your improvisation is to practise them as sustained single tones over the Blues progression.

For the Blues in C :

Audio 9.4
lesson09/bl1005.gif

For the Blues in F :

Audio 9.5
lesson09/bl1006.gif


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BL 9.5 - Chasing the Blues

Chasing the Blues is an embellished Blues in F.
Observe how the Critical Tones (A, Ab, E and Eb) are incorporated in the melody line.

The notes on offbeat 4+ in bars 1 and 11 (shown in red) are anticipations of the critical tone for the chord in the next bar.
These melody notes are running ahead of their tonality so to speak, and are being "chased" by the chords of the Blues progression.
This type of chase produces extra energy and drive to a song.

Melody
lesson09/bl1007.gif

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BL 9.6 - Improvisation

1.
Explore in your improvisation the use of the critical tones.
First practise beginning each new phrase on the critical tone of the appropriate chord.

As you get to know these tones intimately, you may start phrases on other notes of the Mixolydian mode, but always include the critical tones within your improvised line.
Remember they are the only notes that express these short "modulations" of the blues progression.

The Critical Tones Principle does not only apply to the Blues but to all Jazz improvisation.

2.
Swapping 2s and 4s on the embellished blues in F : complete improvisation

  • Take 1 (11 choruses) - : I play the first 2 bars of each 4-bar phrase, you play the following 2 bars.

  • Take 2 (11 choruses) - : You play the first 2 bars of each 4-bar phrase, I play the following 2 bars.

  • Take 3 (11 choruses) - : I play the first 4 bars, you play the following 4 bars.

  • Take 4 (11 choruses) - : You play the first 4 bars, I play the following 4 bars.
Improvise using Mixolydian modes only.     Swing style.


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BL 9.7 - Quiz

A.
Write down the chord progression and succession of critical tones for the Embellished Blues in G.

B.
Write down the chord progression and succession of critical tones for the Embellished Blues in Bb.

C.
Write down the chord progression and succession of critical tones for the Embellished Blues in D.

Quiz Answers


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BL 9.8 - Exercises

A.
C instruments - practice the critical tones in long notes for the Blues in F, in C and in G

Bb instruments - practice the critical tones in long notes for the Blues in G, in D and in A

Eb instruments - practice the critical tones in long notes for the Blues in D, in A and in E

B.
The same exercise as above but this time use some rhythm patterns (9-16 or 17-24)

C.
Continue practice on the Mixolydian mode in all keys.


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BL 9.9 - Lesson Material

Ex.10 - Mixolydian mode - p.2 Demo 4 bars each key
Kool Breeze Cafe (F) Melody Play-along
Sun Dance Boogie (C) Melody Play-along
Blues Street (F) Melody Play-along
Chasing the Blues (in F) Melody Play-along in F for Bb instr. in F for Eb instr.
Swapping 2s on Blues in F Demo me 1st you 1st
Swapping 4s on Blues in F me 1st you 1st

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Copyright © 2011 Michael Furstner (Jazclass). All rights reserved.