A trumpetspecific, embouchurebuilding supplement to craig fraedrichs scale studies for improvisation. Blues scale lesson, blues scale in all keys by michael. Even though the lick and lefthand are written out as eighth notes, they are really played with a triplet feel. Improvising with various pentatonic scales blues scale. Improvise with the blues scale in 2 positions on the. For many students, when starting out with blues improvisation, its very easy to get locked inside the notes of the blues scale and never deviate away from 6 tones. How to improvise with the 12bar blues making music magazine. Using scale sequential fragments in playing with scale fragments, it is best if chord tones are hit on the beat rather than off. Every scale determines a key,that is an harmonic combunation of tones based on that scale. Jazz scales and improvisation piano scales learn how. The 16 most important scales in jazz updated learn jazz. Oct 21, 2016 some of these other ways are mentioned above. For many students, when starting out with blues improvisation, its very easy to get locked inside the notes of the. This is a lesson for beginners explaining how to improvise using the blues scale.
In this piano course we will use what we know about chords from the accompaniment courses, learn the blues and start improvising wonderful music based on. How to learn a scale inside out to improvise a guitar solo. Add simple 18 note based rhythms using skips, holds and rests part 5. These include blues scales, arpeggios, targeting guidetones, and more.
How to really improvise using the blues scale pianopig. The pentatonic scale is a great scale for improvising and soloing. The result is about as exciting as a bedtime story from ben stein. How to integrate blue notes and the blues scale into your musical vocabulary. You will work out of a 28 page book so you will see every note, every chord, every progression in the book. In this lesson, youre going to learn how to all about the blues scale. If they are special, it is because they have spent their time wisely learning the tools of the trade. You can improvise using the same rhythm repeated over and over again. Yes, youll hear a lot of blues musicians just playing the basic 3 chords but if you really want to learn how to play blues piano i suggest you go much further. It really helps students be better at improvising when they at least periodically go through the process of writing down a song, and focusing on using good musical structure. For this reason, we should practice improvising using the blues scale in this case the g blues scale.
How to improvise jazz melodies bob keller harvey mudd. The scales are used often for composing melodies and for improvisation. Memorizing lists of scales from major and minor to diminished and octatonic. Improvising blues piano download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl.
Learn 2 essential blues scales for blues piano improv. Despite its name, the blues scale is not only used in blues music. Piano pentatonic blues scales overview with pictures. Oct 21, 2019 the dorian minor scale as a b3, natural 6, and b7. Blues piano improvisation advice and tips play blues. The only 3 chords you need to master the blues on piano. This scale is much used above all in blues,pop,jazz,soul,funk,rhythm and blues,rock. Learn the amazing art of improvising on the piano or keyboard. Today were covering what many would consider the second most basic lesson, and an excellent practice sandbox before you move on to more complicated techniques the 12 bar blues and blues scale combo. Free beginning piano improvisation lessons keyboard improv.
So, yes, even though we are in a major blues key, we do want to play the minor pentatonic scale from the tonic of that key. Highlights of the art of improvisation the art of improvisation is a twovolume set that includes the features listed below, and more, to help you learn and master jazz improvisation. Lets summarize what you can use in the chords of blues first, fourth and fifth degrees, all of them nonaltered dominants. The scale syllabus can help you uncover new sounds. For instance, in the c blues scale the notes are c eb f gb g. Tim wrote the well known exploring jazz piano and improvising blues piano books and has several others to his name. Blues solo improvisation a basic introduction guitar noise. The blues chord progression lasts 12 bars thus the phrase 12bar blues that move in a familiar pattern using those three chords. There are virtually infinite limitations you can set. It is the most commonly used minor scale for improvisation in jazz music it works over any ii chord, or i chord, but it can also be used for other minor chords, such as the iii chord and the vi chord. In the case of c pentatonic, the three chords are c7 f7 g7. This improvisation is over the blues scale in the key of c. Ability to improvise any song using the pentatonic scale. Learn how to improvise with a special and unique method.
For example, in an a minor blues scale, the added note would be d sharp. Gordon is he feels, one of his most important books because of the nature of the blues scale and how it is used to improvise in many styles of contemporary music. If youre new to jazz improvisation, learning the blues scale will save you hours of pain and discomfort. This is because this scale is really the blues scale with one note missing. How to improvise on piano using the blues scale youtube. National jazz workshop a summer jazz camp at shenandoah. Major blues scales here are pictures and notes of the major pentatonic blues scales.
My online blues course teaches blues piano from scratch and builds your ability in a modular way. Melodic minor scale one fifth above diminished scale one semitone above dominant diminished scale whole tone scale. In this exercise we play our major pentatonic scale over the entire range of our instrument up and back down again. After the pentatonic minor scale and major scale, the blues scale is probably the most widelyused scale in guitar improvisation. Beginners often fall into the trap of only playing the notes in the chords. Its such an essential tool of blues playing that you. The pentatonic scale, major and minor free piano lessons. Scales are not the secret shortcut to jazz improvisation. How to improvise on the blues scale in c on the piano piano.
How to improvise using piano blues scale making music magazine. Mastering the chord and scale alterations that define the blues sound. Learn to play piano by chords blues and improvisation. We will begin by improvising melodies using only the black notes of the piano. These notes create a pentatonic 5note scale that is easy to see, and can be accompanied effectively by just one or two chords.
You just need to know the right notes for each key. W hen you first began learning how to improvise, chances are the first thing you encountered were scales. This blues lesson is perfect for beginner pianists. Play the blues scale and other licks in the right hand on the piano how to. How to develop your improvisation from beginner to advanced. The badass boogie bundle pdf is unquestionably the best boogie purchase i have ever made. Using one scale, f major, over three chords use scale sequential fragments sequences of a few notes of a companion scale can form a part of your improvisation. A blues scale consists of 6 different notes, namely the root, flat 3rd, 4th, flat 5th, 5th and flat 7th of the major scale. As the name indicates, this scale consists of 5 notes. Essentially, the blues is a specific progression that uses the c7, f7, and g7 chords.
A nice combination are the chords am7, dm7 and e7 together with the a pentatonic blues scale. Youll improvise through the blues sequence many, many times, until you get the feel of it. Knowing the pentatonic scale helps you to create many piano music styles. Continue creating longer phrases, finish each phrase on the root note 1 or a blue not b3, b5, or b7. In this handout, bert ligon shows many different possibilities for improvising bass lines on a blues. Bb jazz blues the basics when playing over a progression like the bb jazz blues you need to be aware of certain things and be able to play different things so that you have the material you need to really improvise following the harmony of the blues. This booklet is designed to give you the basics which you will need in order to learn the art of improvising in music. By improvising on the piano you dont play after piano notes as in sheet music, but after your own ideas. Easytoread explanations of 7 elements of improvisation, in 5 skill levels. Everyone secretly wishes to sit next to the piano, close their eyes and let magic happen. Check out the links below for more training on how to get your students jamming and creating their own impressive music. How pentatonic scales can help with piano improvisation. For the rest of this article, well be using the concept of the 12bar blues and playing it in the key of a major. There is not a single group of scales that can be called jazz scales a jazz pianist uses lots of different scales.
With your knowledge of chord tones, the blues scale is now just another. How to improvise jazz melodies bob keller harvey mudd college. Improvising on piano really is easy when you know the formulas. It reconstructs blues piano from the ground up, and encourages you to understand all the building blocks so that you can start playing something pleasing and even improvising quickly. You also learned easy righthand patterns using three of the six tones in the blues scale f, eb and ab. You can, for example, combine c blues scale with c7, f7 and g7 chords. How to play more advanced blues guitar solos antony reynaert. Despite the age and history of the pentatonic scale, it is used extensively in modern jazz improvisation. A nice combination is the chords am7, dm7 and e7 together with the a pentatonic blues scale. Sep 10, 2014 in blues and country songs you can use the minor pentatonic scale even if the song is in a major key. You must learn and be able to play the blues scale if youre going to be a blues piano player. This will create a smooth, melodic improvisation, contrasting the more chordalbased method of using a chord tone solo.
A blues scale once again it is important that if you are going to learn to improvise with this scale that you. The exercises in this book use the major scale, pentatonic scale, blues scale, and chromatic scale. Many feel that people who improvise or play jazz are special. Rhythmic variations using triplets and 116 notes part 6. It can be used over anything including the 12 bar blues, funk and jazz providing the key doesnt change. After youre familiar with the sound of the chord progression while soloing over autumn leaves. A deep understanding of the 12 bar blues chord progression, broken down into easy steps. This handout shows piano voicings for playing the blues in f and the blues in b flat. But there are typical scales used in jazz and here is an overview. Oct 19, 2016 blues piano improvisation the blues scale ok, ok one scale, then no more theory.
Blues piano i ed 21512 includes chapters, and the cd for both volumes blues piano ii ed 22451 includes chapters 45, and the index for both volumes italy the italian translation improvisare il blues al piano was published as. For example, the same scale, f major, can be used over all three chords in the iivi progression below, although different tones are normally emphasized over each one. Any note you hit in this scale, usually sounds right when soloing. Youve probably heard us say this many times before. How to improvise the blues scale on the piano piano. Similar to the pentagon, which has 5 sides, the pentatonic scale is a 5 note scale which can be used in any key for improvisation. It can be used over anything including the 12 bar blues, funk and jazz. Pistol annies i feel a sin coming on is part of the f minor pentatonic scale f, ab, bb, c, eb with the occasional a, but the song is in f. A while back we took a look at the most basic lesson in guitar improvisation. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. For instance, in the c blues scale the notes are c. Click download or read online button to get improvising blues piano book now. Youll learn the blues scale and develop good hand independence with my rock and blues basics series, which lead naturally to exciting blues and boogie styles such as this. In this handout, bert ligon shares some basic concepts of constructing good jazz bass lines.
Ive spent a ton of money on all kinds of blues and boogie tutorial books. A common variation when playing the minor pentatonic scale in a blues context is to add an extra note between the p4 and the p5. Here are pictures and notes of the major pentatonic blues scales. The blues scale is a very versatile scale which is great for beginners learning how to improvise. As you progress through the course, youll learn left hands, right hands, bridges and endings which youll use together to make your own blues piano compositions. Mar 16, 2017 this is a lesson for beginners explaining how to improvise using the blues scale. The pentatonic blues scale is built upon three dominant chords. Amazing jazz improvisation exercise jazz piano concepts.
How to really improvise using the blues scale youtube. Pentatonic patterns for improvisation sample preparatory exercises below is an example of what i call pentatonic exercise 1 in the key of c major. This pdf digital booklet instant download for all treble instruments contains the 11 exerciseslines specially crafted from the video below in all 12 keys which are meticulously designed to help you assimilate as quickly as possible these exotic notes that pro jazz and blues players require to express themselves. It can be used to solo over anything including the 12 bar blues, funk and jazz providing the key doesnt change. Pentatonic scale is one of the easiest scales to master. Or, in the same way, the g blues scale with the chords g7, c7 and d7. Once you are familiar with the intervallic characteristics of the scale, it should be very easy to play in any key. In this first article well start with the very basics, that is, the 12bar blues and the pentatonic scale. I believe that improvising on the piano and composing go hand in hand. There are a total of 430 finger exercises in this book. Improvisation in blues advanced simplifying theory. We will use the g major scale as an example, but you can apply this to any scale. Over 350 concise musical examples to illustrate what youre learning. They are the 5 notes of the minor pentatonic scale, plus one additional note.
In the same way you can combine a g blues scale with the chords g7, c7 and d7 and so on in different keys. Practicing, using the exercises found in this booklet or in vol. My piano improv for kids ebook is a fun collection of piano improv activities for kids. It also lays the material in front of you in such a way that you can quickly understand how all the building blocks fit together to construct the music. Dr ks userfriendly material, however, has literally skyrocketed my boogie playing to the next level. You can say youre going improvise a solo using only one note or one scale.
In this lesson i will give you the exercises to really dig into the scale and memorize it from top to bottom, backwards and forwards so you can start your journey to learn to solo and improvise. Below is a diagram of the guitar freboard showing you the minor pent. The scale itself is the same as the minor pentatonic with the addition of one extra note. Youll get frustrated and confused trying to remember all the chords. Pentatonic scales are the oldest musical scales in the word. You can improvise using a play two bars, rest two bars.
In case you didnt know, the 12bar blues is a chord progression of you guessed it, 12 bars or measures. You could instead use your knowledge about scales and chords, but freely, without a given plan or directions. Understanding blues poetry and using this form to create powerful solos. Concerning keys, f, bb, eb and ab are all common in jazz since they works well for brass instrument. You can apply the blues scale to pretty much any solo, in any song, and at least sound like you have a clue. It can seem like the practice of scales never ends. For the sake of brevity, ill only look at playing blues in the key of c. The blues scale for each key consists of the minor seventh chord in this case, cm7, plus the fourth and flat fifth f and gb. Pentatonic scale improvisation pentatonic scale soloing. This sassy scale will enable you to riff, solo and improvise as you play your favorite rock or blues songs. The 1st month we will lay the foundation for improvisation, including the 12bar blues. Most of them were pretty average and didnt really improve my playing. Just the blues scale can be considered a basis for a particular key blues. The french translation was published by schott in two volumes in 2014, entitled simply blues piano i and ii.
Blues scale in general it can be used on every chord but above all on min7 th and dominant 7th chord. At this point in our study of the blues, now its time to introduce the blues scale. So what chord progressions work the best for improvising in a slow blues piano style. These are the four most common scales in pop and rock music. Whether you play guitar, trumpet, or whatever, it helps to see the blues scale on piano. Dont get me wrong on this, its perfectly legitamite to use the minor pentatonic scale over dominant blues chords. Nov 21, 2019 the scale contains the letters and the words to tell your story. Ability to compose piano music by using the pentatonic scale. In the last blues lesson 12bar blues, you learned how to play the 12bar blues in the key of f, using simplified 2note chords. Lets learn the blues scales on piano and keyboard in every key.
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