Al Summers -bar Blues Grooves Turnarounds NB key signatures are not shown for two reasons: it helps make the pages look clearer, avoiding some confusing accidentals; it conforms to the modern method for modal music - although not everyone will agree, I believe that blues can be classed as modal (rather than as diatonic). The 'blues' scales 'flat th' notes here are often spelt as sharp ths, again for pragmatic reasons, to enable less cluttered notation. Although notated as a straight (unbent) note here, this note is usually played as a slightly 'bent' th (i.e. not in concert pitch tuning).
Blues -bar rhythm groove patterns:. -bar in A with ths ths 'bounce' A A A A etc D... A... E... D... A... E While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
Some scales: no TAB here as these notes can be used anywhere on the fingerboard; if you don't know treble clef, you will never regret learning your note names on the neck. A pentatonic minor A C D E G A higher version A 'blues' A C D D* E G A * strictly speaking this is an E flat, the flat fifth 'blue' note, spelt here as an enharmonic equivalent, a sharp fourth. A pentatonic maor A B C E F A higher version This book is concerned with grooves: rhythmic patterns for accompanying blues. Suitable scales associated with and used effectively for blues are placed here for reference. Scales are not the only way of playing melodic blues phrases. Arpeggios are also useful, especially for older and perhaps azzier blues. Learning to mark the chord changes, as many great blues artists have done, is one of the best ways to play blues, requiring much practise as well as listening skills, a good ear and/or plenty of study. While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
E.... -bar in E with ths ths 'bounce' and a chromatic bass run turnaround A E B A E B While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
E pentatonic minor Some scales (see page for comment) E 'blues' E pentatonic maor While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers shuffle feel. 'power chord' based -bar in G with ths 'bounce' and a descending chromatic turnaround b
Some scales (see page for comment) G pentatonic maor G pentatonic minor b G 'blues' b more G pentatonic maor While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers shuffle feel. -bar in G with open ths 'bounce' and a descending chromatic turnaround b
D While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers E D shuffle feel A. -bar in A with harmonised ths, including alternative inverted D move
. -bar in E with fills shuffle feel E n n n n n n While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
G. -bar in G with boogie style fills Sliding from the flat (or minor) third to the maor third will help the technique and feel of this, as shown in bar one. b While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
. -bar in E with horn-call style tritones Ó Ó Ó Ó While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
. ths moves blues in A While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
. ths to ths moves in A with fills shuffle feel n Al Summers
. extended harmony in E E A/C E A D/A A B fr E/B fr B/D fr Al Summers
E Œ. Turnarounds: I to V moves in E turnarounds can also be used as intros and are usually chromatic, involving and/or linking rds /or ths n b b b n w While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers b b n B Ó Ó
b n b n n C b B n n While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers Ó Ó
n ù ù While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
. demo solo in E with turn ΠΠE ΠΠΠΠΠb ΠA ΠΠΠ/ E ΠΠn ΠB A turnaround: n E While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers B
. demo solo in E with turn in open position [for acoustic] Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ b Œ / Œ Œ Œ Œ Œ n Œ Æ turnaround: n n While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
. Turns in A n n n perhaps slide up to the first, or each triplet n While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers n
. Turns in G Πb Πb b While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers
. Turns in D Ó Ó b b Œ Œ b While I cannot claim copyright for any generic blues, the layout and some details are Al Summers