LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Bluesy Sound

Adam1226 -- 09/30/2006, 18:35:04 -- #30179

How is it that some players are able to make any song sound bluesy?  I'd love to be able to do this, but have  no idea how.   Thanks, Adam

Jazz+ -- 09/30/2006, 20:30:17 -- #30179

typical | F Maj7 D-7 | G-7 C7 | gets played like this for a more bluesy sound: | F Maj7 D7 b9 (or #9) | G-7   C7 b9 (or #9) | In the F scale start pulling those blue note passing tones #2 to 3 #4 to 5 And play the scales associated with each chord but occasionly step into the "Happy Blues Scale" or the "Minor Blues Scale" over a sequence of changes. You can even occasionly play the F Maj 7 as F7 #9 for a funky bluesy sound. Kenny Barron did that on "Have You Met Miss Jones"

DoubleZ -- 09/30/2006, 21:04:29 -- #30179

Well put, Jazz+ Another key to getting that sweet blues sound is to make sure you fill in the right hand with chord tones under the melody notes.  Specifically, sticking the 3rd 5th or 7th under the melody note sounds good; play around with different harmonies.  If you can get your hands on some Oscar Peterson transcriptions, he utilizes this concept will in all of his Blues songs.

SolArt -- 10/01/2006, 12:03:30 -- #30179

I still recommend sliding off the "appropriate blacks into the appropriate whites." (This can also be done as slower slips, not as a "lightning grace note".) For example, if you're gonna' play a C13 for the RH you could play A E as an interval together but slip into the A from the Bb a half-step higher. So in performance you start the Bb E as a double grace note and "land" on A E, but the E has been tied. See?

thejaffer -- 10/02/2006, 07:51:48 -- #30179

Try cadencing backwards round the cycle of 5ths (plagal cadence..) eg. in C normally you would cadence using D-7  G7  |Cmaj7 sounds classical/bebop Try instead  Bb  F7  |C  all over C pedal vamp of some kind then go round further: Ab Eb7 |Bb F7 |C  (Again over C pedal) The dominant chords give an abiguity between major and minor which is central to the blues. Listen to jarrett's pre-standards trio stuff, he does this a lot...

SolArt -- 10/02/2006, 09:37:07 -- #30179

Addam1226, learn all your blues scales inside out, the scale didn't get its name from nothing! Also don't be afraid to combine them. For example you're on a dominant C7(9 etc.) going to the tonic F descendingly. So you could start coming down with the C blues scale, then the D blues scale, & finally the F blues scale (but the LH is still on C7 whatever), all maybe about an octave each, but quickly. Hallelujah, 'sounds bluesy to me... Also have you ever noticed the blues scale in C can be seen as a Csus & Ebm together?

Jazz+ -- 10/02/2006, 10:12:24 -- #30179

Good tips

Scot -- 10/02/2006, 19:05:44 -- #30179

The bluesey sound is a language in itself.  Tips, tricks, and various theoretical knowledge can be very helpful, but to learn the language you gotta listen to it. Monty Alexander has a lot of roots playing in his music, you can't go wrong listening to his stuff. The Montreaux Alexander recording is wonderful. Oscar Peterson has lots of blues licks, but they are of course ala Oscar... which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it :) Listen to some organ players. Jimmy Smith for example.  Those organ players, especially the old timers, have a lot of blues in their playing. Listen listen listen- when trying to learn any language, listening is the key.  Listen to Dr John, listen to other New Orleans pianists, listen to everything blues as much as possible that that will help you more than all the theory in the world when it comes to playing bluesey.

jmkarns -- 10/04/2006, 14:05:50 -- #30179

Get a hold of that old blues number 'St James Infirmry'. I think it is a Dm,AMaj7,Gm progression. I still get a kick out of playing it.

d3dy -- 10/07/2006, 06:59:47 -- #30179

don't forget the shuffling rythm...

Copyright © 2005 by Scot Ranney. All rights reserved.

Click Here for more information about performances and clinics. Click Here to sign up for Scot's music announcements.