| LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Eb blues | |
| kaon99 -- 05/13/2007, 12:07:51 -- #35013 | |
| I have been working on tunes in Eb for a couple of weeks and decided to play some Eb blues. Much to my surprise it sounded especially good. My wife, who has listened to my playing for over 40 years without much comment, even noticed it and complimented my playing. I don't think I played much differently than usual, but the sonority of the chords seemed nicer than in other keys. For example, F seems a little too bright and C seems a little muddy, but Eb seems just right. ( I played simple rooted 7th chords in the left hand. The lowest note was always Eb or higher.) Is it just my piano or is it the key? Until now, I did not think of Eb as a good blues key. I would appreciate what your ears say about blues in Eb. Thanks. Ken | |
| jwv76 -- 05/13/2007, 12:29:47 -- #35013 | |
| This seems to be a highly debated topic, whether or not different notes and different keys have intrinsic qualities or characteristics. To my ear, no. There is no scientific reason why a blues played in E should sound any different than bues in Eb, other than being slightly higher in pitch. I also think it's highly unlikely both you and your wife would suddenly begin to develop perfect pitch (the ability to discern between different pitches without relative pitch, some who have this describe different pitches as having specific qualities like bright, dark, brittle, etc.). You may have just found that you like the way your fingers lay on the keys in that key, and that made your playing more fluid and expressive. I like playing in Eb, the fingers kind of "grab on" to the black keys at the top of both black key clusters, and then land on mostly white keys. | |
| kaon99 -- 05/13/2007, 12:55:02 -- #35013 | |
| I think it is beyond debate that the notes around middle C (say to C below and C above middle C ) have the best sound for chords. Too low and the chords sound muddy, too high and they sound thin. For the chords I played, Eb seemed to put the notes in the sweet region around middle C, and seemed to have a better sonority for the chords than, say, F or C . Try it and see for yourself. On other pianos, the effect may not be so dramatic. My piano is an inexpensive Kawai (acoustic) and is fairly bright sounding. | |
| Jazz+ -- 05/13/2007, 13:04:32 -- #35013 | |
| There no question that a root position chord sounds muddier the lower it is and brighter the higher it is. Eb is in between C and F, no mystery there. Try playing just the shells of the chords in the left hand, only the root and 7th. | |
| Jazz+ -- 05/13/2007, 14:00:43 -- #35013 | |
| Notice in Eb blues that the C "minor blues scale" happens to be the Eb "happy blues scale." That's a plus for fingerings. | |
| jmkarns -- 05/13/2007, 15:52:44 -- #35013 | |
| One of my favorite standards is "Tenderly". One of the reasons is because it is written in Eb. | |
| superjames -- 05/14/2007, 03:47:11 -- #35013 | |
| I think it might have something to do with the fact that when you play an Eb blues its very easy and natural to play the black notes which are the Eb blues scale without the b5. Given how good the blues scale always sounds over a blues, its not really suprising I think that playing a blues in Eb usually sounds good. Compare it to a key like Db where (for me anyway) playing the blues scale is a bit more awkward - so you seem to naturally tend away from it which makes it more challenging to sound good. Thats my opinion anyway. | |
| jmkarns -- 05/14/2007, 12:22:47 -- #35013 | |
| Yeah that must be it. Another song is "Blue Skies" which has that Em to A7 transition making it kinda blue. | |
| kaon99 -- 05/14/2007, 17:44:35 -- #35013 | |
| Whew! I'm sorry I caused so much confusion. I guess I didn't make myself clear. I am saying the blues chords sound better in Eb than say F or C. Do an ear test play a simple C7 with the root on the bottom. Then do Eb7 and then F7 in the same way, with the root on the bottom. On my piano (Kawai acoustic) the the Eb7 sounds better to my ears. Maybe I need a new piano or new ears. -Ken | |
| Jazz+ -- 05/14/2007, 19:28:02 -- #35013 | |
| You like the way that range sounds on your Kawai. | |
| jmkarns -- 05/14/2007, 19:32:46 -- #35013 | |
| If your argument is that Eb7 is a good blues chord, then I don't disagree. Is it better than C7 or F7? Depends on how it is used. Just playing them side by side doesn't do anything for me on my Yamaha digital. Perhaps it IS your piano. I know that acoustical pianos can capture certain natural sonic nuances and subtlties that go beyond basic binary logic. | |
| 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. | |