blues chords

This is a question about The Blues Improv Program. When we get to The Ensemble Approach Project #15, when you use the Bishop Chords or 13ths in the LH and the Blues Scale in the RH, my students say it doesn’t sound good when we…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• 13th chords, B&I, Bishop chords, blues & improv, blues & improvisation, Blues and improv, blues and improv program, blues chords, blues harmony, blues in every key, chord voicings, chords, complex chords, don’t like blues, ensemble, ensemble playing, identifying Bishop St chords, teaching help with blues and improv, voicing, voicing chords, voicing jazz chords

I recently put together this Spotify playlist of songs that many people may be surprised to find out use the 12-bar blues structure (or fairly minor variations of it). I left out lots of the early rock era (1950s-1960s) songs that use 12-bar structure, since…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• 12 Bar blues, blues, blues & improv, blues & improvisation, Blues and improv, blues and improv program, blues and jazz, blues chords, blues harmony, blues recordings to play along with, blues rhythm, blues riff, blues scale, blues scales, blues songs, blues variation, don’t like blues, ear training, outside materials, outside music, outside pieces, pieces outside the program, songs outside the repertoire, Spotify, Spotify playlist, variation, variations

Why do we teach the 12-bar blues with CFCC as the first 4 instead of the standard CCCC that is everywhere else? Personally I like the F added in as it makes it more interesting. But does SM have a reason? I’m guessing congruency, so…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• 12 Bar blues, blues, blues & improv, blues & improvisation, Blues and improv, blues and improv program, blues chords, blues songs, blues variation, chord, chord charts, chord progression, chord progressions, chords, finding blues chords, I-IV-V chords, identifying patterns, Jackson Blues, patterns, remembering patterns

Is there anywhere in the program that explains how to count and play triplets? (of quarter, eighth or 16th notes)? When doing the blues improv in some keys, like Eb, the blues scale notes don’t seem to fit with I, IV, V. In other keys…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• blues, blues & improv, blues & improvisation, Blues and improv, blues and improv program, blues chords, blues fingering, blues harmony, blues scale, blues scale fingering, blues scale in different keys, blues scales, blues scales fingering, counting rhythms, don’t like blues, fingering, Gordon Harvey, improvisation, rhythm, rhythm words, triplet, unfolding blues scale

I have a student who is asking regarding the CAGE chord: why is it called a IV and V chord when it’s not really in the position of IV and V? Maybe say they’re extensions of IV and V., Different shapes for the RH, but…

• Last updated 7 years ago
• Alma Mater Blues, Bishop chords, Bishop St., blues, blues chords, CAGE chords, chord shapes, chord voicings, F1, F2, foundation 1, Foundation 2, level 1, level 2

A student asked me if it is okay for her to pull her hand back a bit when switching between chords. She’s learning Alma Mater Blues. Is this a technique no-no, or is it okay? This is on CAGE chords and also on the shift…

• Last updated 7 years ago
• Alma Mater Blues, bishop street blues, blues, blues chords, CAGE chords, F2, Foundation 2, moving hand out on keys