Blues & Improv Question
Found in: Blues
Mark M., New York
I’ve actually talked to Neil about this, but I would love to hear what specific approaches different teachers actually take. My question is about when to introduce Blues & Improvisation. The TTM say that B&I should not be started until certain “Basics” are completed, including among other things these prerequisites:
–Two Level 4 pieces (Billy at the Footy and Squidgies Boogie)
–All variations and arrangements of all Levels-1-4 blues pieces — which therefore must include, among other things, the Family Tree arr. from Arrangements 3
All of this suggests that B&I could not be started until at least the very end of Level 4, if not potentially who knows how much later based on when a teacher chooses to introduce all the relevant variations and arrangements of those blues pieces.
I’d love to hear from people about just how you coordinate the timetable for introducing all prerequisites and beginning the B&I program itself.
Laurie Richards, Nebraska
I usually start Blues & Improv around the end of Level 3. Ish. I don’t really have a concrete system in place other than the order I teach arrangements in each level. As far as the Blues & Improv prereqs, my students do not know all the blues arrangements at the time I start Blues & Improv. It’s not a big deal and doesn’t detract from the program. The first several steps of the B&I program are very straightforward and easy to implement but unfold over a period of time anyway.
I just kind of play it by ear, and it works out fine. For example, by the time they get to transposing Jackson Blues into every key, I would have already taken them through transposing I, IV, and V in Accomp. If it ever got to a point where I felt like the Blues process was getting ahead of the foundation and arrangements pieces, I would just hold back a little on Blues for a while. It all works out.
Stacy R., Canada
I don’t have a lot of experience with the Blues and Improv course, but I surely haven’t waited until all those prerequisites were completed that you mentioned. Last week I had a boy play the Jackson Blues left hand and make up his own riff to go over the I, IV,V pattern of the left hand. I showed him the first 5 notes of the c blues scale and gave him some ideas of just simple 3 note riffs he could make out of it. In fact I have assigned this assignment a few times to students and called it Corbin’s Blues, or Gabe’s Blues, and they are all enthralled with the fact that it has their name in the title. Yesterday Gabe came back and not only had 1 riff that he played over the left hand progression- but he did several neat riffs throughout the song!