Archive

Archive for April, 2010

How do you know what songs to play on blues jam nights?

April 30th, 2010 admin 2 comments

At a blues jam night in bars, i notice guitar players ans such will just go up on stage and simply start playing songs, they confer very slightly and then go straight into it. Do these guys all just know a load of songs, or what?

You can just watch their hands and you will know what and how they are playing.. then you just jump in when you see the pattern. You can even pick up the beat off a record and play along with it… It’s sort of hard to explain to someone who can’t play an instrument.

Categories: blues Tags:

How has the blues influences Jazz music?

April 28th, 2010 admin 3 comments

Also if you can, what caused the blues to grow, develop and become bigger?

Blues, as a style, was always an undertone, meaning musicians knew about it, and took ideas from blues, (i.e. Chuck Berry would get a few ideas from blues musicians, then Elvis would get a few ideas from Chuck Berry) but most people didn’t… that is until the 1960s and 70s when the interest in blues by popular groups like Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton brought then unknown blues musicians to the forefront. Now, everyone knows who BB King is.

So, when you’re imagining the blues that effected Jazz in it’s early development, it’s easy to get lost in rock-blues, like is performed by BB King. (it’s not really "rock blues" but it’s the blues that effected rock stars in that era) It’s closer to the blues as sung by guys like Leadbelly. (of course he was influenced by guys like WC Handy) Acoustic, (guitars/ banjos) slides, based on folk styles. In fact, 10, 16, and 20 bar formulas were common when blues was effecting Jazz in the late 19th Century, not just the standard "12 bar blues" we’ve come to know as the blues.

After the Civil War, many of the soldiers came back from the war to their towns with trumpets, trombones, drums and many other instruments that are now common to Jazz. They also had a love for the march music they played in the army camps… with the influx of these instruments, which were later sold in stores, then bought by young kids, most black or interracial (though not all… there have indeed by white kids involved in jazz from the start), and they tried to play the blues (then guitar and singing) on these marching wind instruments. What ended up coming out was jazz. (early Ragtime jazz) Even today, in New Orleans you can see Brass Bands jazz marching through the streets during Mardi Gras.

If Jazz is America’s "Classical Music," then blues would have to be the baroque music out of which it grew, and evolved into the complex, powerful form it is today. Blues itself grew out of Spirituals, sung in the fields during work hours to pass the time.

Categories: blues Tags:

How does the blues differ from other music?

April 26th, 2010 admin 1 comment

For example, The sound.
What is the sound of blues and what are the Instruments used to form the sound?

Thanks.

hey love it’s good to see a chick getting into this stuff! ok, now i’m gonna be very boring and tell you a theory answer. The blues actually introduced a new thing to music called "blue notes". The blue notes are cromatic passing tones that give that sly, low down feel that makes the blues the blues! ok now if an E pentatonic minor scale (sorry if i’m losing you here!!) goes E,G,A,B,D and back to E – then an E minor blues scale goes E,G,A,A#,B,D and back to E. if you have a keyboard at home play it and you’ll hear the difference, but now you know that there really is theory behind those notes!…. oh… and stay away from any crossroads,,,,

Categories: blues Tags:

Where do I find good pentatonic blues licks and runs tab for free?

April 24th, 2010 admin 5 comments

Dont have a lot of money right now, I am laid off and going through a divorce so looking for some free tab of rock/blues blues type licks or runs. Anyone know where to find this other than the normal "tab sites", Ive tapped all those and they dont have to much to offer.

I always found it best to take a song or solo I like and look at the tabs for it. And you can find most of em’ on the internet. Other than that search "blues licks" in youtube and you’ll find a million & just figure out what you like … or search "blues help" or "blues lessons" and the like … different licks will show up, tabbed and played

Categories: blues Tags:

Where do i start when i first begin learning blues?

April 22nd, 2010 admin 8 comments

I often listen and play classic rock on my guitar. However, i’m beginning to like electric blues. Where do i start?

The theory element of it is easy, as it is mainly based around a 6 note scale, which is just a standard pentatonic scale with a note added. Although, blues music does not just use these scales, artists use a diverse range.

As for doing something creative and emotive with the blues, that is something you cannot just learn. It is something you aquire. Playing blues can be harder than some of the stuff people like Steve Vai do, because it requires emotion, feeling, creativity, imagination and honesty.

Try listening to some Rory Gallagher, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters for some great examples of this.

As for websites about the blues I would recommend typing into Google ‘blues scale’ and ‘how to play blues’ and find some stuff which suits you. Also, try the website http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/ for some handy tips and a great online community.

Hope this helps.

Categories: blues Tags:

What is the name of the common ending that many blues songs share in common?

April 20th, 2010 admin 1 comment

I really don’t know how else to describe it. There is a short tune that is played at the end of a ton of different blues songs, typically the whole band joins in and it last for a few seconds.

A turnaround?

Categories: blues Tags:

Am I the only one who gets black and blues from using the Jergens natural glow firming lotion?

April 16th, 2010 admin 2 comments

I really think this stuff is giving me black and blues.

Bruises? Maybe… but it doesnt sound likely. Bruises are literally bleeding under the skin. Maybe you rub it in too hard

Categories: blues Tags:

What are some good scales to know for playing blues bass?

April 14th, 2010 admin 2 comments

I already know all of the major and minor modes, as well as the blues scale and minor pentatonic.

By modes you mean Aeloean, Phyregean, Dorian etc?

Ok and You also know the pentatonic scales?

Here is a "Blues scale" that will be great for solo work In all positions

Tonic, #2 #3 p4 #5 #6 #7

the #7 is the enharmonic note of the tonic so there are only 7 notes on this "blues scale"

good question I enjoy answering these. I’m sure you will do fine

So to demonstrate on the C Blues

C D# E# F G# A# B# (B# is the enharmonic of a "C" which in case is the tonic)

Ionian is relative to the tonic
Dorian is relative to step 2
phrygian is relative to step 3
Aeloian is relative to step 4

by relative they have the same number of sharps and flats but conceptually begins on the relative tonic. (Similar to relative minor but begins on the relative tonic,)

This is just a beginning And i think I have conceptualized this question about as well as i possibly can without going on too long I am not totally positive this is what you are asking about in the first place so i need to stop here.
i do believe I have aswered your question about as thoroughly yet convieniently as i think I should

Categories: blues Tags:

What are the notes for a F blues scale vs a F minor blues scale?

April 12th, 2010 admin 3 comments

An F Blues scale is: F, Ab, Bb, B, C, Eb, F.
What is the scale for an F Blues *minor* scale?

Please provide another source to verify your answer. Thanks!

The blues scale is a minor scale.

There is no "F Blues minor scale"

Categories: blues Tags:

How do you get past the gloomy weather blues?

April 10th, 2010 admin 4 comments

I am a very active person, however when it’s a gloomy day I tend to not care to do anything. So maybe someone will have a cool suggestion on how to beat the blues.

You may suffer from "Seasonal Affective Disorder".
Best treatment for that is bright light. Some physical movement helps, too. Turn on the lights, put on some good music, and get out your yoga mat or a workout video.

Categories: blues Tags: