jazz blues changes chart?

**oscar** · 12-30-2015, 12:57 PM

Hi,
I seem to remember a really useful chart of jazz blues changes and variations. Pretty sure it was from an Aebersold book. It had a few dozen variations and the source tunes, so if you wanted to quickly look up something it was really nice. Does anyone remember which volume it might be in? I know it is not vol. 1 or vol. 42 cause I just looked. Thanks!

**oscar** · 12-30-2015, 01:16 PM

OK, never mind. It was actually a Rhythm Changes chart that I was thinking of from the RC volume. I am trying to figure out how to delete the post but can't seem to figure that out...

**lawson-stone** · 12-30-2015, 01:42 PM

There actually is an Aebersold chart of variations on blues that are used in jazz.

**docbop** · 12-30-2015, 01:47 PM

Some one posted one here a couple months ago what was good. Maybe they will repost.

**christianm77** · 01-01-2016, 07:00 PM

At some point I might write one myself. Here are a few variations that don't always get listed.

There are a few variations from the early jazz repertoire which are nice:

I | % | % | I7 |
IV | IVm | I | % |
ii | V7 | I | V7 |
(Duke Ellington)

I | % | %| I7 |
IV | IVm | I | VI7 |
II7 | V7 | I | V7 |
(Royal Garden Blues, blowing)

One of my favourite bebop variations is Bud Powell's on Dance of the Infidels, probably easier if I just give it in F:

Fmaj7 | Bbm7 Eb7 | Am7 Gm7 | F#m B7 |
Fm7 | Bb7 | Am7 D7 | Abm7 Db7 |
Gm7 | Dbm7 Gb7 | Fmaj7/C |

Wave is an interesting one as well:

Imaj7 | bVIo7 | Vm7 | I7 |
IV | IVm | III7 | VI7 |
II7 | V7 | Im7 | % |

Notice how important the IV IVm (bVII7) thing is in bars 5-6 - the basis of all these variants. I got taught the #IVo7 variant, but didn't come across the IV- variant until much later.

Many bop era improvisers just played on IV7 and didn't bother with the #IVo7. I think the diminished went out of fashion a bit. (cf Reg :-))

In traditional jazz/swing and even later jazz I IV #ivo7 I and I IV IV- I are practically interchangeable.

Another important thing I have learned is that while the b7 (and b3) are always available to the improvisor in the blues (and for that matter, ANY major key tune) - I prefer using a straight major tonality for the first chord. In early jazz that's often a triad or a major 6, but in later jazz it could be a major seventh. This seems pretty de rigeur for the bop era too. I think the contrast between the blues and the treatment of standards in jazz is much less than I sometimes hear people saying. Bird, Prez and Charlie C will teach you that ;-)

Also, first 2, the bass often implies this (in F):

F F/A | Bb7 Bo7

F F/Eb | Bb/D Bbm/Db

Great walking lines to play in a 2 feel - it's really good to learn this types of things for duo gigs where there's no bass.....

I also love Oscar Peterson's subs on C Jam blues. Gets churchy at about 2:00

Also, don't get me started on Rhythm Changes haha....

**matt.guitarteacher** · 01-02-2016, 07:04 PM

Saw this while looking for something else. Check out p. 35 (says '35' at the bottom; actually p.36 of the pdf). A lot of Jazz blues variations: Free Aebersold Jazz Handbook pdf

**edh** · 01-03-2016, 07:29 PM

Good find.

thanks for sharing.

**Robertkoa** · 01-11-2016, 06:37 PM

Hey Christian I like your Blues chart.

Thanks for that.

Now how about some Blues that actually Modulates to a New Key establishes it....then goes back to the Home Key ?

Very rare ...right ? Lots of Virgin Territory( for composition) and imagine how much fun it would be to Solo over Blues in F then have it sneak into or possibly "Deceptive Cadence" into the Key of Bminor - then you solo over a full Minor Blues in Bminor and back to the Home Key again ?

Or has this stuff been done already ?

**Reg** · 01-12-2016, 10:12 AM

Yes and many versions of...unless your changing the harmonic pattern within the form... your really just creating medleys.

There are some blues that do change the harmonic pattern... again within the form...

here's an example blues in F, starts on IV chord, (still in F, no modulation)

/ Bb7 / Bb7 / F7 /F7 /
/ Bb7 / Bb7 / F7 /D7#9 /
/ Ab-7 / G-7C7 /F7 / F7 /

There are a lot of 16 and 24 bar blues that somewhat modulate, but generally modulation require a real change of tonal center

To get your F blues to B-... just use turnaround that uses a deceptive ... well at least a change of tonal targets

Last two bars... / F7 Ab7 / C#-7 F#7b13 / B-

Standard turnarounds... I VI / II V / becomes I bIII / II V / which becomes /I bIII / bVI bII /

**Robertkoa** · 01-12-2016, 03:08 PM

Thanks Reg.

I will play through your examples-

Yes- I am not talking about a Medley-

I am talking about actually having a
"Traditional Blues" that perhaps retains it's Form then goes perhaps into a Minor
Key Blues ( not a " passing" Key or "Transitional " Key but a New Key established then a return to the Home Key...

So a Soloist would play Blues in F and then as you say a Turnaround ( can we call it a "Pivot Phrase" might lead to a Minor ii°-V-i in Ab Minor ( and possibly a second quick chord phrase ( to confirm Abminor to the listener) and a complete
Minor Blues in AbMinor with a full 32 Bars then back to Home Key or perhaps a shorter 16 Bar Minor section to jar the
Listener a bit more ...
Anyway- are there examples of this in Jazz ...?

I think the Major to Minor will avoid the affect of a Medley and make it work more easily...but even a short Vamp in a new Key...( can't be too short) might be interesting- sound" fresh "and more fun to solo on etc.

Seems like a fertile area to explore..
not been done very often ?

Changing the Form is cool also but requires more skill to make it feel like Blues ( who cares if it sounds good of course)
But Altered Blues that has a lot of Blues Character is Another Thread.

A great Resource to have "Coaching"
from Jazz ( and overall "Theory and Practice "Heavyweights on this Forum)
Thanks again.

@ Christian the IV -iv- bVII is interesting- not something I would ever
"hear" think of ...very cool.

I think there will be a lot of " expansion"
that will be able to be done ...I have gaps in my knowledge but even now I can see and start to hear where things could go...just some cracks in the door are appearing.

**christianm77** · 01-12-2016, 03:55 PM

It's tangential to your question Robert, but during the early days it was quite common to use the 12 bar as a section of a tune rather than a tune in it's own right.

So, we have Royal Garden Blues where the 'head' is totally different to the blowing (which is blues):

Here is an example from later jazz history. From the complex arrangement of the head (not a blues form) to the blues blowing:

St Louis Blues has alternates between a minor section and a 12-bar blues 'chorus(?)'. Here it is courtesy of Bill Frisell:

Here's another one, Ellington's Black and Tan Fantasy:

Anyway, from the point of view of being a composer, sometimes it's nice to write something complex, but give the soloists something familiar to solo on (such as a blues or a rhythm changes) because often they will sound a hell of a lot better than if they try to blow on the head changes.

Of course, some players take umbrage at this, but for me improvisation should be natural. Blues changes are great for this...

**Robertkoa** · 01-12-2016, 04:48 PM

@Christian- absolutely! About the Soloist
being able to play over "head " Changes versus giving them a "Solo Section" to
Blow on.

These examples are great for me to listen to thanks very much.

The Frisell version is amazing because has the sophistication of Jazz but the
"Raw Blues" effect and weight of a Delta Blues Player like Robert Johnson.

He must have done this intentionally.

The "Down by the Riverside" Big Band with amazing playing by Wes Montgomery with awesome comping- I love those sliding chords he did- did Wes
Improvise stuff like this including the chord solo ?!

I have to listen to the other ones now.

These are "Tangential" but very appropriate.

Charlie Christian always sounds very early Rock and Roll to me ..most likely because the early Rock and Rollers copied him, I assume .

I just listened to "The Wave"
and would not have recognized it as Blues either !

I have heard it before though..I have never "consciously" listened to it before but many Jazz Tunes are in my mind somewhere...

Thanks .

**medblues** · 01-12-2016, 07:34 PM

Would Blue Bossa fit the key change described above ?

**christianm77** · 01-12-2016, 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by Robertkoa

The Frisell version is amazing because has the sophistication of Jazz but the
"Raw Blues" effect and weight of a Delta Blues Player like Robert Johnson.

This :-)

**Reg** · 01-12-2016, 09:44 PM

You can compose anything you want or hear.... A blues can be almost any tune. I can make almost any standard into a blues. If you really want to get into form and structure of blues... spatially or harmonically... I'll get into ity.

If your looking for methods of a blues modulating into a different key... you usually use... direct, pivot or transitional techniques to make the modulation. Any key can go or come from any other key... it just depends on method and how you want to organized the elements of the composition. If your just looking for extended solo sections or solo interludes... again very standard jazz compositional techniques. You can also take a 12 bar blues and have fun with the rhythm... play the 1st 4 bars in 3/4... the next in 4/4 and the last in 5/4... or any other pattern that still keeps the number of beats the same... if that's even important to you.

There are many blues that modulate to the relative minor or go through different Keys. Blues for Bill is a standard that goes through 3 keys. The hip aspect of modulation is how you organize the relationships between the different keys.

Lets compose some tunes on the forum... I've done it before. One tune I composed with another member is on a CD I recorded a while back. I'll try and post example.

**PMB** · 01-12-2016, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by christianm77

Anyway, from the point of view of being a composer, sometimes it's nice to write something complex, but give the soloists something familiar to solo on (such as a blues or a rhythm changes) because often they will sound a hell of a lot better than if they try to blow on the head changes.

Of course, some players take umbrage at this, but for me improvisation should be natural. Blues changes are great for this...

Wes Montgomery's "West Coast Blues" is rare in that the blowing changes are actually more complex than the head - a descending chromatic sequence of ii-Vs in place of a regular V-IV progression.

**jdaguitar2** · 01-13-2016, 12:59 PM

If you are interested in different chord voicings as applied to the blues I highly recommend the "Minor Blues" and "Major Blues" books by David Bloom. They are a study in "melodic chord linkage" as he says. There are a lot of really great chord shapes and if you study them you might learn some new approaches to voice leading.

**Dirk** · 01-13-2016, 05:12 PM

There's a list of blues changes here:

Jazz Blues Chord Progressions And Substitutions

**Robertkoa** · 01-13-2016, 09:09 PM

I wrote a Blues long ago in 6/8 to jam with the UM Jazz Guitar Majors ( I was not a Student there).
I didn't notice immediately that it's in 6/8
and it's voiced on Guitar kind of like a horn section and it goes thru each Relative Minor but passing Modulations
you can blow in Minor on them or ignore them and stay in the Parent Key...
But it needs a B Section...

Reg- I don't want a Direct Modulation I want cues for the Soloist...and myself too lol.

On Pop Tunes including R&B the standards are higher for smoothness so you need " Harmonic Glue" especially if Modulating or at Bridges and Hooks...
Common Tones, no unusual leaps in the Melody ( should be" singable") [ these are just my general rules] and if it's a distant Modulation common tones held over tones from the chords at the "Pivot" to next Chord Transition etc. and sometimes a held over Melody Tone etc .
I never wrote a" Head" for it..

I tend to come up with strong rhythms but need to be better on Modulations.

And then solve the big Mystery ....$ lol.

**Bobalou** · 01-14-2016, 01:59 AM

To the OP. Someone posted a very comprehensive blues changes chart in another thread on this forum. I saw it but can't find it right now or I'd link it to this thread. My

**GetReadyMan** · 01-14-2016, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by oscar

Hi,
I seem to remember a really useful chart of jazz blues changes and variations. Pretty sure it was from an Aebersold book. It had a few dozen variations and the source tunes, so if you wanted to quickly look up something it was really nice. Does anyone remember which volume it might be in? I know it is not vol. 1 or vol. 42 cause I just looked. Thanks!

Jazz Handbook - Jamie Aebersold (free online somewhere. the PDF is called FQBK-handbook.pdf)
jazz blues changes chart?-blues-progressions-jpg

**Reg** · 01-14-2016, 11:22 AM

It's all good... Again... you start with a Form, and then start to organize the content.

Blues don't always follow standard chord patterns... I mean what makes a blues, Blue Notes or the changes. I tend to have more fun being able to created relationships with standards or complex chord patterns and changes... then create a blues reference through them while soloing. Some what like using blue notes on maj chords... but not so basic.

On any II V there are three or more basic blues references from where to pull from... by pull from I'm talking about how I organize the use of blue notes. Blue notes are not just b3 and b7 or #4, b5... different harmonic context create blues effect with different note to root note relationships....

You can have a blues start on almost any chord... not follow the basic I IV V etc... But in general most great players imply or create blues feel from ... I V or I IV which comes down to being able to create.... Tonic and Dominant or Tonic and subdominant ....melodic or chordal movement, using or implying blue note references.

!2 bar blues are just a basic reference... a basic common practice form