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I thought I'd do this since it's in the air at the moment.
Having played All Blues a lot there's no doubt that it can get a little repetitive. So here are some ways to alleviate that.
Note this isn't a rock/fusion version, it's more like what the early Miles Davis combos played. If you want rock/fusion you'll have to go elsewhere but don't get too ambitious is my advice
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I haven't done comping because there are numerous YouTubes on it, perfectly good. You can use a You Tube backing track as I have here or make your own. Either strum the chords or put down the bass riff and play three-note shapes over that to make the vamp which you can then loop.
It's not that difficult. I don't think it's a solo piece, let's put it that way.
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The first chorus is obviously the melody. I've pitched it in the lower register first because I wanted to use the higher version later. But it can be done the other way round.
The melody can also be played twice at the beginning to fix it in the mind, so to speak, but I haven't done that here.
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They usually say use the G mixolydian on the first solo. That makes sense but I think it depends how it's done. Playing a few melodic notes always sounds to me a little bare so I tend to play it as one would a straight blues.
That is, use the G6 shape and embellish it with the blue notes F and Bb to make it solidly bluesy. After that, in the next choruses, the mixo scale can be used with better effect.
These lines can also be played with 6ths and 3rds. Very effective to break up the single notes now and then.
There's also the trick of playing G7alt (Ab melodic minor) to transition to the C7 (or C9). Personally, I wouldn't do it right away and I wouldn't overuse it. It isn't necessary and spoils the effect if one hears it every time.
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Over the C7 you can play the C7 sound but sooner or later it pays to do what the blues players do which is use Gm. And using G melodic minor is an effective and jazzy extension of that. Gm pentatonic is also good because the blue notes go with it.
Now here, on the C7, you can definitely use the C mixolydian, i.e. the F major scale. The ear is ready for it at this point and it sounds great melodically.
The other trick is to use the major pentatonic from the b7, i.e. Bb maj pentatonic. It can be slid up the neck from low to high at speed and is very effective.
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After going back to G7 we have the rather interesting D7#9 and Eb7#9 chords and there are a whole bagful of tricks for that.
Probably the simplest way is to use the Dm and Ebm pentatonics. I think Christian has a video on that. They can be used melodically but also with the blue notes.
A variation of that is to use Dm pent and then Eb melodic minor over both the Eb7 and D7. Eb mel m fits the Eb7 chord but it's also the D7alt scale, leading nicely back to the G7.
You can also use D melodic minor (with the C# leading note) any time you like.
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The next way is to use the Fm and F#m triads because the F/Ab and F#/A bring out the #9#11 sounds of those chords. Nice and jazzy. Pat Martino did that on his recording.
An even nicer way is to use the F and F# major triads. In some ways I prefer this sound, it's very forceful.
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Then you can use Cm over the D7 because it contains the b9 note Eb. The b9 and the #9 go together so it sounds fine. Then just move it up to C#m for the Eb7 and down again to resolve it to G.
The other way, instead of the C#m, is use a Bb melodic minor run into G. That works because it sounds like the Gm pentatonic with the Db blue note.
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There are other ways but enough's enough. Don't forget all these shapes and lines can be played in different places up the neck and using these ideas higher up is definitely a good idea.
So here's a clip with what I was playing in order of appearance. You can follow it along if you want and grab any sounds you like.
1) Melody, lower register.
2) G7: simple blues. C7: Gm9, G mel m. D7/Eb7: Fm/F#m/Fm.
3) G7: blues/G7alt. C7: C7mixo. D7/Eb7: Dm blues pent/Ebm blues pent.
4) G7: blues. C7 chord tones. D7/Eb7: Cm/C# mel m.
5) G7 and C7: simple blues. D7/Eb7: F and F# major.
6) G7: blues. C7: Bb maj pentatonic up neck. D7/Eb7: Dm pent/Eb mel m.
7) G7: blues/G7alt. C7: simple C line. D7/Eb7: D mel m/Bb mel m.
8) High melody.
9) Low melody, fade out
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04-29-2026 08:29 AM
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lots of good ideas above
Standard blues language can be effective too, but I think it’s important to emphasize the major third on the I chord
there is sheet music readily available that has the original solos from the album… in concert C just mimicking some of those lines or attempting to mimic them, can spruce things up also
I also always like the famous melodic minor 1/2 step up on the V and #V chords
What about A minor arp over D7 and Bb minor arp over Eb7
if I may critique one aspect of your playing here….. you never seem to play “across the bar lines” meaning longer lines that span more then one measure
Miles solo attached
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A lot of info there...I suppose it all works...
I think of All Blues as 3 G scales. Mixolydian/Blues, Dorian, and Dorian with a raised 4th. That's if I'm playing "Milesy."
If I'm thinking more about chord tones, it's G7, Gm6, and D7#9/Eb7#9, of those last two both can be addressed or either, sometimes I'll think tritone sub 13th chords there too...
But for me, best to keep it simple.
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Damn, I should have copied Miles. Anyone can do that, especially with a transcription from You Tube next to them.
More where that came from.lots of good ideas above
You mean that repetitive B on the G7 I keep playing? You must have missed it.emphasize the major third on the I chord
So famous I have to ask which one you meanI also always like the famous melodic minor 1/2 step up on the V and #V chords
The nat E on the Am clashes with the #9 on the D7 and likewise the F on the Eb7#9.What about A minor arp over D7 and Bb minor arp over Eb7
That's because I did one chorus at a time and looped the single chorus backing later. Playing across the bar line isn't an option.you never seem to play “across the bar lines”
I'm sure it is, I'm sure it is. But I have better things to do. Like not sounding like I'm copying Miles Davis because I'm devoid of any thought myself.Miles solo attached
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I pretty much play all blues
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It's okay, you get the pleasant response! I loved your Darn It on the Tube, good stuff that. Hope the neighbours appreciate it :-)
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Sure, it can all be broken down to 3 scales and the usual G, Gm and ? It's the ? that gets me. I expect the book says D7 alt and Eb7 alt (probably the 2 mel m's thingy above was referring to).
Thing is, I tend to record long takes when I do this kind of song. Any more than two repetitions and I start getting nervous. I need alternatives to keep me keen.
But, of course, if you know the subs, which thankfully I do, then it is simple if you know what I mean. Same goes for anyone's playing I guess. I don't do stuff I can't do easily. Dreadful coward
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You mean G blues on everything? Definitely works, no argument from me. And a good player can make it sound brilliant. Originally Posted by joe2758
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it was also a bit tongue in cheek
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Oh, I got the joke
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OK, I understand that your playing is meant to illustrate the possible theoretical approaches to soloing on the song. But to me, it sounds stiff and mechanical and does not swing.
Rhythm and flow are as important as note selection when it comes to making a solo sound good.
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They're not theoretical, they're actual, they work, and I'm not interested in propagating theory. It's supposed to be helpful to those who might be looking for alternatives to the usual fare. As I said, everyone's fine playing a couple of choruses but try for a 4 minute plus solo rendition of the tune. In case you've never done it, trust me, it gets old very, very quickly. Originally Posted by Gilpy
That's because it's a demo and I had to restrain what I was playing to what I had to illustrate. In any case, it's not that mechanical and swingless. You must have been looking for faults and something to criticise.But to me, it sounds stiff and mechanical and does not swing
You don't say.Rhythm and flow are as important as note selection when it comes to making a solo sound good.
I knew this was going to happen. So predictable! I can almost guarantee that nobody will use any of it, they'll just keep talking about Miles Davis, etc. But that's up to them, I really, truly, don't care. And I honestly mean it.
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A 4 minute solo on All Blues would be my personal definition of Hell. Originally Posted by ragman1
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Played by me it would be :-)
It's only hell when there's nowhere to go and the blues can be like that. I don't actually know how blues players tolerate the same three chords for every tune. Not to say the same scale.
(I understand how jazz players do it, you can do all kinds of stuff on a blues. Different thing)
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well, the point is I don’t think you could sound like Miles Davis if you tried but trying might give you some nice phrasing ideas. Originally Posted by ragman1
Damn, I should have copied Miles. Anyone can do that, especially with a transcription from You Tube next to
So famous I have to ask which one you mean
The nat E on the Am clashes with the #9 on the D7 and likewise the F on the Eb7#9.
That's because I did one chorus at a time and looped the single chorus backing later. Playing across the bar line isn't an option.
I'm sure it is, I'm sure it is. But I have better things to do. Like not sounding like I'm copying Miles Davis because I'm devoid of any thought myself.
yes, you CAN play across the bar lines so to speak it just means stringing more than 8 notes together in one continuous line
clashing is ok in jazz or at least it sounds like it is to my ears
it is common practice to play melodic minor 1/2 step up on an altered dominant chord
so on D7alt play Eb melodic minor
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I suppose that if you are truly stumped for ideas about what to play over the tune AND you understand the chord and scale terminology Ragman uses the initial post might be useful. But I suspect that's not a very large number of people reading this thread. Beyond a fairly beginner level, "what notes to to play over All Blues" is not a very challenging subject. It's a blues in 6/8 with an unusual turnaround. So you have to adapt your feel to the meter and figure out how play the turnaround, which most of us who've been hanging out here for years figured out pretty early on in the game. Hence the more-or-less (um) "so what?" character of several responses.
Really, the challenge in making it interesting is the same as for any blues tune, i.e., it's much less about the pitch choices than about phrasing, dynamics, articulations, overall shape of the solo, and interplay with the rest of the band. I'd also say that nothing answers the question "what to play on this tune" better than the original. Each of the solos represents a distinct approach, with the differences mainly a matter of phrasing and dynamics. What I find most remarkable about this is that the solos sound entirely different while drawing on essentially the same note choices (which are almost completely "inside" in all 4 cases).
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Oh, I don't know. Haven't you noticed how they're all experts here? Anyone who was interested could find out very, very easily. There's nothing obscure about it. And if they were really stumped I'd help them. Originally Posted by John A.
Incidentally, it doesn't have to be anything fancy, just effective.
You could simply play the same idea again and again over all the choruses. No law against it but I wouldn't call anyone who was happy doing that a decent player or potential player.
Personally, I'm allergic to those want to be spoon-fed. I like people who try.
Not at face value, no. Just play some blues stuff over it. But if you want to do multiple choruses it gets stale rapidly, as I said at the start. Hence the thread.Beyond a fairly beginner level, "what notes to to play over All Blues" is not a very challenging subject.
But you're probably right in saying not many here are actually going to be doing that. Ah, well
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By the way, THIS is complicated! Not the other stuff.
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I think you're missing my point, which is that people who actually need help figuring out what to play on All Blues are probably not the people who understand what you wrote about chords and scales, and people who understand what you wrote are probably not the people who need the help you're offering. The ones in latter camp are the ones commenting dismissively. People in the former camp are off reading something else (or not commenting). Originally Posted by ragman1
No doubt, as Miles, Cannonball, Trane, and Evans make clear. Originally Posted by ragman1
No argument from me there. Originally Posted by ragman1
It very much depends on what you mean by "some blues stuff" (my definition is pretty expansive, fwiw) and how you play it, hence my point about note choices not being the main issue in playing an interesting All Blues (or blues in general) solo. Originally Posted by ragman1
I did not actually say that. Originally Posted by ragman1
But you're probably right in saying not many here are actually going to be doing that. Ah, well
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John -
Thanks for the comments, not that I was soliciting them. But, just for fun, I'll tell you what I think.
First, I don't care who reads it or not, it's up to them. Some will read and benefit by it, others won't. Up to them. I was looking for different ways to do the D7/Eb7 and found quite a few. So I wanted to share it, that's all. What others do is their affair.
I didn't miss your point but the problem, if we must be academic, is that you're talking in absolutes. You're saying all the people who need it won't understand it and all the people who don't need it won't bother with it. I doubt completely that that's true. Not that I care.
Some of those who are looking for something else will benefit from it. And, since they're already doing it and have sufficient knowledge to do that, may get ideas they hadn't thought of. Like using Cm/C#m or Cm/Bbm. After all, that's the whole point of any instruction material.
That's all really.
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