Major Blues Jazz Standard That Does Not Have a Lot of Chord Changes

[woland]

For some decent blues playing in variety of styles there is a nice TrueFire course by Dave Hamburger:
Blues Guitar Lessons - Blues Alchemy - David Hamburger
He talks a lot about using major blues scale and he plays very solid melodic phrases - not just some scale-based stuff.

[MarkRhodes]

The blues compositions of W.C. Handy were the songs that were being played in New Orleans along with rags and pop tunes when jazz was in its infancy. Most of the blues tunes that that were written and recorded during the first three to four decades of the 20th Century were SONGS. It wasn't three chords and a minor pentatonic scale! They were songs with recognizable melodies and, in many cases, some pretty slick harmonic structures.

Listen to people play Handy's tunes, the Louis Armstrong Plays W.C Handy album is a great example or listen to the Kansas City bands like The Count Basie Orchestra or The Blue Devils. You'll hear the kind of blues that that was the Mother of Jazz and you'll hear soloists playing blues melodies not pentatonic scales.

Here's Louis Armstrong playing "St Louis Blues."

[JazzOnSix]

AlsoRan here The Major Blues Scale For Jazz Guitar is something else that might help you out.

While that's a nicely presented dissertation, there is no such thing as a major blues scale. Just for starters, the example presented leaves out the 4th (F in the key of C), one of the strongest components of the major blues sound that borrows heavily from the gospel blues tradition. You hear that in all of Benson's work, not to mention countless keyboard and sax players. It's all about core language gleaned from great players who speak it well.

Here are just two (of many) examples of classic major blues clichés:

Try using these powerful themes the next time you play a blues solo, or for that matter any jazz tune in a major key. If you transpose them to fit the IV and V chords in a basic blues, they'll open doors that simply weren't there before.

The problem with scale-based thinking, as I painfully learned many years ago, is that it can easily become a harmonic prison instead of a source of creative freedom. This is particularly true when it comes to major blues, a concept that allows you to add a soulful touch to anything you play in a major key. Examples? All of Me, Take the A Train, Meditation, How High the Moon, Rhythm Changes, Misty, Girl from Ipanema and long list of other candidates.

[MarkInLA]

I went down to " Saint James Infirmary " is minor blues as the I , IV are truly minor chords, not, say, an A7 with A nat. min. scale against it producing the +9 sound (C same time as C#). Minor blues employs, in key of A Min. either the C major or A nat. min. (same thing) scale. I believe "Green Onions" by Booker T & the MGs uses all minor chords including the V chord. I.E. in key of E min. is that plus A minor and B Min.

[MarkInLA]

I had interpreted the term major blues to mean one that uses the major third in the melody, rather than minor third. So this would include Tenor Madness but not Bag's Groove. The chords could still be dominant.

I think you have it backwards. Major blues would be in key of E, say, I: is E7 with E minor lines against it producing the +9 sound, IV, A7 uses E Min. scale against it as the G note in scale is now the 7th of the A7 chord. On the V (B7) you may go to E Maj. scale against it because B7 is the Dominant of E and has the tritone (D# - A in it) strongly gravitating TO E . Another blues is called New York blues and is very much a jazz flavor and up-tempo swing..Too complicated here. Maybe someone else could continue it. Or maybe examples on youtube. I'll just say that in: F the first bar is is 2 beats of F, 3rd beat is E min.7, 4th is A7. Next bar is D Min. down to........Some guys call it the "Yesterday" changes.....

[pubylakeg]

Another blues is called New York blues and is very much a jazz flavor and up-tempo swing..Too complicated here. Maybe someone else could continue it. Or maybe examples on youtube. I'll just say that in: F the first bar is is 2 beats of F, 3rd beat is E min.7, 4th is A7. Next bar is D Min. down to........Some guys call it the "Yesterday" changes.....

Explained here;

Bird changes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[MarkRhodes]

Amen. But I think it is a law in popular music that simpler music replaces more refined one.

So far as blues goes, this seems to be the case. I wonder why.

Another example of a popular (and enduring) blues that doesn't fit the modern form is "Basin Street Blues."

Here's a version by Dr. John. For those who don't know the tune well, the first time around, Dr. John sings only the bridge. He sings the "A" section (-with modified lyrics) after the solos.

Here's a Western Swing version by Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys.

[AlsoRan]

Silly me.

The answer to my question was all along right there in the "Introduction to Jazz Blues eBook" I got from this forum.

[Rob MacKillop]

Might I suggest you get hold of a book by Doug Munro called Organ-Trio Blues? He covers the major blues extensively, minor too, and how and when to mix them. The play-along backing tracks are fantastic. You don't have to be an organ-trio nut to use the book, of course. His comping chords derived from the scales were a revelation to me.

[AlsoRan]

Might I suggest you get hold of a book by Doug Munro called Organ-Trio Blues? He covers the major blues extensively, minor too, and how and when to mix them. The play-along backing tracks are fantastic. You don't have to be an organ-trio nut to use the book, of course. His comping chords derived from the scales were a revelation to me.

I have than book, too. When I started studying Jazz I was going in so many different directions that I had to put some of my instructional material aside.

I listened to the backing tracks (and by the way, they had a rocking rhythm section!) an noticed they would reinforce a single line over and over.

I was a bit put off by this at first, but now I understand what the author was trying to do.

I will go and get the book now!

[AlsoRan]

Might I suggest you get hold of a book by Doug Munro called Organ-Trio Blues? He covers the major blues extensively, minor too, and how and when to mix them. The play-along backing tracks are fantastic. You don't have to be an organ-trio nut to use the book, of course. His comping chords derived from the scales were a revelation to me.

As we say in America, "Whoa!"

I see what you mean when you lauded the Organ Trios Book from Doug.

It covers quite a bit of scales that you can use in a Blues Progression and even assists in chord building and substitution in Blues Chord Progressions.

For instance, I had never heard of a "Dominant Pentatonic Scale."

Thanks for pointing me in a fruitful direction.

It will easily take a year to get the ideas in this book to a comfortable level in my head.

[Rob MacKillop]

Ha, like most of us, you should read the books you already have

I've also had this book for a couple of years, but never really studied it until today when I went looking for something which might help you. Now it will also help me!

[snoskier63]

Two tunes that my group plays on are Blues by Five, and Blue 7. Both are very simple, and they are quite similar in many ways, and you can jam on them forever.

Regarding Doug Munro and his material, he has a few books that are worthwhile. I had the good fortune to be able to sit in on a master class a few years ago by Doug and Paul Bollenback. Both are excellent players and teachers, and Doug is a pretty funny cat.

[MarkRhodes]

Might I suggest you get hold of a book by Doug Munro called Organ-Trio Blues? He covers the major blues extensively, minor too, and how and when to mix them. The play-along backing tracks are fantastic. You don't have to be an organ-trio nut to use the book, of course. His comping chords derived from the scales were a revelation to me.

Wow, I'd never heard of that book, so I did a Google search and put it on my Amazon wish list. I love organ-trio blues / jazz. It may be my favorite post-swing genre!

About the six solos in the book----are they based on identifiable tunes / grooves or are they more (in the best sense of the term) generic? I've noticed over the years that when Jamey Aebersold writes heads for some of his play-alongs (-esp blues and rhythm changes) I really enjoy them, memorize some of them, and use them as heads sometimes when jamming.

[Rob MacKillop]

The first is a generic Cm Blues.
Second: generic Blues in G.
Third: mixes Em and E major Blues.
Fourth: Blues in D.
Fifth: Blues for Alice - Parker changes in F.
Sixth: F Blues.

So, no real particular tunes.

[MarkRhodes]

The first is a generic Cm Blues.
Second: generic Blues in G.
Third: mixes Em and E major Blues.
Fourth: Blues in D.
Fifth: Blues for Alice - Parker changes in F.
Sixth: F Blues.

So, no real particular tunes.

Nice mix of keys, major and minor, and a Bird blues---sounds good to me!

[Greentone]

Major blues in C with three chords...dynamite chart: "Chitlins Con Carne" by Kenny Burrell. Enjoy.

[edh]

Dom7 Pentatonic, very cool uses for it.

I never heard of it.

[AlsoRan]

Dom7 Pentatonic, very cool uses for it.

I never heard of it.

R 9th 11th 5th 7th (FYI)

[MarkRhodes]

Major blues in C with three chords...dynamite chart: "Chitlins Con Carne" by Kenny Burrell. Enjoy.

Love that tune and Kenny's solos on it.

[Rob MacKillop]

The Dom7th Pentatonic arpeggio is already inside the Pentatonic minor:

A Pent Minor: A C D E G

D Dom7 Pent: D E G A C

[AlsoRan]

The Dom7th Pentatonic arpeggio is already inside the Pentatonic minor:

A Pent Minor: A C D E G

D Dom7 Pent: D E G A C

Munro organizes it in his mind as a mode of C Major Pentatonic, built on the 2nd.

C D E G A
D E G A C

He comments in his book that he heard a lot of bass players using it and with no 3rd, it could be used effectively on different chords, especially in rock and R&B.


He has a lot of interesting thoughts like this in the book.


Thanks again for bringing it back to my attention.

[AlsoRan]

I think I posted it before:
The Blues Scales by Dan Greenblatt | Sher Music Co.

I am finally ready to immerse myself in Jazz Blues now that I have more time. This book has some very nice lines that I like. It is in standard notation and has no guitar tab, just for those who might be interested.

Between this book, the JGF Jazz Blues Book, and Fareed Hagues TruFire DVD, I am doing a much better job of remembering and applying the ideas, as well as remembering the little lines I come up.

This book and Greg Fishman's have such nice lines that they stick in my mind and my fingers much more easily. And with the TruFire DVD I mentioned, you can put it all together with some comping, chord melody, and self accompaniment. The DVD teaches you some nice blues chords while the Blues Scales and the Hip Licks for Guitar from Fishman give you some nice lines to play, with or without playing chords with them.

Just wanted to give some feedback.

[boatheelmusic]

Jazz Blues - All about the turnarounds!!