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Happy Blues Theory Ariane Cap

SBL Seminar 11-9-2020

The Blues is…

Telling a Story…
The Blues Drives Theorists a bit Crazy…

Blue Notes:
• b3 (#9) b5 b7

• Sounding over a Dominant-7 chord

Blues Changes - The “4-1-1 of Music”

Excerpt from: Music Theory for the Bass Player by Ariane Cap

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Blues can also be in minor:

||: Im7 | Im7 | Im7 | Im7 |

| IVm7 | IVm7 | Im7 | Im7 |
| bVI7 | V7 | Im7 | V7 :||

Many variations (Simple Jazz Blues, Blues for Alice, 8 bar forms
etc.)

Blues Scales and Pentatonics:

Penta

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Grooving over a blues…

Soloing over a blues…

Cool Tritone Trick: (use for licks, fills, slides)

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Cool Concepts for Grooves:


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  
3
Combining Major and Minor Blues scales - Example 1

            
7

                     
D


  
 
 
4 4
7 7 5 3 4 3 7 7 6 5
5 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 8 7 5
7

major pentatonic major - & minor Blues major - & minor Blues

                     
         
  

   
 

4 5 7 5 7 4 7 5
7 7 0 7 7 7 6 5
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 8
8

minor pentatonic minor Blues

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Combining Major and Minor Blues scales - Example 2

          
   
7

      
D
     

  
 
7 5 7 4 5 4 7 5 7 5 7
6 7 6 6 5
5 5 5 5 8
8

groove minor Blues scale fill

        
                  


  5
7 5 7
 5
4 5
 5
4
5
7 5 7
3 4
2 4
3  2
5 2

major Blues Scale fill

= same fill a third lower

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