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Premier Clinic: Jazz
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Bb Blues: Soloing
from Mimi Fox's Jazz Anatomy
It’s always fun to play the blues, and you’ll encounter
thousands of opportunities to draw on the concepts
covered in this soloing section. Everyone from B.B.
King to Pat Martino sounds great using the blues
scale, but by incorporating the correct arpeggios,
scales and phrasing, you’ll get more of that distinctive
jazzy sound.
Scale Work
The first example is a rather simple solo over a 12-bar
blues in B flat. As a reference, there is extensive use
of the blues scale. The blues scale is the I, flat III, IV,
flat V, and flat VII, which in Bb would be Bb, Db, Eb, E,
F, and Ab. Although not part of the blues scale, a natural
A can also be added, as it is a common passing
tone and adds a hip, jazzy sound.
Some chords not commonly found in more traditional
twelve-bar blues are the II chord, Cm in this example,
and the VI chord, which is G. Using arpeggios is good
idea when approaching the II and VI chords because
the traditional blues scale doesn’t work as well to
bring out the full color of these chords.
For the I chord and the IV chord you can always
use the blues scale, which sounds great over those
chords. When playing over the IV, chord arpeggios
make more sense. For instance, by using a dominant
9 arpeggio over Eb (the IV chord), you should end up
with a familiar sounding line similar to the main riff of
the Beatles’ “Day Tripper.” An Eb7 arpeggio will also
work here.
Also, as previously mentioned, arpeggios work well
over the II chord, which in this example is the Cm.
The C minor arpeggio should be recognizable to blues
and rock players as it is similar to a pentatonic scale,
but it leaves out the IV. Also, over the VI you could
use a G7 arpeggio since the VI chord is G7.
Variations
So far the major ideas we have covered have been using a blues
scale over the I chord and IV chord, using arpeggios on the IV,
II, and VI chords, and going back to the Bb blues scale for the V
because of it resolving quickly back to the I. Now we can begin
to add some more complex harmonic and rhythmic ideas into the
solos, which will ideally give your solos a more human, vocal quality,
which is one of the marks of a truly great solo.
The first of these ideas is repetition. This will help to create motifs,
or hooks, to help create familiarity for the listener, as well as
needed tension and excitement in the solo. Try repeating a line
that works well a few times to get the feel for it. The second idea
is the concept of call and response. This emulates the interplay
between, say, a saxophone and trumpet in an improvisational situation,
where one solo builds on, or responds to the one preceding,
going back and forth to continue to build excitement for the
listener.
In this lesson that would be playing the same idea off of a Bb7
arpeggio and Eb7 arpeggio, using one to effectively answer the
other. This also gives a little swing to the proceedings. Lastly, playing
with time is another excellent way to spice up solos. Playing
off the beat, anticipating the beat, and delaying the beat are all
ideas to give your lines more complexity and flavor. Remember
to listen to your favorite vocalists to hear these techniques in
action. Try this technique with single note lines, to see how they
add rhythmic texture and complexity to even simple harmonic
concepts.
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