How do you approach da Blooze ?

siraxeman

Scales/arps etc. Major on the 1 chord and  regular minor on the other 2....or what? Discuss chilblains!

paul_c2

Chilblains - aren't they a skin condition excacerbated by cold weather?

Other than that, I'm not sure what question you're asking due to the use of abbreviations, shortcuts and misspellings. Can you clarify???

axisus

I dive for the G string for some reason, wheel out all my tired old licks, realise I'm in the wrong key, take about 30 seconds finding the right key by trial and error, widdle endlessly until I get bored (usually about 4 minutes max), wonder why the same notes sounded great last week but sound rubbish this week, stand up as I play better standing up. Sit down as I play better sitting down. Finally tune the guitar after about 10 minutes of playing. Put the guitar away, sagely stroke my chin staring into the middle distance and wonder if I'm a musician yet or still someone pretending to be.

stratman3142

Assuming you're referring to a dominant 7th type 12 bar, here are some of the approaches I might use, amongst others.

For the sake of example I've assumed a blues in the key of A. So the basic chords are:

I = A7

IV= D7

V= E7

1) Major and minor pentatonics: 

If I want it to sound classic blues or rock, I might alternate between the major and minor pentatonics to give (what I would call) a Clapton type sound. Sometimes this simple approach is the right approach to sound authentic for the style of music.

2) Overlayed major and minor pentatonics (mixed blues scale): 

Overlaying (combining) the major and minor pentatonics creates a scale that I've seen referred to as the 'mixed blues scale'. I think of it as either a Mixolydian mode with an added minor 3rd, or a Dorian mode with an added major 3rd. Plus I add the b5 as well.

3) Arpeggios:

3a) Sometimes I literally think in terms of the arpeggios of the underlying chords, or modifications based around the arpeggios.

3b) In playing the 'mixed blues scale', I'm aware of where the arpeggios lie within the scale and might bring out (emphasise) the notes from the arpeggios of the underlying chords. 

For example, if I choose to emphasise notes from the arpeggio of the IV chord (D in the key of A) that would include the D, F#, A, C or maybe further to the 9th (E) etc.

On the V chord (E in the key of A) I often like to hit the major 3rd, which would be G#, which is an extra note to add to the 'mixed blues scale' for the V chord.

4) Half Step Whole Step

On the I chord, just before it goes to the IV, I might used a half step whole step, which I think of as the 'mixed blues scale', but with a b9 in place of a 9. I stole this one from Robben Ford.

octatonic

I do much the same as ^^^ here.
Also playing A mixolydian, D mixolydian, E mixolydian (for a blues in A) is an interesting approach.

Really though that is how I've practiced- when you play you try to seamlessly mix all these up in such a way as it sounds musical.
I am mostly trying to think of a melody that I want to play- the approaches above are just ways to access that.

stratman3142

octatonic said:

I do much the same as ^^^ here.
Also playing A mixolydian, D mixolydian, E mixolydian (for a blues in A) is an interesting approach.

Really though that is how I've practiced- when you play you try to seamlessly mix all these up in such a way as it sounds musical.
I am mostly trying to think of a melody that I want to play- the approaches above are just ways to access that.

Good point. I should have said that.

octatonic

stratman3142 said:

octatonic said:

I do much the same as ^^^ here.
Also playing A mixolydian, D mixolydian, E mixolydian (for a blues in A) is an interesting approach.

Really though that is how I've practiced- when you play you try to seamlessly mix all these up in such a way as it sounds musical.
I am mostly trying to think of a melody that I want to play- the approaches above are just ways to access that.

Good point. I should have said that.

richardhomer

I mix up up major/minor scales, with passing notes, the odd more exotic thing (like the melodic minor), etc.... I'm not a schooled player - I've often taught myself 'why' something works, after having chanced across it.

A good example of this, is I discovered when playing in A that playing Bb against the 5 chord sounded good. At first I thought I'd inadvertently discovered some fiendishly clever mode - when in fact its simply the flattened 5th of an E chord....

I don't profess to have particularly sophisticated harmonic knowledge - but I do know what pitch a note will be before I play it - so I can improvise melodically with ease. 

Barney

I like mixing pentatonics so on the 1 chord ...say A7 i would use the minor pentatonics from key of D ...so F#m  Em and Bm..for a outside sort of thing plus the altered scale going to the 4th chord

Probably on on a more basic blues it would be more phrasing and note choices and seeing what alters and what stays the same for the chord changes ..i like using the 6th on the A7 chord so F# ..

viz

A little trick: if you're wanting to explore  superlocrian over the V chord, there's a pentatonic scale that, if played strictly without any passing notes, slots nicely into superlocrian. If you're in A, the V chord is E, and you can play G minor penta. It works well if you don't just run up and down the scale but pick at judicious notes from it. 

And then when you resolve to A, if you're not fussed about the "7" in A7, you can shift your fingers up a semitone to G# minor penta, which gives it the A a lydian feel with an aug4 and major 7. 

fields5069

I go to the Crossroads. Then I come back. Then I play Going To The Zoo, and wonder what it would be like if I could never go to the zoo again.

William Williamson

If you're playing a minor blues and the V chord is a dom7 (i.e. Am blues, with final few bars that goes E7 Dm Am) then you can superimpose the A harmonic minor really nicely. 

stratman3142

fields5069 said:

I go to the Crossroads...

Yes, the Clapton solo to Crossroads. A perfect example of how to play a blues combining major and minor pentatonics.

fields5069

stratman3142 said:

fields5069 said:

I go to the Crossroads...

Yes, the Clapton solo to Crossroads. A perfect example of how to play a blues combining major and minor pentatonics.

No, dude, the actual crossroads. A467/B4591.

Roland

Once upon a time I would have though scales and chord tones: minor, major, mixolydian, with a sprinkling of microtonal bends. Nowadays I close my eyes, listen to tone and texture, and play far fewer notes.

The point about the blues is that everyone knows where the melodic line is eventually going to resolve. The trick is how much tension you can build up, by fair means or foul, and where you resolve to. Fair means is note choice, including repetition and bending. Microtonal bends are an essential part, because the early blues was played by people who didn't grow up with the 12 tone Western Classical scale. Foul means going further off piste with notes and timing.

bingefeller

Triad pairs, arpeggios, dominant 7th pentatonics, playing minor pentatonic from the 5th of 7th chords and tritone sub arpeggios. 

mgaw

itend to to approach the blooze by sneaking up quietly behind it

bingefeller

mgaw said:

itend to to approach the blooze by sneaking up quietly behind it

That's how I approach women.

TheBlueWolf

First you  need to wake up in the morning to find your wife has left you, the dogs dead and you've lost your job lol

Some great answers though

Lez325

As a great man once said " The Blues is just a good man feelin bad"

Les

mellowsun

I write to Guitarist magazine for advice in the hope that they might do a feature on it one day.