Beginner impro D Major Blues Improvisation (edit: Actually B minor)

[Pete Thomas]

he F#7 has a flattened 7th and I've a vague memory that will want to resolve back to root (F#).

Forget that for now, your B minor blues will get you through it fine

 

[rhysonsax]

B minor blues scale has these notes: B D E F F# A

If you would like I could use Band in a Box to put together a looping backing track that plays these 16 bars around and around with the right chords and at the right tempo.

Rhys

 

[turf3]

Oh, so it's St. James Infirmary!

First of all, not a blues. BluesY, but not blues.
Second, not D major. D minor concert (B minor for alto).

Learn the melody (it's one of the most famous melodies in all of American music).

Play it till you're sick of it.

Now start messing with the melody.

I can absolutely guarantee that playing the melody with small embellishments will sound a thousand times better than wiggling away on blues scales that only kinda sorta fit.
Listen to this!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIKgNqhPpuk

 

[Digger2054]

Phew!

So get the B minor blues scale under my fingers, then get some licks going.

Doesn't sound so daunting!

@rhysonsax I would greatly appreciate that if not too much trouble.

@turf3 I generally play what's infront of me, my theory isn't the best but I'm working on it (very slowly) I've played this piece once with the orchestra I play with, but will get the melody engrained over the next week... At least the wife likes this piece (for now)

 

[Pete Thomas]

So get the B minor blues scale under my fingers, then get some licks going.

Absolutely. At this stage if you want to go just that bit beyond absolute beginner, then over the F# bit avoid the tonic (B) as a significant note.

First of all, not a blues.

I don’t want to get into an argument just want to state that I think it’s a blues. We will probably never agree so best to leave it and politely beg to differ.

 

[turf3]

Well, there won't BE anything in front of you.

But that's a good thing. This isn't a tune to "run changes" on. This is a tune to play by ear.

As a beginner to improvisation, the closer you hew to the melody, the more likely you are to make something pleasing to the ear. Wiggling your fingers over a pre-loaded "blues scale" is less likely to yield a pleasing result than using the main notes of the melody to create a line closely related to it.

 

[Digger2054]

Another numpty question, what's the tell tale that's its in minor (other than it being rather sombre).

@Pete Thomas I'll try and remember that about F#, I've written the chords over each bar.

@turf3 I'll be happy if I can produce anything remotely musical on the fly. Got to start somewhere I suppose.

 

[turf3]

Another numpty question, what's the tell tale that's its in minor (other than it being rather sombre).

@Pete Thomas I'll try and remember that about F#, I've written the chords over each bar.

@turf3 I'll be happy if I can produce anything remotely musical on the fly. Got to start somewhere I suppose.

That B minor chord everywhere.

Basically the whole tune seesaws back and forth between B minor and F#7, with a few others tossed in there for seasoning.

In B minor, the melody starts out B D F#F#F#F# E F# D B. That's about as explicit an outline of a B minor chord as there can be.

 

[Digger2054]

That B minor chord everywhere.

Basically the whole tune seesaws back and forth between B minor and F#7, with a few others tossed in there for seasoning.

In B minor, the melody starts out B D F#F#F#F# E F# D B. That's about as explicit an outline of a B minor chord as there can be.

Thanks, I'd not really paid much attention to the chords.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Lots of karaoke tracks on YouTube to play with. I haven't checked the key.
What a dreary number to launch your improv on.
I do hope there's nobody singing it. 😉

 

[Digger2054]

Lots of karaoke tracks on YouTube to play with. I haven't checked the key.
What a dreary number to launch your improv on.
I do hope there's nobody singing it. 😉

No vocals, we did have some festive vocals on Mondays rehearsal.

There's actually a video of us performing it at the last concert, the acoustics weren't the best in the church.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Concert Dm. Bm for alto. Bm blues scale fits. Perhaps just parody the melody with sections at double time, would be my take.
Solo over that video to practice.

 

[mizmar]

A question, out of curiosity - I have no suggestions!

The "open for solo" bit has a definite rhythm: dah da _ dahh | dah da _ da daa da or such till the last 2/4 bars.
So, given a small clutch of notes, couldn't something nice be done focusing on working around the rhythm?

 

[rhysonsax]

I made a backing track with Band in a Box and using a Dixie Swing style at 140 bpm.

St James Infirmary - Backing Track in D minor concert 140bpm Rhys.m4a | Powered by Box

It goes round the 16 bar section eight times so you should have plenty of time to get used to the way the chords sound.

To me it falls very much into four bar sections. Listen to the backing on its own (or your orchestra's YouTube recording) several times and just get a feel for where it goes and how the words would fit over the harmony. Then just play around and try to see what ideas work. And remember to leave lots of space - you don't have to fill up every single beat of every single bar.

Good luck

Rhys

 

[trimmy]

And remember to leave lots of space - you don't have to fill up every single beat of every single bar.

Very good advice

 

[Digger2054]

Thank you very much @rhysonsax

Less will certainly be more on this occasion, I could rest whilst everyone else is playing the Rhythm @mizmar has pointed out, like a call & response

 

[rhysonsax]

Maybe this thread needs to be retitled to say B Minor Blues.

And of course the B minor blues scale contains the same notes as the D Major blues scale which @Digger2054 mentioned in the very first post.

Rhys

 

[Pete Thomas]

Another numpty question, what's the tell tale that's its in minor (other than it being rather sombre).

Usually the biggest clue to the key of a tune is the last note. If the last note is B and the key sig has two sharps then it is likely to be in B minor rather than D major.

Plus you are right, minor keys often sound more sombre.

 

[thomsax]

Learn the melody (it's one of the most famous melodies in all of American music).

Play it till you're sick of it.

Now start messing with the melody.

Sounds familiar.

The old school of learning music by ear gives us the a new way to improvise; the melodic improvising. 😉Forget scales, keys, sheet music ..... just play it as you remember it or sang it. Listen to a song and get into your head is a good way to learn new songs and to re-use old songs. The older we get the more we are keeping in our music library (brain). Adults don't need to learn so much new stuff.

Back to topic.

 

[dexdex]

I would take @rhysonsax and @turf3´s advice here. Learn the melody, get it under your fingers in that slightly challenging (though quite common) key. Straight. In your head.
From there on, play it with small variations, as you’d do when singing or whistling in the bathroom. The audience always appreciates a familiar melody, even more such an iconic and moving song.
A quite simple « device » is to pick-up the melody with an ascending arpeggio. Instead of F#, play (low)F#-B-D-(med)F#. This shows that you reinterpret the song. You make it yours and take the lead. Similar variations are possible on each phrase.
Louis Armstrong was a master at « just » playing/singing the song, but in his own way. You can’t go wrong mimicking his phrases. A century of jazzers did so.
And forget (or postpone) Cannonball’s blues for now.