Introduction Hi I'm new to the room and from Halifax )UK

[Stuart]

I am trying to learn R& B and blues on Alto
I know the blues scales and also Major, Dom 7ths and Minor scales
but I can,t get a bluesy sound when I move away from the blues scales, it all sounds too rigid-I am definately short of riffs to bridge the changes...has anybody got any suggestions
Thanks

 

[Lisa]

Welcome Stuart, hope you enjoy the room.

L

 

[spike]

Welcome to the lounge Stu,
First off you need to do some listening, also get over to Pete's Main Site and check out all the advice and excercises you can find over there and if you still have problems, come back and ask again.
Blues is a feeling, you can play the blues on any scale. Jammin' along to your favorite tunes is a good way to get into the groove, you really just got to live it for a while . . . it'll come. greetings - spike

 

[Pete Thomas]

Hi Stuart and welcome to the Breakfast Room.

As Spike said, do some listening, not so many R&B alto players, but try to get hold of some Earl Bostic for a start.

 

[oliver_bentley]

Hey Stuart, its good to see a fellow halifax lad on here. I'm currently in Carlisle as of last year, but lived my whole life in halifax. (You don't happen to be a town fan aswell do you?) Where abouts are you from in Halifax?

As for playing a more "bluesy" way, spike's right, its a feeling rather than just a scale, but you can often add blues notes, by flattening notes. This comes from whem original blues singers used to flatten note by half/quarter tones (or smaller), giving clashing harmonies which now we assosiate as bluesy. You can get the same effect by pitch bending, playing a semitone lower on particular notes - flattened 5ths or 7ths for eg as in the minor blues scale, or by using other fingerings to achieve quarter tones (notes between the conventional western system of 12 semitones). You'll be able to find these online or in Larry Teal's "The art of Saxophone Playing" (not an expensive book, but invaluable)

Also you could try other effects like growls for example (either sing and play at the same time, or roll an Rrrrr sound (called flutter tonguing) while playing - each give slightly different growls) Theres some stuff on Pete's site about different effects you can get, I think it includes growls and the blues.

Hope this helps,
Oli

 

[Bobby G]

Hi Stuart and welcome to the forum from sunny Herts. How long have you been playing? Like people have said, blues is a feel thing, it's quite instinctive knowing when to pitch bend, wander off tempo etc. Have fun with it.

Been down so long it seems like up to me.

Cheers, Howlin' Bob

 

[ken]

Hello Stuart.

Nice to see something other than jazz interests 8)

Ken.

 

[saxismyaxe]

Welcome Stuart! I like your avatar...yum! Cheers.

 

[Stuart]

Ta,
Good look with your playing.
Stu.

 

[Stuart]

I was brought up in Hipperholme, although I was born in Englewood New Jersey.
(Where Coltaine recorded A love supreme).
I do follow town, but don't get to go often.
I now live in Luddenden.
I'm pretty good at getting a blues feel, with all the tweaks etc, but only playing around a blues scale.
Where I struggle is when I start to play using say a v,iv,i series of major or dominant 7th scales. It then sounds rigid and awkward.
I will dig out Larry Teals book, cheers.

Oliver Bentley wrote:
Hey Stuart, its good to see a fellow halifax lad on here. I'm currently in Carlisle as of last year, but lived my whole life in halifax. (You don't happen to be a town fan aswell do you?) Where abouts are you from in Halifax?

As for playing a more "bluesy" way, spike's right, its a feeling rather than just a scale, but you can often add blues notes, by flattening notes. This comes from whem original blues singers used to flatten note by half/quarter tones (or smaller), giving clashing harmonies which now we assosiate as bluesy. You can get the same effect by pitch bending, playing a semitone lower on particular notes - flattened 5ths or 7ths for eg as in the minor blues scale, or by using other fingerings to achieve quarter tones (notes between the conventional western system of 12 semitones). You'll be able to find these online or in Larry Teal's "The art of Saxophone Playing" (not an expensive book, but invaluable)

Also you could try other effects like growls for example (either sing and play at the same time, or roll an Rrrrr sound (called flutter tonguing) while playing - each give slightly different growls) Theres some stuff on Pete's site about different effects you can get, I think it includes growls and the blues.

Hope this helps,
Oli

 

[Stuart]

First played alto in 1987, after playing free jazz clarinet. Played in a couple of local bands.
Gave up in about 1994 due to commitments. Started again about a year ago.
People love my playing when I have the nerve to play in public, I do find I can walk on and play with a band 'cold'. I have a lot of the feel thing going on, with the bending etc. Where I lack is the fluidity of changes, especially around the 9th bar of a 12 (up to a fifth).
Cheers, Stu.

Bob Green wrote:
Hi Stuart and welcome to the forum from sunny Herts. How long have you been playing? Like people have said, blues is a feel thing, it's quite instinctive knowing when to pitch bend, wander off tempo etc. Have fun with it.

Been down so long it seems like up to me.

Cheers, Howlin' Bob