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Major minor blues confusion

For me "Big Walker" is the blues "personified"! We didn't play so much when I played with him. He told his stories, some playing, more stories, playing ..... . Not much scales up and down. Play what you want. It's the blues. But he gave me the Bobby Forte workout charts. Bobby Forte was Big Walkers saxophone teacher back in the 70's in San Fransico. Here is an interview with BW in Bangkok.

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thomsax said:
But he gave me the Bobby Forte workout charts. Bobby Forte was Big Walkers saxophone teacher back in the 70's in San Fransico.
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Interesting. What are those "Bobby Forte workout charts ?

Rhys
 
Most of them are long tone exercises; differnt patterns, volume, note bending .... . Not so much about focus on the high tones. Forte had a rich mid and low register. Big Walker told me that Bobby Forte took him to bars and he was suposed to entertain and play for the guests for a hour with his saxophone. Just Big Walker and his saxophone.
 
SML = Strasse Marigaux Lemiex

Small French outfit that is amongst their cult following is the ONE Their sound is often described as a cross between a Mark VI and a Series 2 Super 20.

The Rev D and the Gold Medal 1 are the best models of the 25,000 odd saxes they built.
 
Jazzaferri said:
if you don't understand the blues.....forget about playing them for a while and listen to the greats.....there are dozens of lists, many styles. I suggest you learn what the harp does in the blues...Lil Walter, Paul Butterfield or others and learn to play like that.

If you don't hear it in your head, you wont be able to play anything real, and you sure don't need theory or scales to play the blues. its mostly about rhythm(spaces between notes), feel and in between tones. You do need to be proficient in F# and B if your a tenor player or C# and Ab if your an alto person.
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Shouldn't that be C# and A?
 
BrianJoeSandy said:
Shouldn't that be C# and A?
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I think it might be meant to be concert A and concert E (popular keys for guitarists) and so F# and C# for Eb transposing instruments. That would equate to B and F# for Bb transposing instruments.

Rhys
 
rhysonsax said:
I think it might be meant to be concert A and concert E (popular keys for guitarists) and so F# and C# for Eb transposing instruments. That would equate to B and F# for Bb transposing instruments.

Rhys
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Just about no one other than a guitarist would consider E to be a 'nice' key. On stringed instruments such as violin, viola, and cello, it's awkward and any transposing instrument that's 'flat side' such as Bb or Eb instruments like trumpets, saxes etc are going to be very unhappy with fistfulls of sharps in the key signature...
 
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I love concert E!!! Rock & Roll! I don't read this kind of music. Just play and have fun. For readers the bari charts can be wriiten as Db (five flats)! Make life a little more easier. And the F# blues scale is just two sharps?

Some good tenor honking in concert E. Southern Rock! Jimmy Carpenter on tenorsax with Mike Zito and the Wheel. "Night Time Is The Right Time" An old blues song from the 30's that Ray Charles made famous in the 50's and later Creedence Clewater Rivaval. Concert E and a piercing Lawton mouthpiece. Me like.

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thomsax said:
I love concert E!!! Rock & Roll! I don't read this kind of music. Just play and have fun. For readers the bari charts can be wriiten as Db (five flats)! Make life a little more easier. And the F# blues scale is just two sharps?

Some good tenor honking in concert E. Southern Rock! Jimmy Carpenter on tenorsax with Mike Zito and the Wheel. "Night Time Is The Right Time" An old blues song from the 30's that Ray Charles made famous in the 50's and later Creedence Clewater Rivaval. Concert E and a piercing Lawton mouthpiece. Me like.
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Plus memphis Soul Stew King Curtis. Mind you I think it changes to A when the tenor solo starts

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Yes I transposed Tenor B instead of Concert A....happens a lot these days......what few I have left are grey.......walk into room and forget why I came...that sort of thing so F# and C# for alto are what I meant to post LOL.
 
Jazzaferri said:
Yes I transposed Tenor B instead of Concert A....happens a lot these days......what few I have left are grey.......walk into room and forget why I came...that sort of thing so F# and C# for alto are what I meant to post LOL.
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My current favourite is transposing the wrong way: "You're in B so I'm in D - off we go!" It doesn't work for long. It's even better if I do that when I've got a tenor round my neck.
 
Rofl.....I do that one too....so glad I have company

Now I don't feel so badly
 
Pete Thomas said:
Plus memphis Soul Stew King Curtis. Mind you I think it changes to A when the tenor solo starts

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Yes, it starts with E7 chord and when King Curtis says "beat well" it goes to a A7 and the rest of the song is a 12 bar blues (funky) in concert A. King Curtis recorded a song in June 1967 that was close to "Memphis Soul Stew" (no talk intro) it was called Home Cookin'. Jr Walker released his "Home Cookin' (b/w Mutiny) in 1968.
 
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what is important is learning which notes you can hold a long time...a blues progression like C..F.. G . CEG, FAC,,GBD..THE G will play over them....if you play a B you change the c cord to a 7 the works over the F like a susp 4th and is in the G cord same with the C note ...fast passing tones often work no matter how dissonant they are. the A is another good one. changes the c to a 6 cord and the G to a 9 cord best to play it high and away from the bass though. the fast passing tones like i said are easier to make work it is the notes you hold on you need to think about.
 
What really makes the blues work are the notes between the notes
 
Any sax player who is into blues or rock will be fluent in F#, B and E if Tenor or C# (Db) F# and B if alto. There are things one can do on guitar in those keys that one cant do in other keys, which is part of why they are so popular, even with guys who can play in any key.
 
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