Filling in and Soloing with the Blues

[SostenutO]

I have soo much trouble with this. I listen to all of these great Blues and Jazz pianists and they do the greatest things. How do I make my 12Bar blues etc sound so.....bluesy. They slip off so many notes and add so many grace notes etc and it sounds so great. Listen to Ray Charles, his progressions, comping and soloing sound just so bluesy. How do I do these things. My soloing sounds so...blah.

[Poparad]

Go to the source. Take those players you listed and learn some of their licks. Either learn it by ear off the recordings, or find a book of transcriptions. Usually blues and jazz blues is pretty straight forward, so it's not that hard to figure out what their doing. Learn the lines they play, learn what it is about those lines you like, and play along with the recording and try to match the feel and inflection they put in the notes.

[SostenutO]

I've tried, I even slow down the songs and I cannot get it down. They use all of these really bluesy licks with all of these grace notes. How can I sound like that?

[Mateo150]

Pops right as usual, but where are you having probs? ideas or physical ability/coordination.

I had ideas, just lacked a lot of coordination... I was given some stuff to help me out with if thats what your problem is.

Edit: ummm... well... "how can I sound like that"... I think we've said that one before..

[SostenutO]

I you put a Ray Charles lick in front of me I could play it and I'd be happy because I played somethig really bluesy. My problem is I don't know how to improvise something so bluesy. It's the ideas I guess. I don't know how they make all of those real bluesy sounds with all the gracenotes etc.

[Poparad]

That's where the analysis comes in. Which notes are they putting the grace notes on? What scale are they using (probably pentatonic or blues) and what order are they putting the notes in? Which notes do they start and stop on? What sort of rhythms are they using?

It's a slow process, but the only way to ingrain a style is to listen a lot, study what you're listening to, and play what you're listening to. It won't happen over night, but you'll soon get a couple of licks under your fingers (either your own or from records you've heard) and you'll just build from there. Eventually what makes those lines sound the way they do will become second nature.

[SostenutO]

so basically just keep listening to these songs and it will eventually develop? right my "soling" is basically going up and down blues scales etc something sliding off black notes and it sounds decent. I wanted to know exactly what you said poparad, which notes they put the grace notes on and why etc. I need to analyze this better. Any more tips plz? lol

[Mateo150]

well, "grace notes" for one thing isn't really a piano term, I mean, its a vibe, but its not that good if your trying to learn.

I started out with a standard 12 bar F maj Blues, walking bassline with the left, then embellishing with the right. i wouldn't call it "grace" music, more like blues boogie style. Its was a Duke Ellington piece I believe. I'll write it out for ya...

Eventually you can start mixing and matching, playing chords and bassline in the left, bass note with the rest of the voicing in the right... etc....

Basically if you keep doing what your doing, I'm not sure how far you'll get... a teacher really really helps...

not 100% sure if this is correct, the turnaround isn't like that, but thats a simple version of the turnaround...

[Poparad]

A 'grace note' is when you approach a targeted note with a very quick note either a half or whole step above or below.

[Mateo150]

oh, never heard that term before.


P.S. - that Duke Ellington thing is in Fmaj Blues... solo in F mixolydian or dorian or pentatonic, er whatever, experiment. get comfortable, throw in other basslines, chords, chord partials, etc...

guess I kinda butted in... sorry bout that.

[Poparad]

That wasn't butting in... all contributions are welcome.

[curiousgeorge]

Put your soul in it brothaman! You have to convince yourself before you can convince an audience. This applies to all styles. I saw Steve Vai play last night, and let me tell you, his soul was in every single note. The music will come if you focus on feel rather than technique...

[UKRuss]

Isn't it going to sound a bit nasty if you throw your Dorian licks over a major chord?

[Poparad]

On a simple major chord, yes, dorian would be a bit dissonant. However, in the blues, the chords are all dominant 7th chords, which are by nature unstable and tense. Because of this, you can get away with just about any note and it won't sound too wrong, depending on how you use it. Dorian is actually a pretty hip sounding scale as an alternative to the blues scale or minor pentatonic.

[UKRuss]

Ah yes, the 7ths no problem.

It was just the Duke Ellington thing was being specified as Fmaj so I wondered...

I'm always happy to stick my Dorian licks in wherever I can get away with them no problem there!