HOW TO SOLO ON A JAZZ BLUES – PART 2
By Travis Jenkins, JMI lecturer
(Guitar, Jazz Materials, Ensemble, Jazz Composition)
In Part 1 of How to Solo on a Jazz Blues, we looked at using the melody and different formations of the major and minor blues scale to improvise over the basic blues chord progression.
For Part 2, we’re going to look at using chord tones…
The main issue we identified with using scales as the source material for improvisation on a jazz blues is that they can be a bit too harmonically vague. So in order to more accurately outline the chord changes we need to focus our melodies around the chord tones.
For this we will part ways with the basic I7 IV7 V7 blues changes and look to the more commonly used chords on a jazz blues.
The basic blues changes using only chords I7, IV7 and V7:
The common jazz blues changes:
There is a lot more harmonic movement in the common jazz blues variation on the 12 bar form and so it is very important to be able to familiarise yourself with the chord tones by arpeggiating each of the chords:
This alone is not a very musical approach to improvising, but is a necessary step towards being able to clearly outline the chord changes in your solos. There are countless ways that you can practice this.
One approach is weaving arpeggios. This idea alternates between ascending and descending arpeggios on each chord which is good practice for learning different inversions:
Another approach is range restrictive practice. This idea limits the range to one octave but allows for freedom of choice in the order of the chord tones to promote stronger voice leading. This example restricts the range of the exercise from E to E:
The exclusive use of arpeggios does not make for a very interesting solo, and for very good reason. Melodies made from only using chord tones lack a very important musical element… Tension. Tension is critical for narrative building and to do this melodically we need to explore some sounds that can go between the chord tones.
Red Garland’s solo on C Jam Blues has some great examples of arpeggiation though this is being applied in a rhythmically tasteful way, while also being broken up by blues scale language and some other melodic devices…
Paul Chambers’ solo on “Trane’s Blues” has a similar approach at times…