BLUESJAMTRACKS.

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Lesson notes: J AZ Z CORNER 1


ONE-CHORD GROOVE

This sort of groove is common in rock, funk and modal jazz. To keep things interesting, you cant just
use your favourite old blues scale licks. Over a funky groove in A minor, this solo is mostly blues-based,
but also includes some chromatic lines (bars 14/16), some string skipping and various arpeggios,
suggesting chord changes that arent actually there. Theres a G major arpeggio in bars 6 and 10, a D13
arpeggio in bars 12/13 and an E7b9 arpeggio in bar 15.


OCTAVE/MODAL

The first section uses octave melodies (in the style of Wes Montgomery) over a Gmaj7#11-E9 groove.
Remember to angle your index finger so that it mutes the string in between the two octave notes.

The second section is a solo over the same chords, using a modal approach. The G Lydian mode (G A
B C# D E F#) is used over the Gmaj7#11 chord, while the E Mixolydian (E F# G# A B C# D) is used
over the E9.


MODES

This solo uses different modes for different parts of the chord sequence. For the first pair of chords
(Cmaj7-Am9) the scale is C Lydian (C D E F# G A B) which also give the effect of A Dorian over the
Am9. In a similar way, the G Lydian (G A B C# D E F#) is used over the Gmaj7-Em9 section. Finally, Bb
Mixolydian (Bb C D Eb F G Ab) is used over the Bb13 chord.


DOMINANT DOMAIN

A dominant chord is one that contains a major 3
rd
and minor 7
th
, such as G7 (G B D F). Dominant
chords can also be extended with 9ths, 11ths or 13ths (G9, G11, G13) or turned into altered dominants
by sharpening or flattening the 9
th
or 5
th
(7#9, 7b9, 7#5, 7b5).

This backing uses a simple II-V-I progression, so its the V (the dominant chord) that you need to watch.
In the solo youll see the A superlocrian mode (A Bb C Db Eb F G) in bar 2 - this is very common for
creating an altered dominant sound. In bars 6 and 10, youll see the diminished scale (A Bb C Db D E
F# G) which is built from alternating half-tones and whole-tones. And in bar 22, theres a descending line
using the whole-tone scale (A B C# D# F G).


SLOW FUNKY

This solo uses the A Dorian mode (A B C D E F# G) and the funky groove gives you plenty of space to
experiment with phrasing. The rhythm has a swing triplet feel, but its on the 16
th
notes, rather than the
8
th
notes. So instead of each beat being split evenly into four 16
th
notes, youll hear a long-short-long-
short pattern.


STRAIGHT AHEAD

A lot of jazz features fast tempos in a triplet-based swing feel, so its important to be comfortable with
this sort of groove. Dont feel you have to play streams of notes over every beat as you would at slow
tempos the tempo is so fast, you can safely leave a gap of two or three beats between your phrases,
and it wont sound wrong.

The main scale used here is the A Dorian (A B C D E F# G) but the underlying harmony is very simple
to allow you to concentrate on the phrasing.


GIMME FIVE

Another harmonically simple solo, using just the G major scale (G A B C D E F#). The main feature is
the 5/4 time signature, which could cause problems if youve only ever jammed in 4/4! Take your time,
listen to the backing as you play, and dont be afraid to leave lots of breathing space between the
phrases.


SWING RHYTHM

Without the concept of swing, jazz would sound very different. Basically, each beat is subdivided into
three, creating a triplet feel. However, if you just play the first and third note of each triplet, youll get the
familiar swing 8ths.


JAZZY BLUES

This funky groove in A minor is designed to explore some uses of the A minor pentatonic (A C D E G).
However, the sparse groove means you have space to move around and explore other notes, and bars
8-12 feature the B minor pentatonic (B D E F# A). This generates a whole new sound without straying
from the basic A Dorian (A B C D E F# G) sound of the backing.

In a similar fashion, bars 13-14 feature the E minor pentatonic (E G A B D). This whole technique is
known as pentatonic substitution and every major scale or mode contains three minor pentatonic
scales. As weve seen for A Dorian

A Dorian (A B C D E F# G) contains
A C D E G (Am pentatonic)
B D E F# A (Bm pentatonic)
E G A B D (Em pentatonic)


BLUESY JAZZ

Just to prove that jazz doesnt have to be a terrifying trip through complex chords and scales youve
never heard of, this solo uses only the A blues scale (A C D Eb E G) but derives its jazz feel from the
funky swing rhythm. Look out for the phrases starting on the off-beat (end of bar 5, middle of bar 11) and
the string skipping (bar 14) and try to create plenty of melodic and rhythmic interest in your own solo.