LESSON FOURTEEN
The Note C Sharp ( C#)
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76 | Greensleeves |
This traditional English song uses the note C# as well as C@. It also contains both Bb and B@ .
The Blues Scale
A common sound used for improvising in Blues, Rock and Jazz is the Blues scale. It sounds great when played on the flute. The following example is the G Blues scale.
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77 | G Blues scale |
Here are some examples which demonstrate the use of the Blues scale.
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Enharmonic Notes
There is often more than one way of writing a particular note. E.g.: the note C sharp can also be called D flat. These two notes have exactly the same sound and the same fingering. Therefore, either spelling of the note may occur in the written music. This is called enharmonic spelling of the same note. The G Blues scale is often written using a Db note instead of an C# note. The following example uses both versions of this note.
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This 12 Bar Blues solo is derived entirely from the G Blues scale and makes use of the note Db instead of C#.
Mixing Different Scales
It is worth comparing the notes of the Blues scale with those of the major scale. Here are the notes of both scales. The numbers written under the note names are the scale degrees which indicate the position of each note in the scale.
Notice that the Blues scale contains both the b5 and the @5. It does not contain the degrees 2 or 6. Altogether, the Blues scale contains six different notes, whereas the major scale contains seven different notes. The major scale used by itself does not sound very bluesy. However, in Blues, Rock and Jazz, melodies often contain notes from both of these scales as shown in the following 12 bar Blues.
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84 | Roll and Tumble Blues |
This 12 Bar Blues uses many of the things you have learned in the book. Practice this piece slowly to begin with, gradually increasing the tempo when you are comfortable with the piece. There are no breath marks in this piece, but by now you should be able to work out the best places to breathe.
Anywhere a rest occurs is usually a good place to take a breath. If there are no rests, breathe at the end of any whole note or half note. You now have enough musical knowledge to begin improvising, which means creating your own melodies as you play. Try varying the notes of some of the songs and examples in the book, and then make up some of your own phrases based on them.
The 12 bar Blues is an excellent progression for improvising, particularly with the Blues scale. Experiment and have fun!
For more books and recordings by Peter Gelling, visit: www.petergelling.com
