Classical Giving you the Blues Ditching the Monocle and Top Hat for Beginning Blues Vocabulary in Class Guitar

When do I begin? Assuming use of Class Guitar Resources Guitar II Textbook After 2nd position melodies Don’t have to wait until “jazz” chords are taught Key of A and can use open position chords for Blues Progression

12 Bar Blues in A A7A7A7A7 D7D7A7A7 E7D7A7(A7)if ending (E7) if repeating A7 D7 E7

Problems in improvisation: Memory Solo components without the aid or reminders of notation/tablature Participation/Difficulty/Vocabulary Getting the majority to play Having a variety of things to play Making it easy: Tab/Fingerings/Modeling Musical Creativity Composing something musical

Difficulty Written out Solos for Jazz/Blues Songs Best examples of trying to alleviate aversion to soloing You’ll Get Rhythm Solo Fixed improve Less effective Here’s the pentatonic scale Imitate the rhythm of the melody/go up and down the scale Too much to choose from No clear instructions on sounding “cool”

Books used and referenced today Aaron Shearer – Learning the Classic Guitar Part 1 and 2 Dan Greenblatt –The Blues Scales:Essential Tools for Jazz Improvisation Brian Kane – Constructing Melodic Jazz Improvisation

Memory Aaron Shearer’s Philosophy: Visualization through Solfege Handout Fixed-Do Visualizing short phrases to put the whole together

Vocabulary Dan Greenblatt 64 Two measure motives *memory More if you use the song melodies Explanations of how/when to use ideas Incredible book Musical Creativity…..later

Beginning Have them play through the Pentatonic and Blues Scales to familiarize them to the scale before teaching the licks. Fingers 1 and 4 or 1 and 3

Legwork Transposing Solfege Beat adjustment/eliminating some pick up notes Tablature Right Hand Fingerings for notation

Altered to begin on beat 1 Transposed to Key of A. Tablature Solfege RH Fingerings Demo Tablature

Me spelled Meh For correct pronunciation

Elimination of pick up note

No Learning? Given Tab/Fingerings and even (for now) give them the solfege No Learning if your primary concern is teaching to read from notation Remember: Already gone through 2 nd position sight reading and melodies in Guitar II Book Happy accident if they learn the licks from notation and left hand fingerings Incredible amount of learning if the focus is memory We’re replacing the repetition that occurs in someone obsessed with learning a melodic idea. * Have you ever learned a classical piece by ear?

Process: Two Licks at a Time Teach Solfege on monotone pitch You do – they do For swing rhythm/articulations – circumventing rhythm problems Assuming you know how to teach swing rhythm If you “swing” like a classical “dweeb” that’s o.k. – You know what you know! Get better! Students learn the notes of lick in 2 nd position on the guitar In essence matching the notes learned to the solfege you taught They are given the same solfege handout Sing the pitches of the lick using solfege Teaching internalization of the licks Beginning internalization of pentatonic scale Play notes on guitar/Sing solfege together Memory: connecting muscle memory to solfege

Video Process

Playing the licks Six students assigned or choose one lick Determine the order they will play Call out name of student about to play one measure before Dylan two three four Students can do this for each other in small groups OR Three students play two licks Determine the order they will play Call out name of student about to play one measure before

VIDEO Playing the licks from 1-6 Could be any order I teach sixteen How the students receive the licks Two licks at a time Detached Before when the licks were four to a page I would ask for solos and students would just play them in order(reading) I can now put their licks in a bag. Have them pull them out randomly. Set them up randomly or in whatever order I choose

Using the licks? Back to You’ll Get Rhythm Solo AEF#mD A EDA

Antecedent/Consequent Easiest way to get across “Tell a story” “Make it feel like there’s a conversation”

Antecedent/Consequent Demo in Acrobat All the licks that end on “Do” are Consequent All the licks that don’t end on “Do” are Antecedent

Creativity Constructing Melodic Jazz Improvisation by Brian Kane Using predetermined rhythms for soloing Full 12 bar blues solos with only rhythm given Starts by using only two notes of pentatonic scale Then three….four….etc

EXCELLENT IDEA!! Limiting notes used Predetermined rhythms Difficulty Requires someone to play entire 12 bar blues Can alter and divide into two measures like Greenblatt book I’m looking for everyone to play? Apply to Greenblatt vocabulary Use rhythms of licks they already know Kane book philosophy of: 2 notes, 3 notes, etc..

Predetermined Rhythms for Improvistion General Rules for creating melodies Only allowed to use two notes. Then three etc. Limit to three strings to avoid large leaps and encourage contour Rising in an antecedent phrase, Falling in a consequent Antecedent end = Not “Do” Consequent ends on “Do”

Using the licks? Back to You’ll Get Rhythm Solo AEF#mD A EDA

Apply to other tunes besides 12 Bar Blues or Songs in the Guitar II Book ANYTHING!

Modulation Determine the key of your song “Do” (4 th Finger 6 th String) Move to note that is tonic of key Ta-da All licks are contained in position Don’t need to read new licks in new position Photoshop Demo