1. Pick a major key ballad, country song, country blues or jazz blues sequence and have the student improvise over it using the blues scale patterns as country scale. 2. There are several ways to get the student to look at this:
a. Use the method described in the previous objective – put the 4th finger on the key note on the 6th string and play a 1st position blues scale pattern that aligns with that.
b. Work out what key the song is in, put your 2nd finger on the key note on the 6th string and play a 2nd position blues scale pattern.
c. Locate the key note on the 6th string and then think three frets down and start a 1st position blues scale pattern there.
d. The traditional music theory approach:- the relative minor scale is built on the VI note of the major key. So count up the major scale to step VI and that tells you the 'key' to play blues scales in.
Go over each of these methods with the student and have them decide which one to adopt.
3. Encourage the student to hunt down melody on this scale, they won't usually find every note of the melody, but they should be able to get close enough to play a solo that suggests the melody of the song.
4. Continue working on a good variety of songs from different genres if possible. Objective 3. Student able to mix blues and country scale over the same backing Methods:
1. Tell your student that, as far as this level of key-based improvising goes, songs can be divided into three broad categories:
i] Songs that they must use the 'straight' blues scales over (typically: minor blues, minor ballads with a blues feel) ii] Songs that they must use the country scale over
(major ballads, country and folk songs in major keys, trad jazz songs) iii] Songs that allow you to mix both blues and country scales together (major key 12 bars, some rock songs, country and jazz blues)
Tell them only experience can really help them decide when to use which. 2. Play an 8-bar country blues like this:
12/8 A |A7 |D |D7 |
A F#m B E |A D |A E :||
Get them to solo over this sequence using blues scales over one verse then shifting the patterns down three frets to use country scales over the next verse. 3. After they have got the hang of this, stop and ask if they can hear how the change of scales causes a definite energy shift, or change in feel, from one verse to the next.
4. Now ask them to solo over the first four bars using blues scales and then switch to country scales for the last four bars. Try this a couple of times, then reverse it: country scale over the first four bars, blues over the last half of the song.
5. Now encourage your student to play one phrase using blues scales followed by another phrase using country scales. This may take a bit of coaching, because it is quite easy for them to lose their bearings with this.
6. Finally ask them to experiment with starting a phrase in the blues scale and ending it in the country scale and vice versa – mixing the scales completely.
7. Switch to another song with a similar feel and repeat the same process. Continue this until the student can mix scales reasonably freely without getting too disorientated.
Objective 4. Student able make up their own mind about which approach to use over a given song.
Methods:
1. Tell your student that you are going to play a number of different songs and that, for each song, you want them first to try to work out which key the song is in. Then you want them to work out whether soloing over the song is best approached, by using the blues scales, country scales or a mixture of both. 2. Start off with nice clear cut tunes that leave the student little room for doubt about their approach. Observe how the student goes about discerning the key of the song and coach them towards using their ears to figure out where the song resolves.
3. To begin with they should then simply use trial and error to determine which scales work best. Again, coach as necessary. Avoid being too judgemental, because often the decision about whether one approach works better than another is a decision of taste and style, and our perception of this is seldom shared exactly by others!
4. Make sure you select a good variety of songs. Continue this exercise all the time the student is gaining confidence. Stop and coach them if they are struggling. 5. Once the student can cope really well with this exercise tell them that they now have an approach to improvising which is workable over 99% of the music they are likely to hear and that they should practice by playing along to records or to the radio. Song after song, find the key, try different approaches and listen to hear what works best. If they don't practice this in between lessons then spend lesson time doing it instead.
Lesson plan 26: MINOR KEY BLUES Suitable for:
Any student with an interest in learning to play blues, jazz, country or rock guitar. Prerequisites:
Section 2 (Beginning improvising) completed quite thoroughly. General Objective:
To familiarize the student with minor blues Summary of this lesson plan:
A look at how minor blues sequences tend to differ from major and some tips about how to solo over them
Stress:
This is an introductory lesson so no need to go in too deep on the theory of different minor scales etc. The idea at this stage, is to focus more on the rhythm aspect and to become acquainted with typical minor blues sequences. Minor scales are dealt with in greater detail under the Jazz and Theory sections.
Materials required: None
Special equipment required: None
Objectives and methods:
Objective 1. Student introduced to the two main approaches to harmonising minor