Blues in the key of D: jam track lesson – lesson 1: shape 1.
This is the first lesson in the D Blues Scale guitar series. The lesson series include audio (jam tracks), scale diagrams and instructions.
Instructions
The D Blues scale (see diagram below) can be used over the whole track, including three chords D7, G7 and A7. But consider the following:
1) Think about how you address the 3rd (F) in the scale over the I chord (D7). It mismatches the F# in the D7 chord. A common procedure is to micro-bend 3rd, a 1/4 bend, that is. On the other side, the F note will sound great to land on when the progression shifting to G7.
2) Over the IV chord (G7) the flat 7th in the scale, the C note, will sound unsatisfying.
Scroll down for chord progression.
Start the jam track by pressing the play button in the audio element below and use the notes presented in the diagram and try to improvise in the style of blues.
Dividing scales into shapes is a standard method for learning them. It helps the process of establish a visual acquaintance over the whole fretboard. This lesson focus on the shape 1 of the D Blues scale played in 10th position. The shape is natural to start with. It has relatively easy fingerings, partly because the pattern only includes four frets. The following lessons in this series will focus on the remaining four main shapes.
One thing to take notice of is the three notes without any gaps on the 5th string, a chromatic sequence. The second note, that on the 11th fret is a "blue note" and is mainly used as passing notes (a note that you don't stay on for a longer time).
Try to make use of techniques such as slides, bends, vibrato and hammer-ons when improvising with the D Blues scale over the jam track.
Explanations
Chords and structure - This blues jam track in in 12/8 time is structured as a 12-bar song, by far the most common song structure in blues. It also follows the standard approach by only incorporate three chords, which are the I, IV and V chords based on the D Major. The chords are played in a progression as seen below:
12-bar structure chords in each chorus.
D7
D7
D7
D7
G7
G7
D7
D7
A7
G7
D7
A7
Each bar last for four seconds. The complete structure is played three times (notice that in the last repeat, the A7 in the 12th bar is replaced with a D7) and the repeats starts over at 00:52 and 1:40. The more you jam over 12-bar blues tracks with I, IV and V chords, the more you train your ear to hear the chord changes.
Lessons overview
D Blues Scale guitar series include these lessons:
