Blues in the key of D – jam track lesson.
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. Although, over the IV chord (G7) the 6th degree of the scale, the C note, is recommended to mostly avoid (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 establishing a visual acquaintance over the whole fretboard. Lesson 1 focus on the shape 1 played in 10th position, which is natural to start with - the following lessons in this series will focus on the remaining four main shapes.
The first shape has relatively easy fingerings, partly because the pattern only includes four frets.
One thing to take notice of is the three notes without any gaps on the 5th string. The second note, that on the 11th fret is a so-called blue note. This 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 is the I, IV and V chords based on the D Major. The chords are played as seen below:
12-bar structure chords in each chorus.
D7
D7
D7
D7
G7
G7
D7
D7
A7
G7
D7
D7
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 with 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:
