aaron blumenfeld - blues boogie

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T H I S BO O K I S D ED I CAT E D TO MY W I F E

BARBARA

A c a s se t t e t a pe of t he tw e lve b lue s p i a no i mpr ov i sa t i on sin th i s book i s ava i lab le .

S e nd 5.95 to:

Aaron Blumenfe ld , 2887 Tu la r e Avenue , R ic hmon d , CA 9 4 8 0 4



T BLE O a S

ntroduction vi

About The Author iii

I ST LOUIS BLUESL e s s o n 2

usic 6

1 1 SQUARE MNCE BLWSLesson 5

Music 8

I11 BACKWATER BOOGIEesson 24

Music 29

V SEE SEE RIDEResson 41

Music 48

V TROWLED I N MIND BOOQIEesson 59

usic 63

V I SHAKINn LOOSEesson 72

usic 76

VII BACKWATER B LW Sesson 81

usic 86

VIII RIFF BOOaIEesson 98

Music 03

IX ST LOUIS BLUES STOMPLesson 114

usic 119

X TRomLg I N MIND BLUESesson 127

Music 130

XI FOUR O CLOCK B L W SLesson 139

usic 147

XI1 CALIFORNIALesson 159

Music 63

onclusion 170

Index 71



INTRODUCTION

This collection of blues piano improvisations came about graduallyduring a thirteen year period of teaching the art of pianoimprovisation at the University of California, Berkeley Extension.Occasionally, either at private lessons or in the classroomrimprovisations such as these were performed for the purpose ofdemonstrating how to put together a complete blues piano solo. Theywere played in as clear and uncomplicated a manner as possible,following a predetermined, well prepared outline. Every blues pianotechnique that had been studied in class was represented in thisoutline and was demonstrated in a basic, almost elementary way sothat it would be immediately recognizable and easily understood inthis new context. Except for SQUARE DANCE BLUES and CALIFORNIABREAKDOWN (which were taped for a recording produced in 1980) theseimprovisations were taped during these lessons and after a period ofyears enough suitable examples had accumulated to create thispedagogical work.

The outline used as the basis of most of these improvisationsfollows a specific musical form known as theme and variations.This is appropriate for a vocal art such as the blues wherein thevocalist repeats a basic chantlike melody many times, using a newset of words for each repetition. In instrumental music such assolo blues piano, lacking a text to provide new impetus from chorusto chorus, it is up to the pianist to create something captivatingenough to maintain interest. To this end the blues pianist generallydevelops a collection of techniques which are featured one by oneduring each song. The secret of blues and jazz piano improvisationis that a performer acquires a body of right hand techniques which

are available to be employed for each and every piece performed,with the left hand providing changes in bass patterns, tempos andkeys from song to song. Since the rule is, a change of bass patternequals a change in style, it is fascinating to observe how completelyfresh a particular tune will sound when the left hand introducesnew bass patterns from piece to piece while the right hand retainsthe same music. This impression of freshness is especially enhancedwhen each piece is,played in a new key at a different tempo.To summarize, because the right hand techniques remain constantand since a great number of blues songs have their origins in justa handful of prototypical blues songs (1) it could almost be saidthat the blues artist knows only one blues piece (so to speak)which is playe'd at fast, medium and slow tempos, in various keysover many kinds of bass patterns.

(1) Book I:. Prototypical Blues Songs, P. 220-223



The general outline used as the basis of most of the improvisationsin this collection is presented here, while a more specific outline,usually varying somewhat from this general outline accompanies'each piece.

FORM OUTLINE FOR SOLO BLUES PIANO IMPROVISATION

I. THEME1. Variation #1: Tremolos2. Variation #2: Glissandos3. Variation #3: Melodic Variation4. Variation #4: Repeated ~ o t e s Chords

11. BREAK; theme resumed on line 2 of harmony chart5. Variation 5: Grace Notes6. Variation #6: Melodic Variation (Thumb-Pinky ~echnique)7. Variation #7: Rocking Motion

111. THEME: FINAL STATEMENT, CADENCE TAG

Since the theme and variations form in the blues consists ofrepeating a blues song over and over following a particular harmonicprogression as outlined by a harmony chart, (1) an appropriateharmony chart is presented before each piece.

In most of these pieces the featured variation technique takes placeduring the first two lines of each turn around the chart, followed bya return to the theme on the third line.

Most of the introductions (2) follow a commonly used formulaconsisting of a simple statement of the final four measures of thetheme leading directly to the beginning of the song.

Note: In the footnotes throughout this book repeated reference is madeto Book I , i.e. the previous book in this series, THE ART OF BLUES

AND BARRELHOUSE PIANO IMPROVISATION first published in 1980 andrepublished as THE BLUES, BOOGIE AND BARRELHOUSE PIANO WORKSHOPin 1992 by Ekay Publishers (3) ) .

1) Book I; Harmony Chart, p. 24-252) Book I: Introductions, p. 204-2083 ) Available from Songbooks Unlimited, P O Box 1950, Ridgely MD 21681



I M P R O V I S AT I O N 1

ST L O U I S B L U E S



ST. LOUIS BLUES

FORM OUTLINE

I. THEME

1. Variation 1: Melodic Variation

2. Variation 82: Tremolos

3. Variation 83: Glissandos

4. Variation 4: Grace Notes

11. BREAK; Theme resumed on line two of chart

5. Variation 5: Rocking Motion

111. THEME (plus Repeated Note Variation)

CHART

DUPLET VS. TRIPLET .RHYTHM

Only the first melody of this three themed blues standard appearsin this improvisation. The most notable aspect of this renditionof ST. LOUIS BLUES is that it is in duplet rhythm (1) rather thanthe more commonly used triplet rhythm of most blues and jazz music,

thus indicating that it is probably closer stylistically to classicalragtime or White folk music rather than New Orleans Marching Bandor any other early jazz music. To understand the differencebetween these two rhythmic catagories, it would be worth comparingthis duplet rhythm version of ST. LOUIS BLUES with the version intriplet rhythm appearing on page 119 of this collection.

(1) Book I: Duple Rhythm, P. 198-201



VARYING THE BREAK

During the break the left hand abandons the bass regi st er , as 1 scustomary, but doesn't discontinue its rocking motion as o ne wouldexpect. Instead , it continues its rocking motion while the right handplays a series of moving tremolo s, with the subtle ins ertion ofglissandos and grace notes thus lending sophistication to a series of

tremolos that could easily sound stylistically inap propri ate otherwise.)

POLYRHYTHMIC MELODIC FIGURE

Measures 6 8 and 6 9 of the break variat ion page 11 ) containan interesting and typical polyrhythmic figure consisting o f aconstantly repeated pattern of three eighth notes in t he r igh t handagainst the continuing four eighth note bass patte rn, with thesharply accented grace notes highlighting the resulting crossrhythms.

CHANGE OF REGISTER: BLUES DYNAMICS

The rock ing chord technique of Var ia tion 5 page 12 1 playedat the dynamic level of FF is a good example of a suddeq revitalizingchange of register. Th e downward progression of the melod ic lineafter this outburst is very characteristic of blues music. It is asthough a sudden explosion of anger is followed by an equall y suddenexpression of resign ation and despair.

DIVERGENCE FROM CHART IN NUMBER O F MEASURES

The occasional addition or omission of measures or parts of measuresis quite natural in solo blues improvisation and if not overdo ne isquite acceptable. This can be observed in measure 7 3 where a measuretakes the place of the correct measur%,and again in measur e 3 6

of Variation 2 where a measure in occurs.

FINAL THEME VARIED

The final statement of the theme beginning in measure 8 5 consistsof yet another melodic variation, this time combined with a freshblues ornamenta tion, the ad lib. repeated note (1).

MOOD

The mood of this piece is generally nostalgic in the t raditi on oftrain blues, the constantly rolling left hand pattern vaguely

reminicent of turning whe els, while the tremolos, g race notes and

ad lib. repeate d notes of th e rig ht hand recall th e far off wailingand bell-clanging sounds of an old fashioned steam engine train.

(1) Book I: Ad lib. Re peated Notes, P 80-84



HEM E ST L O U I S L U E S



V R I T IO N 1: M E L O D I C V R I T I O N



VARIATION 4 : GRAC E NOTES10.



B R E K11



V R I T I O N 5 : R O C K I N G M O T I O N

. . ? . .

Y YI d- -

g a



I M P R O V I S T I O N 2

S Q U R E D N C E B L U E S



SQUARE DANCE BLUES

FORM OUTLINE

I. THEME

11. THEME REPEATED condensed )

1. Variation 1: Melodic Variation2. Variation 2: Melodic Variation


4. Variation 4: Repeated Melodic Figure



CHART

I. F f F f F f F

11. B b f B b f F f F

111. C f C f F f F



SQUARE DANCE BLUES

THE BARRELHOUSE STYLE

Although i t sounds very ragt imey, SQUARE DANCE BLUES can be broadlyclassified as a barrelhouse piano piece, mainly becau se of i tsadherence to the classic twelve bar blues form with i ts very l imited,highly characterist ic chord progression. The barrelhouse style (1)is usually defined as a mixture o f ragtime and blues , with the swingbass of the ragtime style prevail ing, but not to th e exclusi on ofbasses derived from blues and boogie-woogie sources. ( The barrelhousebass style is exemplified by the sixth piece in this collection,SHAKIN' LOOSE ( page 76 .

VARIOUS STYLISTIC INFLUENCES

However, because SQUARE DANC E BLUES is much closer to White folk musicthan the usual barrelhouse piece , i t sou nds a lot more 1ike.a veryearly folk ragtime or cakewalk composit ion, with i ts unvaryingsingle note swing bass, purely duplet rhythm (2), i ts characterist icragt ime syncopat ions (2) and i t s melodic l ine based o n ; a continual lyshifting major pentatonic scale (2).. In f ac t, th e only ,completelynon-ragtime features of this piece are i ts tw elve bar form (aside fromthe first thirty two measures ( 3) and the prevalence of blue notes.The occasional appearance of blues derived o rnamentations such asgl issandos (measures 31 76) and grace notes (measures 87 891,whi le very character is t ic of the barrelhouse blues s ty le a r e n o taltogether uncommon to th e early ragtime style.

THE RAGTI ME 'OOM-PAH BASS

The left hand l ine of SQUARE DANCE BLUES uses a simple version of thetypical ragtime swing bass ( 4 ) with a very consist ent al ternationbetween one note of a chord played in the l ow register of the pianoon the first half of each quarter note and the ch ord i tself playedin the middle register of the piano on t he se cond half of eachquarter note. The bottom line of this bass i s usually l imited to analternation between the root and fifth of the prevail ing chord,from whence i t derives i ts description as an oom-pah bass. As suchit is generally a bit less sophist icated then i t appear s i n thispiece where the lo w ranging single notes fo rm a captivating melodicline of i ts own. Historical ly, the trend of creati ng challengin gbass l ines became an im portant stylist ic feature of the virtuoso

jazz piano style known as stride piano.

( 1) Book I: Barrelhouse Pian o, P. 143-149(2 ) Book I Pentatonic Scale ( and Duplet Rhythm 1 p. 130-135(3 ) The f i rs t 32 measures can also be unders tood as adhering to t h e '

standard 12 bar blues f orm as follows. Measures 1-32 comprise twotrips around the 12 bar blues chart , with t he first t rip (usingtwo measures in place of one) ending in measure 21 (t hu s omitt ing

the f inal 3 measures) and the second t r ip around the charttaking place in 11 measures ending with measure 32.(4 ) Book I Swing Bass, P. 57-60



THE SHIFTING PENTATONIC SCALE

SQUARE DANCE BLUES provides some examples of the shifting majorpentatonic scale (l ), although somewhat disguised. Except forVariations #1 page 19 ) and #5 page 21 where alternationsbetween the F major scale and the F blues scale take place, thisentire p'iece easily could be transformed i nto a good stud y of the use

of the shifting major pentatonic scale simply by omitting theoccas ional b lue notes throughout as ~ b , h e s ev en th o f t he ~ bchord and ‘ ~ b the seventh of the F chord. ) Variation #31 withthe exception of measures 62 where the blue n'ote A ~ ppears )and Variation #2 , with the exception of measure 54 where the bluenote ~bll ppears are examples of how the shifting pentatonicscale sounds. It is remarkable how much the major pentatonic scaleprevails in this piece: only a t the end of meas ure and from measure92 to measure 93 are chord tones used as the basis for the melodicline.

BLUES SCA LE ADJUSTMENTS

As mentioned above, Variations #1 and # 5 receive the necessaryalterations that must tak e place i n the blues s cale in order toadjust its melodic line to the prevailing chord (2). Melodically,in measu res 33-35 the A natural of the F chord replaces the

Ab of the blues scale in order to conform t o the prevailingF chord, while in measures 37-39 the melody re verts to the blues

scale note of ~ b the flat seventh of the prevail ing Bb chord.As a rule , an authentic, stylistically correct blues soun d i sachieved by using the key blues scale whenever the IV chord appe ars

PERMITTED DISSONANCE

In measure 42, the use of the note ~ b n the right hand as part ofthe F blues scale ) against the ~ 4 o f the C chord in theleft hand ) represents another possibility that of allowing whateverconflicts existing between the blues sc ale and any of the variouschords of the given chart to occur freely (3).

(1 ) Book I: Pentatonic Scal e, P. 130-135(2 ) Book I: Melodic Adjustment, P. 33-35

3 ) Book I: Permitted Dis sona nce, P. 41-42



S Q U A R E D A N C E B L U E Sj=1 1 18

T H E M E

17 h 19 19 ZD



V RI TION 2 >R E P E T

N O T E S



C V R I T I O N




B C K W T E R B O O G I E



BACKWATER BOOGIE

FORM OUTLINE

I INTRODUCTION

11. THEME

1. Variation #1: Tremolos2. Variation #2: Glissandos

3. Variation #3: Melodic Variation

4. Variation #4: Repeated Notes

111. BREAK; Theme resumed on l ine two of char t

5. Variation #5: Grace Notes

6. Variat ion #6: Melodic V ariati on(Thumb-Pinky Technique)

7Variation

7 :Rocking Motion

IV. THEME, FINAL TURN-AROUND TAG

CHART

I. G I C , G I C

11. C , C , G I G

111. D , C , G I G



BACKWATER BOOGIE

THE BLUES SCALE

The most important aspect of BACKWATER BOOGIE is that it remainsentirely in the blues scale throughout. It is doubtful whetheranother such example of a blues piano improvisation consistingexclusively of blues scale materials can be found in the actualblues tradition, but this improvisation was meant to demonstrate thefundamental blues scale sound of the blues as it actually existeebefore its admixture with western, harmonic chordal ) elementsderived from European music.

THE BASIC BLUES CHANT

BACKWATER BLUES is probably the most prototypical blues melody inexistence and it clearly shows how the basic blues melody falls intothe catagory of a chant rather than a melody. It consists ofthe constant repetition of a four note melodic pattern, as in thefolowing example;

This and similar chantlike patterns are repeated many times incountless variations as demonstrated in BACKWATER BOOGIE, beginningwith the presentation of the theme (measures 5-16) and continuinsthroughout the piece wherever the basic melody appears.

A POLYRHYTHMIC REPEATED MELODIC FIGURE

Variation #3, the melodic variation page 33 compresses the abovefundamental chant into the space of three quarter notes, therebycreating an interesting polyrhythmic melodic figure in the right handover the established bass pattern in the left.

BLUES SCALE GLISSANDOS

The glissando patterns utilized in the first three measures ofVariation #2 page 32 ) are intentionally limited to blues scaletones for the purpose of encouraging students to experiment with

as many blues scale patterns as possible before moving on toother combinations

MIXING TECHNIQUES

While featuring the one particular technique of glissandos, variation #2also demonstrates that all the other techniques are always availableand can always be included frequently enough to be interesting andcolorful, as the tremolos in measures 35-36 and repeated notes inmeasures 36-37, but not so much as to cause all variations to soundalike.



REPEATED NOTES

This repeated note (1) variation page 34 ) is typical of the wayit is usually executed in the blues scale, with a few introductory,upward progressing notes in the blues scale before arriving at a p l a t e a ~ ~here in this piece a repeated note combination consisting of two notesof the blues scale takes place. In this case the repeated noteornamentation is played in regular triplet ) rhythm rather than

the equally utilized ad lib. rhythm. As suggeated, other ornamentationtecniques appear also, including grace notes, a glissando and a tremolo.

BLUES SCALE STYLE BREAK (2)

Variation #5 page 35 ) is an example of a break as it might beformulated in an exclusively blues scale piece. Since a break is amusical artifice borrowed from non blues sources it must be suitablyaltered from the form in which it appears in later blues piano styles.The usual formula for a break is a series of repeated chords intriplet rhythm upon the following chord progression, per measure;

I, 1070 (actually #ii 070), I? I7 (in a downward broken chord run)

or, in the key of G ; G, ~ 0 7 0 , 7 , 7 .The problem of using this break in an exclusively blues scale pieceis the sudden appearance of non blues scale chords in this non chordalmilieu, a conflict which can be resolved by delaying the introductionof non blues scale tonesfas is done in the first measure of the break,(measure 63) which avoids the major third of the G chord ( B ), anon blues scale tone. For more color the seventh ( I? ) f the

G chord could have been included in the first measure of the breakwithout stepping out of the bounderies of theblues scale. In measure 64,the GO70 chord, consisting of three tones of the blues scale incombination with one non blues scale tone includes the powerful,

funky blue note , the flat five or sharp four ) tone c# 1

creating a dissonant combination that camouflages the introduction ofthe new tone , E . This diminished seventh chord, in turn, so stronglycalls for resolution into the ~7 chordthat, by this time, the B of theG7 chord is readily accepted, seeming perfectly natural as it appearsin measure 65. In measure 66 , the subsequent downward run in the bluesscale fulfills the expected return to the prevailing mode, replacingthe usual 7th chord broken chord run of the typical non blues scalebreak.

RESUMPTION OF, HEME

Following the break, the expected resumption of the theme on linetwo of the chart is somewhat obscured by the long tremolo beginningin measure 67.

(1) Book I: Repeated Notes, P.68-72(2) Book I:.Breaks, P.209-212



CHANGE OF SPACING AS A VARIAT ION'#

Variation 5 ( page 36 ) , while featuring a series of accentedsyncopated grace notes also demonstrates once again the effectiveness

of a change of spacing (1 ) as a mea ns of variation. This becomesespecially evident with the return in the right hand to t he normal,middle register for the following variation (#6), a re turn acceptedas a welcome release from the extreme tension of the previousmusic i n very high register.

THE THUMB-PINKY TECHNIQUE

In Variation #6 ( page 37 ) , measures 87 through the beginning ofmeasure 94 provide an excellent example of the thumb-pinkytechnique 2 ) wherein a constant ly repeated note is played by thepinky of the right hand while blu es scale patterns are played bythe fingers on the thumb side of the same hand. In measures.94-96

the activity is reversed, with the thumb s ide now playing the repeatednote while t he pinky side plays the melody. The varia tion end s withthe melody returning to the t humb side.

THE BLUES SCALE

Because of the non-chordal nature o f the blues scale and becauseall combinations. f tones in th e blues scale are alw ays acceptableregardless of the prevailing chord of the cha rt, the co ntinu anceof a constant combination of to nes i n the right hand th rougho utthe alternation between two chord s in the le ft works very wellin Variation #7 ( page 38 ) .

BASS. ATTERN VARIATIONIn addition, for the first time i n this piece the ostina tobass pattern is abandoned by th e lef t hand i n fav or of aconstantly rising melod ic line. Th is provides an ad dit ion alinteresting aspect to Variation #7.

(1 ) Book I: Spacing, P 158-1612 ) Book I: Thumb-Pinky Techn iqu e, P. 17 4-176



RESTATEMENT O THEME

The restatement of the theme is quite straightforward. S ince acadence in the blues scale style lacks the distinctive

chord progression common to cadences in later blues st yle s,the execution of the final cadence section in this piece islimited to a downward progressing melodic run into the bassregister, occurring in measures 121-1 22. This could be taken

as an appropriate ending for any piece in the blue s scale.



B C K W T E R B O O G I E

I N T R O D U C T I O N



T H M



V R I T I O N 3 : M E L ODIC V RI T ION



V R I T I O N 4 :R E P E T E D

N O T E S



B R E K3 3 3 -3- 3 3 3 3 5



V R I T I O N 5 : G R C E N O T E S

emprc a c c c n b a t



RIATION 6: M E L O D I C VA R IAT I O N ( T H U M B - P I N K Y T E C H N I Q U E )3 7 3 3



V R I T I O N 7 : R O C K I N G M O T I O N



TH M

I l l

p o o p i t

3 1




S E E S E E R I D E R



SEE SEE RIDER

THE SWING BASS

The most significant feature of this improvisation is the constantuse of the stylistically important "swing bass (1). The swingbass consists of a constant alternation between tones or variouscombinations of tones of a given chord in the left hand, swinging

from either a tone or from an octave or 10th of the chord in lowregister on one beat to either the entire chord or to variouscombinationsofparts of it in the middle range of the piano on thefo1,lowing beat, as in the following example;

Originating with the early blues, this bass eventually became thebasis of an entire jazz style known as "swing", a term whichultimately came to to designate a whole era of American popularmusic.

VARIATION OF THE SWING BASS

In the swing style, the "walking l0thsW, appearing in this pieceinitially in measure 6 represent an important left hand variationoption, since the constantly swinging chords become monotonousif not interspersed with various other techniques. The foremoststride pianists found many ways to enhance the bass line but theuse of passing 1 0 t h ~ as most favored (2). This technique can bemost readily understood as a stepwise progression from one toneof a 7th chord to the next, with the thumb always moving by halfsteps. Thus in a ~7 chord, beginning with the bottom

interval of a major third 1 0 t h ~ re the same as 3rds ) , the thumbpasses from the 3rd of the chord upwards by half steps to the Sth,and again from the 5th of the chord upwards to the 7th,(the7th being the upper limit) as in the following examples;

(1) Book I: Swing Bass, P 57-602 ) Teddy Wilson: Between the Devil the Deep Blue Sea; CBS 62-876

Don Ewell: Honey Babe; FCJ 109 (For left hand swing style variations)



the D in measures 9 10 where, after its initial appea ranceon a syncopated beat this important tone is alluded to sever almore times on off beats before resolving downward t o the Gin measure 11

ALTERATIONS OF THE CHORD CHART

It should be noted that the corre ct chord progression has beena rbi tra ril y altered f rom th e o ri gi na l C ~ 7 , G7, C G7, to~ 7 , 7, C7, from Variation #1 page 50 ) through Varia tion #5. Analteration of this kin d, if tastefully executed and not overd'oneis a desirable option for s olo performers.

AN ELABORATE MELODIC LINE

A notable characteristic of this improvisation is th e elaboratemelodic lin e throughout. Whatever t he designated varia tionmight be, it is always lightly exploited in comparison to m elodicvariation. This is evident in t he first two variations, where thefeatured tremolos and g lissa ndos are limited to the ini:tial fe wmeasures, while followed by an a bundance of melodic var,iationbased upon chord tones (1). The very active melod ic l ine wea vesits way through the notes of each prevailing ch ord, utilizingvarious neighboring tones, such as the half step lower neighbor

as in measure 23 where t he D # a half step lower neighborprogresses to E M , he third of the C chord ) or by the use ofthe two half step lower neighbors of a chord tone as in measure 18

where the D M and the D # are two lower neighbors progressing tothe E , the third of the prevailing C chord ) or by appro achinga chord tone from above as is done on the last beat of measure 25where the A the upper neighbor resolves into the G n r he rootof the prevailing ~ 7 hord. )This method of varying the melodic line is even more evident in thefollowing section, devoted to melodic variation. The two lowerneighbors can be found in measure 42 on the fourth beat, in measure 47from the first to the second beat and in measure 48 on t he secondbeat.

A PERFORMER'S STYLE

In the above examples, the fa ct that is was always t he same tonel

the third of the C chord ) that was selected to be thebasis for the two lower neighbor technique simply demonstratesthat there is a natural inclination for a performer to habituallyutilize a limited number of personal preferences. In fac t, this is

one of the factors leading toward the creation of a perfo rmer'spersonal style and charac teris tic sound.

(1) Book I: Neighboring Tone ( Chord al) Melod y, P. 137-1 42 P. 165-1 72



This stripping away of all unessent ial tones is a very imp ortantskill that can be used a s the basis of all kinds of ' ornament aland melodic variations. However, it must be noted that the aboveexample of how to reduce a melody to its most essential tones isperhaps to o abstract for learning purposes s ince it is a lso

simultaneously an expansion of the first two measure s of themelody, i. e.;

These two measures are expanded in to the eight measures of es sentialtones discussed above. )

MOVING TREMOLOS

The syncopated manner in which the tremolos are int roduced as theymove along from measure 101 through measure 10 6 i s also worthyof note as being a genu inely blues oriented way of playing a seriesof tremolos, with each new tre molo being introduced on a syncopatedbeat (1).

A NONCONFORMING BREAK

The appearance of a diminished 7th chord in the f irs t measure of t hebreak represents a small departure from the usual chord progressionof the standard break, I , 1070 or #ii 070 ) , 17, 17 (i n a downwardrun). Also, in measure 67 the bre ak's cust omary downward movingrun appears somewha t early, its parallel thirds based on a C7chord ) sounding well in spit e of its odd nonconformi ty with theunderlying diminis hed 7th chor d on c [or 'ID# ] .A REPEATED MELODIC FIGUR E

Variation #6 page 56 ) is an interesting example of a repeatedmelodic figure (2 ) used as the basi s of an entiremelodic vaGiation. The figure,

(1 ) Book I: Moving T remolos , P. 108-109(2 ) Book I: Repeated Melodic Figures, P 91-98



is played once in measure 89, again in measure 90, twice inmeasure 91, and then, transposed, once in measure 93, twice againin measure 94 and finally again in measure 97.

UNUSUAL TAG ENDING

The 9th of the chord, added as the tag ending (1) in the finalchord of this blues improvisation is a somewhat sophisticatedsound borrowed from a later era. In this collection it occursonly in this piece.

(1) Book I: Cadences, P 213-217



S E E S E E R I D ER

I N T R O D U T I O N



= l o 0 T H E M E49



V R I T I O N 2 : G L I S S N D O S-



V R I T I O N 3 : M E L O D I C V R I T I O N 5 2



VARIATION 4 : R E P E AT E D C H O R D S5 3

8



J 1 O 8 VA R I AT I O N 5: G R A C E N O T E S5 5



VA R I AT I O N 6: M E L O D I C VA R I AT I O NJ 112



1 , . . g . . .'

I0 l . fT H E M E : M O V I N G T R E M O L O S ~ 1

'- ~ 0 2 A/-----

ZI-




T R O U B L E D I N MI N D B O O G I E



59.TROUBLED IN MIND BOOGIE

FORM OUTLINE

I. INTRODUCTION

11. THEME (MELODIC VARIATION)

1. Variation 1: Tremolos Melodic Variation

2. Variation #2: Glissandos Melodic Variation

3. Variation #3: Polyrhythmic Repeated MelodicFigure

4. Variation #4: Repeated Notes

111. BREAK: (Theme resumed on line two of chart)

5. Variation #5: Grace Notes

6. Variation #6: Variation in Spacing; Syncopated

Chords7. Variation 87: Repeated Melodic Figure

8. Variation #8: Rocking motion

IV. THEME in bass 1; Turn-around, Final Cadence Tag

CHART

I. F, C, ~ 7 , b

11. F, C, F, C



TROUBLED IN MIND BOOGIE

EIGHT BAR BLUES

TROUBLED IN MIND utilizes a comparatively uncommon eight measureblues pattern rather than the more familiar twelve bar blues chart.

It is one of a handful of very popular blues songs of this type.Some others are KEY TO THE HIGHWAY, HOW LONG BLUES and OUTSKIRTSOF TOWN, each with its own distinctive eight bar pattern.

MOST COMMONLY USED INTRODUCTION

The introduction to TROUBLED IN MIND BOOGIE consists of the finalfour measures of the theme, a very servicable, highly recommendedintroduction formula universally used for almost any style of jazzand pop music.

MELODICALLY ELABORATED THEME

The four bar introduction is followed by a presentation of thetheme in a melodically highly varied version consisting,mainly ofneighboring tone patterns similar to the one in measure 5, where themelody rocks back and forth between the third of the F' chordand its half step lower neighbor. Similar lower neighbors are againfeatured in measures 7 and 9 while measure 10 features a melodicline based on chord tones exclusively.

THEMATIC SIMPLIFICATION

In addition to being an example of neighboring tones, this highlyelaborated presentation of the theme provides an opportunity tofully understand an important technique used to create thematic

oriented variations of all kinds, the technique of reducing a givenmelody or theme to its most essential tones and then using thesetones as the basis for further elaboration. To do this it is helpfulto select one tone in each measure as being the most importanttone to which all the other tones relate. For further variations,this tone is then given prominence in one way or another, by rhythmicaccentuation, by conspicuous voicing usually as the climactic noteof a melodic line or the top note of a chord or other combinationof tones 1 by repetition or by any other method. In this way,regardless of how complicated the final result may sound, the initialcharacter and contour of the theme will come through in a subtlebut recognizable way.

THEMATIC SIMPLIFICATION: ANALYSIS OF THEME

In this improvisation the melodic variation which takes placesimultaneously with the presentation of the theme is based uponthe following essential tones, one per measure starting from measure 5;



In measure 5 the impor tant tone is accompanied by a con stantlyrepeated half step lower neigh bor, in measure 6 it is app roachedthrough two half step upper nei ghbors, in measure 7 t he i mpor tan ttone is accentuated by being th e highest note, in measure 8 i t isapproached twice by an up per neighboring tone , in measure 9 theimportant tone is aga in emphasized a s the resolution of an acc entedhalf step lower neighbor, in measure 10 i t is the uppermost noteof a broken chord and fin ally, in measures 1 1 and 1 2 it is a longheld sustained tone .

THE IMPORTANT TONES USE D AS TH E BASIS FOR FURTHER VARIATION

Variation #2 , featurin g glissand os page 64 , m. 21 furt herdemonstrates how the abov e selected important tones guid ethe improvisation in eac h measure. In measure 21 the melodicfigure comes to rest on the A which corresponds to measure 5in the above example ) , in measure 23 the C is constantly repeated ,

in 24 the F is twice approached by neighboring tone patterns ,once from above and once from below, and in measure 25 th e Ais the resolution of a twice acce nted lowe r neighbor.

A RIGHT HAND PEDAL POIN T

In measure 22 corresponding to measure 6 of the abov e outl ineof important tones ) , the question of why the melody tone C wasemphasized instead of the designated important tone G lead sto the realization that there is an addit ional factor shaping thesevariations. Ex amination of the first three measures o f seve ralof these variat ions reveals that the right hand ignores t he chord

changes taking placc in the left , maintaining i ts chosen activityalmost completely unaltere d throughout. This i s demonstratedquite clearly in the repeated note variat ion (#4), in th e gra ce notevariat ion (#5), in the repeated melodic figure variation (#7)and with a sl ight alterati on, i n the rocking chord variation (#8).In classical terminology, the sustaining of a long held tone in thebass under a series of chord changes in the right hand is calleda pedal point. Her e the sustaini ng of a single pattern occurringin the right hand over a series of chord changes in the l eft is l ikea reverse pedal point , s o to speak. This interest ing and commonlyused device makes a very subtle appearance in Variatio n 3 also ,as an extended polyrhythmic repeated melodic figure from measure 29

through 31, maintaining i ts pattern steadily regardless of thechord changes taking place i n the left hand. Discoveri ng thisadditional factor shaping th ese variations makes understa ndablethe stubborn maintenance of the C tone throughout measures 21-23and explains why the expected move to the G (as the most importanttone of mea sur e 22 )did n ot take place.

A CONFLICT BETWEEN TW O VARIATION DEVICES

The two factors discussed above which shape this improvi sation seemto come into almost humorous conflict in the second measure of the



break, where in measure 46 the bass line remains stubbornlyunchanged as did the sopr ano lin e in the above vari atio ns 1maintaining a constant F regardless of the melody line whichcomes to rest o n a G , in contradiction to the implied harmony

of the tone F in the bass. This results in the melodic lineof the r igh t hand adhering to the most important tone principlein spite of the contradictory pedal point factor shaping themelodic line i n the le ft hand.



T R O U B L E D I N M I N D B O O G I E W o r d s nd M u s i c

B a s e d On Trouble I n M i n d y R i c h a r d M Jones

Copyright 1926. 1937 BY MCA MUSIC PUBLISHING A Division o MCA INC.Copyright Renewed Internat ional Copyright Secured Al l Rights Reserved



VA R I AT I O N 1: T R E M O L O S M E L O D I C VA R I AT I O N 6 4.7 3 7



R I T I O N 3 :



VA R I AT I O N 4 : R E P E AT E D N O T E S 66

7



6 7

VA R I AT I O N 5: G R A C E N O T E S



VA R I AT I O N 8 : R O C K I N G M O T I O N



I M P R O V I S AT I O N 6

S H A K I N ' L O O S E



SHAKIN ' LOOSE

FORM OUTLINE

I . THEME

1. Var ia t ion 1 : Tre mol os2. Variat ion 2: G l i s s a n d o s

3. Var ia t ion 3 : Melodi c Var ia t ion

4 Variat ion 4: Repeat ed bIelodic Fig ur e

I . B REAK

5. Variation 5 : G l i s s a n d o s

6 . Var ia t ion 6: Rock ing Mot ion

C H A RT

I. l l l

11. G I G I l

111. A A, l D



SHAKIN' LOOSE

BARRELHOUSE STYLISTIC TRAITS

SHAKIN' LOOSE is in the barrelhouse style (l), with its loud,rugged bass consisting of octaves in low register alternatingwith chords in middle register while interspersed with walkingoctaves and other bass patterns derived from boogie-woogie.In the barrelhouse style the usual duple rhythmic units ofragtime are frequently supplanted by triplets (2). - This isexemplified in the recorded performances of pianist Eubie Blake,whose style spans the transition from ragtime, through barrelhouseto stride.) To summarize, the characteristic ragtime rhythmicunit of sixteenth notes, four to a quarter was alteredby blues players, who were accustomed to playing in triplets )

) , S O that a measureo sound like long-short triplets r 7of sixteenth notes in meter - jJ ) would sounil like

a measure of an equal number of notes as long-short triplets- 3 1 3 ~ 3 r 3

in meter J r j . his persistent rhythmic alteration

was part of a practice cilied- jazzing it up i.e. making itlively ) while, in comparison the original ragtime rhythm wasregarded as being square i. e. boring ),(just as in a previousera ragging was considered a way of enlivening a boring pieceof classical or semi-classical music.) Indeed, it is the tripletrhythm that most characterizes jazz music. In SHAKIN' LOOSE there areexamples of both types of rhythms, as would be expected in a

transition style such as barrelhouse.

BARRELHOUSE, A LOUD AND POWERFUL STYLEBarrelhouse is high volume, raucous music. The itinerent barrelhousepianist was the equivalent of a one man band and was expected toprovide entertainment for hardworking, hard drinking men in a nightof wild dancing an6 carousing in workcamps located far from thecities of the south and far west. In order for the music to be heardabove the racket and din of many laughing and shouting voices,the pianist was compelled to develop a two fisted pianistic stylewhere left hand walking octaves were often supplemented with anextra note to add power and weight, as exemplified in measures 39and 42 where the 5th is added to the octave ) and where right handchords were often densely packed (3) as in measure 45. The melodic

content of the bass line contains no sophisticated melodic linessuch as might be heard in a classic ragtime piece, but is rather aheavy handed combination of the oom-pah bass as in measure 14,associated with New Orleans marching band music ) mixed with variousboogie-woogie bass patterns, as in measures 85-88.

(1) Book I: Barrelhouse Piano, P. 143-148( 2 ) Book I: Duple Triple Rhythms, P. 198-201, 182-183, 147, 131(3) Book I: Density, P 163



THE IMPORTANT TONES

Since there s very lit tle discernible melody i n this characteri sticallyraucous piece of barrelhouse music, it is important to k now which arethe important tones and to note how consistently the various

featured activitie s in the right hand are directed towar d and centeredaround these specific important tones. The impo rtant tones ar e;

FOCUS OF ATTENTION SHIFTS FROM BASS TO TREBL EAt the beginning, during the the me section and for the first twovariations of SHAKIN' LOOSE the rig ht hand li ne i s generallysubordinate to the high energy activity occur ring in th e left.It is only in the third varia tion, beginning with the repeatedmelodic figure starting on the l ast note of measure 36, fol low ed bythe colorful tremolo in measures 41-42 that the emphasis shiftsto the right hand. This is immediately reinforced with an oth er,lengthier repeated melodic figure which r eceives the necessaryslight alterations it must undergo to continue through the chordchanges from D to G7 and back to I'D in mea sur es 53- 55. Th esimpl e, straightforward way in which this repeated melodic figur eunfolds demonstrates the wisdom of not overelaborating a good idea,but simp ly allowing it to unfold naturally.

THE BREAK (1 )

The chord progression used for this break, I , #ii 070 , iiB7, Xii070D, ~ # 0 7 0 , , 0 7 , #070 ) is an alternative to the more commonly

used I , 1070, (actual ly #i i070 1 17, 17 ( in downward arpeggio) ,a break which can be found in this collection's RIFF BOOGIE ,measures 65-68.

(1 ) Th e sec n cho rd o f t h e b reak (measure 6 2 ) should be notatedas (a #i i070 chord, with the 5th omit ted) but i t is

easier to read a s written.



GLISSANDOS

The incessant series of glissando-like figures beginning inmeasure 7 seem to be an effort to compensate for the paucityof glissandos in Variation #2, where glissandos were supposed tohave been the featured technique. In this case the glissandos arenotated in the exact rhythm in which they are ordinarily executed

rather than notated as an ornamentation.)

COW COW DAVENPORT

That there is much in this piece reminicent of the music of CharlesCow Cow Davenport is evident in the Rocking Motion variation

commencing in measure 85 1 especially in the heavy handed bass (1).

(1) Charles Davenport; Oldie records )L 2811; Historical HLP 29;BYG 529.061 (Vol. 11)



VA RIAT IO N 2 : G LIS S A N D O S



VA R I AT I O N 4 : R E P E AT E D M E L O D I C F I G U R E

w i n



V R I T I O N X : R O C K I N G M O T I O N




B C K W T E R B L U E S



BACKWATER BLUES

F O R M O U T L IN E

I . T H E ME1. Var ia t ion 1 : Tremolo s

2. Variat ion 2: Glis san dos

3 . Var ia t ion 3 : Melod ic Var ia t ion

4 . Var ia t ion 4 : Repeated Notes

11. B R E AK : T h em e resu m ed o n l i n e tw o o f ch a r t

5. Var ia t ion 5 : Bass Var ia t ion

6 . Var i a tio n 6 : Melo d ic Var i a t io n (T h u m b -P i n k yTe c h n i q u e )

7 . Var ia t ion 7 : Rock ing Mot ion

111 . THEME: Blues Sc ale End ing

C H A RT



BACKWATER BLUES

THE 'DORIAN MODE'

This version of BACKW ATER BLUES demons trate s how th e blues sca.lecan be expanded to include the major 2nd and major 6th degree sof the scale, resulting in a scale that is arbitrarily ) dubbed

the Dorian mode in later jazz theory (1). The Dorian mod e in thekey of G i s ;

In practice, to include the additional notes provided by the Dorianmode into the blues scale requires a great deal of familiarity withthe blues style because it is very easy t o fall into extremely oddand foreign melodic combinations if one doesn't have the genuineblues sound in mind. Doria n mode blues is a pecu liar style n otcommonly used by all blues styl ists, but can be le ar ne d, by listeningto certain blues artists, especially to blues pianist Walter Da vis (2).

SUBITO PIANO: A CHARACTERISTIC BLUES DYNAMIC

This improvisation also demonstrates a particular dynam ic orexpressive characteristic of all genuine blues, a quick dim inuendoat the end of melodic phrases. T his ra pid falli ng off in vol ume

indicated by the term subito piano in classical music seemsto be an expression of a sudden and profound despair or eyha ustio n,as if the singer, out of frustration finds it emotionally impossibleto complete the thought and allows the words to trail off graduallyinto silence. This dynamic feat ure, occurring frequently th rough outthe blues is indicated in this piece with a diminuendo sign

as in measures 5 and 9. )

THE BROKEN BLOCK BASS PATTERN (3)

The bass pattern used in this piece is similar to that of S t. LouisBlues page 6 1 but the single note inner voice now rocks fromthe fifth of the chord to the seventh instead of t o the si xt h,thus retaining the blues scale color.

(1) Book I: T he D orian Mode, P. 151-152(2) Walter Davis: Yaz oo L1025 , RCA FXM1-7330 (Bluebird #9 ), Negro

Art M12 SB 366(3 ) Book I: Bass Patte rns, P. 47



THE MEANING OF TONES

The choice of tones used for the tremolos in measures 16- 18, 21and 24-25 opens an aesthetic question concerning the meani ngof musical tones, i.e. why were those particular tones ch ose n forthose tremolos at that point? Indeed, is there any object ivesignificance to the choice of tones at all? For instan ce, if the

first tremolo had taken place between the root and fifth degre e ofthe prevailing chord instead of between the fifth and seve nth,would that have changed the significance or the fee ling of tha tpassage? Questions such as these have comparativel y more significancefor the blues artist than for other jazz stylists because the bluesart form has a comparatively limited range of harmonic, m elo dic ,rhythmic and technical options, thus making i t almost unavoidablynecessary to deal with thes e fundamental questions. As a matte r offact, in the early be-bop era, especially during the excit ing daysof experimentation and discovery most sophisticat ed jazz musiciansconsidered the blues to be unworthy of their seri ous attention.To them the blues as a musical style was pass6, limited, unchallenging,and unsophisticated to the point of embarrassment. B ut it is preciselythese questions that concern blues players most, beca use with inthe very limited choices available, the blues player re alize s thatthe most emotionally satisfying and significant music aris es fromdeep awareness of the impact of a particular tone a t a particularmoment. For example, there can be no doubt that a s erie s of repeatednotes on the fif th of a chord sen ds a different message than acomparable series on the third. However, since these fee ling s areso subjective,it is the task of each individua l blues performerto discover such things through personal experience, u sually throughmany hours of experimentation. To that end, with many artists,imaginative descriptions help create a personal famil iarity wit h theeffect of each particular tone of a chord; descriptions such as ,

to me the seventh of a chord sounds like someone calling me froma great distance, or the fifth of a chord seems to direct my mindtoward a 'v ision' or the third of a chord seem s to awaken a deepfeeling of love within my heart. Of course these reacti ons aresubjective to the utmo st, ye t these consideratio ns ar e very importantto blues artists b,ecause it i s more o ften the qual ity of soundproduced and the depth of feeling evoked th at defines a successf ulblues performance rather than more tec hnical and theor eticalconsiderations.

BLUES SCALE GLISSANDOS

The glissandos of Variation # 2 ( page 89 are rather prosaic,mostly limited to blues scale tones (wit h the one exc epti onoccurring in measure 29, where an A serves as a passing tonebetweerL the ~ b nd G . ) In this piece the limited choice oftones arises from the fact that this improvisatio n was crea tedduring an actual lesson for the purpose of teaching th e widest



use of the strict blues scale in occasional conjuction wit hthe colo ring derived from the Dorian mode. ) However, in theactual blues tradit ion it would be very d ifficult to find recordedexamples of music limited exclusively to the blues scale. On theother hand, since it is far more common for blues scale mater ialsto be used within a larger harmonic framewor k, it would be perfectlyacceptable to expand the stylistic framework of a piece such as thisby using chromatic tones in forming glissandos. (How ever , chromatictones would not be acceptable in the melodic l ine since t his w ouldbring us out of the country blues style and into a later jazz style.)For example, the glissando in measure 2 8 could just as well includean F# while that of measure 32 could use a Bh ;

These non-blues scale tones provide some extra color which isotherwise lacking, but as noted above, when using non -blues scaletones in a piece that is essentially in the blues scal e styl eit must be done with great sensitivity in order to preserve stylisticintegrity. For example, the sudden inclusion of a non-blues scaletone in a sustained tremolo such as occurs in measures 16- 17,substituting a BQ for the D ( as below ) could prove to beunacceptably jarring and if it were the only s uch ins tanc e in theentire piece it could prove to be tot ally unacc epta ble.

THE MOVING BLOCK BASS

The moving block bass ( 1 ) occurring in Variation #5 is an elaborationof a fairly uncommon bass line that can be found occasi onallyin the music of barrelhouse pianists such as C ow Cow Davenport andCripple Clarence Lofton (2). It consists of an octave enclosinga fifth, moving in parallel motion along either th e blues scaleor along tones of the seventh chord with occasional passing tonesincluded. In measures 76 and this block chord grou p twic eprogresses through the G blues scale, downwards from the fifth

(1 ) Book I: Bass Patterns, P. 50-51, 55(2) Cripple Clarence Lofton: BYG 529.065; Yazoo L1025



TH M



VARIATION 1: TREMOLOS



V R I T I O N 2 : G L I S S N D O S



9 2B R E K

6



V R I T I O N 5 : B S S V R I T I O N 9 3 .



VA R I AT I O N 6: M E L O D IC VA R I AT I O N ( T H U M B - P I N K Y T E C H N I Q U E ) 9 4



VA R I AT I O N 7 : R O C K I N G M O T I O Nr 8 . - 7




R I F F B O O G I E



RIFF BOOGIE

FORM OUTLINE

I. INTRODUCTION

11. THEME

1. Variation

2. Variation

3. Variation

4. Variation

111. BREAK: Theme

5. Variation

6. Variation

7. VariationIV. THEME

1: Tremolos

2: Glissandos

3: Melodic Variation

4: Repeated Notes

resumed on line two of chart

5: Grace Notes

6: Melodic Variation (Thumb-PinkyTechnique)

7: Rocking Motion; Glissandos

CHART



&sides the above quick men ) cadence , another correct moveis featured in this piece with the appearance of the seventh of thetonic chord as part of the melodic line precisely in the fourthmeasure of the chart in each variation, as occurs in measures 8 ,20, 44, 68 , 80 and 92. This characteristic blue note which alsofacilitates the chord progression to the subdominant chord in thenext measure ) along with the 'Arnenl..cadence re very typical,widely used and stylistically correct blues sounds.

NEIGHBORING TONE MELODY

Aside from the proper use of the blues scale, this improvisationis also a study in the use of lower neighboring tones in a bluesmelodic line (l), containing abundant examples of one lowerneighbor patterns as in measures 95-96 ) and a few two lowerneighbor patterns as in measures 7 3, 109-110. ) Inexpli~ably,

there seems to be almost no upper neighbor patterns. But in spiteof this apparent shortcoming ,the constant weaving of the melodythrough chord tones and their neighbors, in conjunction with theuse of the blues scale at the proper points creates a lively,stylistically correct blues melodic line.

TREMOLO EXECUTION

On the final beat of measure 16 the initial tremolo of this variationcommences on the syncopated eighth note and continues throughoutmeasure 17 , demonstrating the first of the following two rules ofblues tremolos; first, they almost always start on a syncopatedbeat; secondly, they are usually preceded by either an ornamentationsuch as a grace note or glissando, or by a short melodic pick upas at the conclusion of measure 18 leading to the tremolo in measure 19.A combination of these two traits can be found in BACKWATER BLUES also,on page 87, measure 16, where a glissando precedes an upbeat

syncopated ) tremolo starting on the fourth beat. This is immediatelyfollowed by a glissando preceding a tremolo in measure 18. An exampleof a grace note preceding a tremolo can be found in this rendition of RIFFBOXIE on page 112,,measure 05 where, as is generally appropriateto the blues style'it is crushed into the tremolo i.e. it isplayed on the beat, not preceding it as an acciaccatura , not an

appoggiatura. )

COMPENSATING FOR THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE PIANOThe tremolo is one of several blues piano techniques designed toovercome some inadequacies of the piano as a blues instrument.Since the blues is essentially a vocal art and because.the piano,unlike the voice is unable to produce long, sustained tones or toaffect the tone once it has been produced, certain techniques weredeveloped to compensate for these shortcomings. One of these techniques

(1) Book I: Melodic Variation, P. 167-172



UNCHARACTERISTIC ENDING

This performance of RIFF BOOG IE ends fairly unusua lly, with a melodictailing.'off , n a downward progressing line in the F blues scale,

ather than with one of the more common tag endings (1).

RIFFS AND TH E PRINCIPLE OF MOTIVE RELOCATION

A riff is a short musical motive a snippet which is repeatedover and over. Three very char acteristic riffs appearing in almostall boogie woogie pieces are; 1.) the syncopat ed chord riff (2 1,2.) the repeated-polyrhythmic melodic figure ( 3 ) and 3.) any otherepeated melodic figure sometimes ending with the aforementionedamen motive.

In RIFF BOOGIE an example of the s yncopated chord riff can be found onpage 111, beginning on the first beat of measure 97 and ending onhe first beat of measure 99. Another example c an be found in

TROUBLED IN MIND B OOGIE, page 68 , extending from th e fi rst beat ofmeasure 61 to the first beat of measure 65.

The repeated polyrhthmic melodic riff appears in RIFF BOOGIE on page 104from the upbeat leading t o the fourth qua rter note of mea sure 12 throughhe first beat of measure 14 , and again on page 106 from the last eighth

note of measure 36 to the first quarter note of measure 38. In TROUBLEDN MIND BOOGIE it appears on page 6 4 , from the last eighth note of

measure 16 to the first two eighth notes of measure 1 8 , and again onpage 6 5 , fro m the upb eat leading t o meas ure 29 t o th e l as t be at of measure 31.

A short repeated melodic figure is a lm os t by de fi ni ti on a ri ff . In th is bookxamples of these can be found in SHAKIN' LOOSE on page 77 , from the

upbeat leading to measure 36 through the first beat of measure 40 and onpage 78 , from the upbeat leading to measure 49 through the firstbeat of measur e 56.

The most useful aspect of a riff i s that it can be used as a variationdevice by relocating it at various levels of any given chord. For example,he repeated melodic riff can begin o n the r oot , third or fifth of ahord as follows;

ROOT

Each inversion of the riff has its ow n character and can serve as theource of a compl ete variation.

To summarize, the rule of relocation i s ; any motive played at any givenevel of a chord ca n be duplicated at another (with slight alterationsf necessary or if desired.)

1) Book I: Tag E nding s, P. 213-2172) Pete Johnson: MCA RE CORDS, MCA 13 33 ; Answer to the B oogie

3) Glenn Miller: Glenn Miller Orchestra; BLUEBIRD CD 3102-2-RB; In the Mood



R I F F O O G I E



T H M



VA R I AT I O N 2 : G L I S S A N D O S 1 0 6

s



V R I T I O N 3 : M E L O D I C V R I T I O N

~ w l t \ e

II :. I



V R I T I O N $ ? 5 m \ r



B R E A K 3 S ~ t \ e



VA R I AT I O N 5: G R A C E N O T E S



VA R I AT I O N 6 : M E L O D I C VA RI ATI O N: ( T H U M B - P I N K Y T E C H N I Q U E )r ~i m i l e

89



T H E M E 11 3



IMPROVISATION 9

ST LOUIS BLUES STOMP



S T . L O U I S BL U ES S TO M P

F O R M O U T L I N E

I I N T R O D U C T I O N

11 T H E M E I

1. Va r i a t i o n 1 : M e l o d i c Va r i a t i o n

111 T H E M E I 1

I V . T HE ME I 11

1. Va r i a t i on 1 : Me lo d i c Va r i a t i on

V. T H E M E I : F I N A L T U R N- A RO UN D TA G

C H A RT

T H E M E I

I G I C , G I G

T H E M E I 1

I G m , G m , D, D



ST. LOUIS BLUES STOMP

THE SWING BASS

In this ~ ~ l l e ~ t i ~ n , QUARE DANCE BLUES, S EE SEE RIDER, SHAKIN'LOOSE and ST. LOUIS BLUES STOMP use various versions of t he

swing bass (1 1, a bass originating in various European musicals tyles including the march, polka, minuet , waltz and other folkand classical sources. In America at the turn of the twentiethcentury, swing bass music flowered into a n original s tyle known asragtime. In combination with the blues i t eventually evolved into anassortment of early jazz s tyles , including barrelhouse, honky-tonk,dixieland, New Orleans jazz, swing and Harlem stride. Eventually,the term swing came to designate an entire era of Americanpopular music culminating with the big band music of World War 11,just as ragtim e had defined th e previou s era which had l asted fromthe Gay 90' s through the Roaring 20's.

VARIOUS STYLES OF SWING BASS

As a rule the bass pattern of a piece of music establis 'hes itss tyle, so the dis t inctive features of each of the swing. assesin this collection serve to define various s tyles. For exampl e,the consis tent, l ight, s ingle note bass of SQUARE DANCE BLU ESidentifies i t as an early American White folk musical s tyle derivedfrom European classical and folk music, while the heavily playedoctaves and various roll icking boogie woogie bass patterns ofSHAKIN' LOOSE demonstrate the s trong influence of blues and othersources of Black folk and church music. Furthe r, SEE SEE RIDER ,with i ts consis tent use of the 10th interval between the twolowest notes of the firs t half of a swing represents a later,

comparatively sophisticated bass s tyle associated with the SwingEra. Also, i t must be noted that the bass l ine of S QUARE DANCE BLUES,distinguished by a very judici ous choice of s ingle l ow notes creatinga captivating melodic l ine of i ts own , goes beyond the ordinarytwo note oom-pah bass of most folk music. This trait later becamea very s trong feature of the virtuoistic s tride s tyle, wherein thesingle low notes form ever more interesting and daring patternsgoing far beyond the to nes of th e prevailing cho rd t o inclu de allsorts of chromatic tones, often played in complicated cross-rhythms (2).SEE SEE RIDER on the other hand is less sophisticated than mostswing era music because i t is l imited to comparatively fe w basstechniques; tenths (measure 7), walking tenths (measu re 6 ) and a

very limited use of rocking chords (3 ) (mea sur e 63.)

(1) Book I: Swing bass, P. 5 7-60(2) James P. Johnson: Carol ina Shout , , Columbia CL 17 80 ; Liz a ,

Folkwa ys FJ 2850; Jingles1', CA Records MCA 1332(3 ) For an example of a highly varied bass l ine in Swing style l is ten to

Honey Babe , Fat Cat 's Jazz FCJ 109 performed by Don Ewe11



ST. LOUIS BLUES INCLUDES SEVERAL JAZZ STYLES

ST. LOUIS BLUES STOMP, as the sole multiple themed piece in thiscollection has the distinction of spanning three distinct earlyjazz styles. The first theme page 120 is the most familiarand is often played apart from the other two themes, as it wasearlier in this collection. In this performance the first themehas a swing bass accompaniment, placing it stylistically in theearly Swing era, but with a very strong New Orleans flavor becauseof its peculiar, insistent staccato execution somehow reminicentof banjo plucking.) The second theme also sounds like New Orleans,but it is a different style of New Orleans, the burly marchingband style. The third theme sounds like a typical train bluespiece because of its persistent, rolling bass pattern.

MELODIC VARIATION

The simple melodic variation which follows page 121 1 with itsrepeated one lower neighbor figure (measures 21-22) and its simpletwo lower neighbor figure(measures 23-24) is actually little morethan a restatement of the first theme an octave higher.

THE SECOND THEME

The second theme is a robust eight measure melody extended tosixteen measures by repetition. I t is not a characteristic countryblues melody (because it uses the diatonic seven tone naturaland harmonic minor scales )nor is it harmonized with any of theusual blues chord progressions. Rather, it seems to be a very

early version of commercialized blues of a tonic-dominant, dominant-tonic variety. The second theme differs from the first less by itsbass pattern which remains a swing bass than by the heavy handedmanner of performance reminicent of the barrelhouse genre. The use ofthe I17 ( ~ 7 ) hord in measure 43, though not altogether uncommon tobarrelhouse and jugband style blues nevertheless comes as a bit ofsurprise in this context.

THE THIRD THEME

The third theme, with its polyrhythmic repeated melodic figure (1)actually reverses the usual formal sequence by placing the variationsection page 123 before the presentation of the theme page 124

in contradiction of the outline headings.)

RULE: CHANGE OF BASS EQUALS CHANGE OF STYLE

The introduction of a new bass pattern for THEME I11 serves toenliven the entire piece, while the choice of this particulartype of rocking bass, evoking the train blues style is a subtlereflection of the text , Feelint tomorrow like I feel today (twice),I'll pack my trunk, make my git-a-way.

(1) Polyrhythmic Repeated Figue, P. 97-98



S T L O U I S B L U E S S T O M P

IN T R O D U C T IO N

= 9 2 3 7 r



T H M



V R I T I O N 1: M E L O D I C V R I T I O N

J = 1 4



T H E M E I1 2 3



T H M




T R O U B L E D I N MI N D B L U E S



TROUBLED IN MIND BL UES

FORM OUTLINE

I. INTRODUCTION

11. THEME

1. Variation #1: Tremolos2. Variat ion #2: Glissandos

3. Variation #3: Melodic Var ia t ion

4. Variation #4: Repeated Chords

111 . BREAK:(Theme resumed on l ine two of ch ar t ; )Tremo lo s , Repea t ed F ig u re

5. Variat ion #5: Grace Note s

6. Variat ion #6: Melodic Variat io n (Thum b-Pin kyTechnique)

7. Variat ion #7: Rocking Chords

IV. THEME: TA G

CHART

I - A , E , A, D

11. A, E A, E7



TROUBLED IN MIND BLUES

THE SUBDIVIDED TRIPLET

This rendition of TROUBLED IN MIND BLUES is notable for itsunderlying subdivision of the basic triplet rhythm into smallerunits of duplets and occasional triplets (1). Although thesesubdivisions may be present only in the mind of the performerthey are nevertheless felt strongly in the pulsating soundsproduced. In this piece they become a pparent only through a few

outward manifestations occurring from time t o t ime , as inmeasure 7 final quarter note in measure 16 , final quarter3 7

t 3

n

note and in measu re 43, final two quart er not es

. The other possible su bdivisions of the basic3 3 7 3

triplet, such as 4 tc. are notoutwardly articulated in this piece but nevertheless are alwayspresent in the inner rhythmic pulse. Th is particular rhythmic approa chrarely fails to produce a s trong , genuine blues s ou nd .,

GOOD SOUNDING TREMOLOSThe tremolos in measures 5 , 8 , 13-14 and 1 5 are appropriate examplesof good sounding tremolos , played in a non-hurried way , with theaccent on the lower of the tw o note combination. As suggested before,i t is s tylis t ically effective to begin tremolos with a grace n ote,

crushed into the first ton e, as happens in each example here.

MIXING TECHNIQUES

This improvisation provides a fairly good e xampl e of how eachvariation while featuring a particular technique never theles sconstantly includes other techn iques a s well. his is clear fromthe very beginning, where a tremolo is u sedas part of th e presentationof the theme (measures 5 and 8.) In variation #1 devoted to tremoloswe find grace notes (measure 17 ) and glissandos (measures 15 and 1 6);in Variation #2 Glissandos we find repeated notes (measure 23);in Variation #3 Melodic Variation , a grace note (measure 30) andglissandos (measure 32); in Variation #4 Repeated Notes 1 gracenotes (measure 39) and a tremolo (measures 41-42); in the break, anad lib. repeated figure (measu re 48 ), a tremolo (meas ure 47 ) and aglissando (measure 51); in Variation #5 Grace Notes 1 a measurein duple rhythm (measure 58 , right hand) and in Variation #6 MelodicVariat ion we f ind a t remolo (measure 64. ) ~ l t h o u g h ar ia t ion #7

( 1) Book I: Subdivision of Triplet , P 197



rocking motion ) is almos t exclusively l imited to the featuredtechn ique, the f inal s ta tement o f the theme con ta ins an imag inativerun in the major pentatonic scale of A measures 81-82 . ) Th isdemonst ra tes once again that whi le i t i s co rrect a lways to fea tu reone part icular technique per v ariat ion, al l techniques are availableat al l t imes and to avoid monotony should be employed f reelythroughout the e ntire piece.



TROUBLED N MIND BLUESBased n Trouble In Mind

INTRODUCTION

Words And MusicBy Richard M Jones

Copyright 1926 1937 BY MCA MUSIC PUBLISHING A Division of MCA INC.Copyright Renewed Internat ional Copyright Secured Al l Rights Reserved



TH M

R



V R I T IO N 2 : G L I S S N D O S 2

p l a y g l i s s a n d o s o n t h e b e at



VA R I AT I O N 3 : M E L O D I C VA R I AT I O N1 3 3 .

1

A R I AT I O N 4: R E P E AT E D C H O R D Sr35



VA RI AT I O N 5 : G RA CE N O T E S 135 .

3 - 3 1 54

VA RI AT I O N 6 : M E L O D I C VA R I AT IO N :( T H U MB- P I N K Y T E C H N I O U E )



9VA R I AT I O N 7: R O C K I N G C H O R D S



nevertheless, comparatively more sophisticated music is producedthrough the useof essentialtones, i.e. single notes that represententire melodic phrases. Beside Variation #1, this approach is againin evidence in the final presentation of the theme page 157 )where the neighboring tone patterns consistently come to rest upon

the essential notes of the original melody.BASING VARIATIONS UPON NONESSENTIAL TONES

On the other hand, it is also appropriate to base variations uponother than the designated essential tones. For example, the melodicline of measures 113-114 could just as well have been;

These patterns do not come to rest upon the essential tones ofeither of the first two measures of this song, the D of measure 113or the G of measure 114.

Instead, the notes B and En prove just as effective, even if abit less sophisticated. More or less, this is what most bluespianists do as a matter of practice, applying their accumulatedtechniques to the prevailing chord regardless of what piece isbeing played, faitly disregarding the given melody. But in thefinal analysis the results are generally more musical andaesthetically satisfying when the correct essential tones form thebasis for whatever technique is being employed.

MELODIC VARIATION: THE BLUES SCALE OPTION

The use of tones other than essential tones is well demonstratedin the glissando variation page 150 ) where there is very littleof the theme in evidence until the final four measures. Instead,the melodic line utilizes the optional harmonic formula of revertingto the key blues scale whenever the subdominant chord is present,as occurs in measure 30 and again in measures 33-34. At the end ofmeasure 34, the EN which replaces the correct F of the bluesscale represents the expected alteration of the blues scale required

(1) Book I:, Combining the Scales, P. 33-44



to adjust i t to the given chord ( C ), although an F would havebeen acceptable, as a permitted dissonance (1).

RHYTHM AND NOTATION OF GLISSANDOS

The glissandos over the barlines o f measures 28-29, 30-31 and

31-32 could more accura tely be notated Zs sixteenth notes. A s istrue of almost all upbeat glissan dos in the blu es, they sta rtexactly on the third eighth note of a triplet and finish on thenext downbeat and could be readily notated as follows;

However, the arhythmic notation is prefered throughout thiscollection and in Book I ) because i t more clear ly and mo reimmediately identifies these groups of notes as an orna mentat ionrather than as a part of the melody line. It should also b e notedthat the two note glissandos util ized in this improvisation arecomparitively rare in this collection, the three note glissa ndobeing preferred as the mo re re pr esen ta ti ve .

THREE MELODIC PATT ERNS

The melodic variations of Variation 3 demonstrate in a uniquelyclear manner the three pattern formula of melodic variationtaught in Book I (1). Begi nning with the eighth note up bea ts t omeasures 41 and 42 are examples of the two-l ower neighbor pattern.The one lower neighbor pattern can be found on beats two and fourof measure 42, as well as on beats on e and f our of measure 43 andon beat one of measure 44. The one lower neighbor pattern

slightly altered can be found on beats two of measures 4 4 and 48There are several other examples of these preconceived patternsin this variation. Of co urse, i t should be remembered that whilethere are possibly countless other melodic patterns this performancetook place for the specific purpose of demons trating thes e mostcommonly used patter ns.

UNALTERED REPEATED NOT ES

It is not unusual to hear a repeated note passage continue unalteredthrough a chord change, as occurs in measures 53-55, where a changeto ~ b n measure 54 should normally have taken place. As i t i s ,the ~ ' 4 s the major seventh of the prevailing C chord, a notunacceptable alternative for the more usual blue note Bb,(theflatted seventh), a so much more tradition al blues sound .

(1) Book I: Melodic Vari ation, P. 167-1 72



MAINTAINING INTEREST AND CONTIN UITY

Where the potential monotony of a long serie s of r epeate d note smight threaten to gain the upper hand , the insistent and highlyunpredictable accented grace notes occu rring in Variat ion #4

page 152 ) serve to maintain interest because the l ist ene r'sattention, drawn to anticipating where these accented grace notes

might occur is always in a state of imbalance and tension. It isalso interesting to note the subtle introduction of rocking choresin measure 56 at the point where the repeated notes threaten tobecome monotonous, thus simultaneously extending this repeated notepassage a bit longer while serving as a transition away from astormy episode.

KINETI CS AS A SOURCE OF VARIATION

The piquant melodic variation of measures 72-74 consisting of analternation between two notes at an interval of a sixth in theright hand raises the question of how many ways can a simple successionof tones be varied as motion. The answer lies in the simplerealization that there are only three motions possible. For exa mple,after watching a pianist vigorously perform a n entire piano co ncertoit is astounding to realize that no motions have occurred other thanthe three simple motions of up dow n, back forth and

straight ahead.''( Has a nyo ne thoug ht of an oth er po ssibil ity ? 1Applying this priciple to the above melodic passage (measures 72-74),how many variations can be invented? As i t is , the melody a t thatpoint falls into the catagory of straight ahead motion.

EX.l.

Following is an example of several short up dow n motionscombined with an oyeral l strai ght ahead motion;

Following are two examples of back forth combined withstraight forward;



Fol lowing is an example o f a shor ter back fo r th mot ioncombined wi th a longer back fo r th mot ion .

An example o f a shor ter s t ra i gh t ahead combined wi th bo th alonger s t ra igh t ahead and a back fo r th mot ion is ;

Another example o f a shor ter s t ra igh t ahead combined ,wi thboth a longer strai ght ahead and a back fo r th i s ;

A prolonged series of up down motio ns followed by a qu ic kstraight ahead would be;

The p r incip le o f th ree basic mot ions i s ex t remely usefu l becausei t has very wide app l ica t ion in a l l a reas , in c lu d in g m e lo d y,harmony, rhy thm and fo r m and c an s erve as an end less sourc e ofideas and insp i ra t ion in a l l aspe cts o f music improv isa t ion .



V R I T I O N 1: T R E M O L O S

3 7



VA R I AT I O N 2: G L I S S A N D O S 150 .



VA RIATIO N 4: R E P E AT E D N O T E S _1 5 2



VA R I AT I O N 6 : M E L O D I C VA R I AT IO N T H U M B - PI N K Y T E C H N I Q U E ) 1 5 5 .



T H E M E3 1 7 3



CAIZFORNIA BREAKDOWN

FORM OUTLINE

I. THEME

1. Variation 11: Variations in Dens ity

2. Variation 12: Repeated Melodic Figure3. Variation 3: Melodic Variation

4. Variation 4: Blues ornam entat ions


6. Variation 16: Melodic Variation (Thumb-PinkyTechnique)

7. Variation 7: Variation in Spacing

8. Variation 8: Blues Ornam enta tions

9. Variation 9: Repeated Melodic Fi gure

10. Variation 110: Variation in Spacing

11. variation 11: Repeated Melodic Figures

1I.THEME (Melodic Variation)

CHART

I. Bb, Bb Bb, Bb

11. ~ b , b , b, Bb

111. F, ~ b , . b, Bb



CALIFORNIA BREAKDOWN

MELODIC OUTLINE OF MOST IMPORTANT TONES

CALIFORNIA BREAKDOWN, reduced to its most essential tones assumesthe following outline: most of the variations in this piece consistof short melodic phrases based upon these important tones;

THE THEME AND T HE MOST IMPORTANT TONES

The theme of CALIFORNIA BREAKDOWN is presented in a way t hat allowsthe uppermost note of each i n a series of cho rds in the r i ght handto coincide with the essential to nes of t he th eme , until measurewhere the downward progression of the melodic lin e compels usto hear the note F the middle note of the ~ b hord in f i rs tinversion as the most important note at that point. In measur ethe uppermost note resumes its role o f outlining the theme.

DENSITY AND THE IMPORTANT TONES

Variation #1 page 16 3, measure 13 ) becomes a variation i n densitythrough a thickening of the c hords which a re either supportingor surrounding the theme in the r ight hand.



REPEATED MELODIC FIGURES AND THE IMPORTANT TONES

With sustained tones in the t humb the important notes of thetheme maintain their presence throughout a series of short repeatedmelodic figures in Variation #2 page 164.

MELODIC VARIATION AND T HE IMPORTANT TONES

In Variation 3 (starting in measure 37) each of t he u pward movingmelodic phrases peaks with th e most important note of the themeprevailing a t that point; the fina l 'ID in measu re 3 7 , th egraced D in measure 39 , the Db of measure 41 and aga in the ~ bof measu re 42.

BLUES ORNAMENTATIONS AND TH E IMPORTANT TONES

In Variation #4 page 165 ) the lower note of the t wo note tremolocombination is heard a s the essential tone because of the way

tremolos are generally played in the blues, with the acc ent o n thelower note. Starting in measure 55 a series of grace no tes accentua testhe important note of the theme, the D M .

MELODIC VARIATION IN THE BLUES SCALE

Variation #5 is actually a melodic variation based upon the Bbblues scale rather than upon the important tones as previouslysuggested ) with the passing not e G b et we en t he ~ b nd Ftones of the blues scale 1 twice serving as a rest ing point in aseries of typically downward moving blues sc ale melodic phrases.

THUMB-PINKY TECHNIQUE AND TH E IMPORTANT TONES

As in Variation #3, the beginning of Variation #6 consist s of twoshort melodic phra'ses culminating upon the essential tones of themelody. At th e same time, while t he melody is being played by t hethumb side of the r ight hand, the repeated note F in measures 72-77represents the pinky side of this thumb-pinky technique.In measures 76, 78, 81 and 82 the f i rs t note of each measure is a lwaysthe essential tone' f the melody at that point.

EMPHASIS ON IMPORTANT TONES MAINTAINED IN SPACING VARIATION

In Variation #7 the octave jump to a higher register i n the r i ghthand perpetuates the subtle variations in spacing between the t wohands that had been taking place up t o this point (1). Be cause ofthe unvarying, very low register bass pattern it is a go od ideathat the melodic materials i n the r ight hand be played at variousdistances from the left. Also, f rom the point of view of be ing amelodic variation based upon essential tones i t is sign ifican ttha t the tone D , the important melodic tone for the f i rs t fourmeasures is the f irst and therefore most accentuated ) note i n .three of the f irst four measu res, in spite of th e peculiar, oddlytwisting nature of the two melodic phrases occurring in the semeasures.

(1) Book I: Variations in S pacing , P. 158-161



GLISSANDOS IN IMITATION OF THE SNARE DRUM

The glissandos of Variation #8 ( page 167 ) are written in exactnotation, as part of the melody rather than as a more freelyinterpreted ornamentation because the rhythmic nature of thisvariation makes it sound as if the glissandos were imitating a

snare drum roll. This rhythmic aspect is further accentuated byhaving each glissando end on the same note throughout the first sixmeasures regardless of the change of harmony, as though it werebeing played on a non-melodic instrument such as the snare drum.

WORKING WITH A GOOD IDEA

variation #9 ( page 167, measure 108 ) consists of a short, snappyrepeated melodic figure that undergoes the slight alteration fromthe note D to ~ b equired by the change of harmony in measure 112.This is a good example of an important rule about improvising bluesmusic; if you find a good idea, don't overelaborate it. Keep itsimple and straightforward, making slight changes if and wherenecessary.

THE STYLE OF CALIFORNIA BREAKDOWN

~espite he many lower neighboring tones and blue notes throughoutVariation #10 ( page 168 ) , it is actually based largely on themajor pentatonic scale 2 ) , here in ~ b The pentatonic scale has avery folksy sound and when combined with mainly unsyncopated duple (2)rhythms it sounds much like Appalachian folk music. On the other hand,the use of elements derived from the blues ( the blue notes, theglissandos, the occasional triplet rhythms and the walking bass )along with elements derived from ragtime ( the lower neighboringtone patterns ) identify this piece as being in a barrelhousegenre. However, it lacks the full qualifications of a barrelhousepiece because the swing bass is not present at all. Also, the bassremains constant throughout, without mixing various patterns asbarrelhouse basses are wont to do. In Variation #11, the mixedrhythms, vacillating between triplets (measure 132) and duplets(measure 1331, as well as the alternation in style between thecharacteristic boogie-woogie polyrhythmic melodic repeated figure(measures 132 134) and the folk ragtime pentatonic scale figure(measures 133 &135) further identify this piece as being barrelhouse,a transistion style that combined White folk music, ragtime, blues andboogie-woogie in various ways until it evolved into the stride and

swing styles of a later era.

THE REPETITION OF THEME

The final statement of the theme, beginning with the upbeat tomeasure 144 is actually another melodic variation. In fact, a clearstatement of the theme ( which seems reminicent of the songSHAKIN' LOOSE ) never really takes place anywhere in this piece.

(1) Book I: Blues Melody, P. 130-135(2) Book I: Duple Rhythm, P. 198-201



TH M



VA R I ATI O N 2: R E P E AT E D M E L O D I C F I G U R E 1 6 4.

\ VA R I AT I O N 1 : M E L O D I C VA R I AT I O N



VARIATION 4: B L U E S O R N A M E N TAT I O N S 165.

J c I In m 4

VARIATION 5 : M E L O D I C VA R I AT I O N - 3*



VA RI AT I O N 6: M E L O D I C VA R I AT I O N ( T H U M B - P I N K Y T E C H N I Q U E )



CONCLUSION

To a knowledgable person it is evident that this analysis of twelveoriginal blues improvisations does not cover the entire range ofblues piano techniques. That is because these pieces came intoexistence during lessons devoted to demonstrating how to createan entire solo blues piano improvisation through the use of an

adequate but limited number of fundamental materials sometimesacquired during a semester of a mere ten weeks duration. ) Consequently,since clarity is the primary goal of such performances manycomparatively complex techniques such as runs and repeated figures ,as well as complicated bass patterns do not appear in theseimprovisations. In addition, there is a lack of complexity in almostall aspects; in melody, where most of the material is limited to either

he blues scale or to three specific pedagogical melodic formulas,or in ornamentation techniques, where for merely one example ) thereare no chord tremolos, or in rhythm, where while adequately coveringthe subject of duple vs. triple rhythm rhythmic combinations remainquite elementary and mostly unmixed throughout, and in harmony, whereonly the most basic chords and chord charts prevail. On the other hand,the preciseness, clarity and comprehensiveness of these improvisationsmake this collection an incomparable source of instruction. By usingBook I as a supplementary guide, every possible technique and stylisticaspect of blues piano music can be found in these performances andanalyses.

It is the purpose of this book to help the blues piano student usethese collected improvisations primarily as a guide toward creatingentire original solo blues performances. To that end nothing should beregarded as sacrosanct. For example, the form outlines with theirvarious suggested variations can be freely altered and should includethose possibilities not represented in this collection, such as runsand repeated figures. In addition, the order of appearance ofvariations is entirely optional and can differ in countless ways fromthose in this collection.

In conclusion, it is to be hoped that the principles of bluesimprovisation presented in this book will serve as a solid bedrockfor aspiring blues artists to create their own world of blues music.



chord formula, 9

BACKWATER BLUES,81-85BACKWATER BOOGIE, -2~anjo, 17Barrelhouse, 6,73,117,162Bass Patterns

~oogie-Woogie,73broken Block,3,82crossrhythms,in,ll6line, elodic, 6mixed,moving Broken Block,84

Oom-Pahn, 3,162swing Bass, 16

single note, 6tenths, 2various types of,140varying from,27,117

Bluen note, 6,17,26,100Blues scale 17 25 26 27 141 170

subdominant chord and,99Borrowing from other songs,l40Breaks, /74

blues scale, n,varying,5,46

Cadence, tandard,

blues scale,in,28quick cadence,99

Cakewalk, 6CALIFORNIA BR.E2WDOWN, 5 162Carolina Shout, 16Chant, lues, 5Chart, armony

diverge from,5,44,118Charts 2 15 24 41 59 72 81 98 115 127

139,159Classical music, 16Clusters (in grace note technique1,lOlCrossrhythm, ,116

Davenport, harles, Cow Cown, 5Density, 60,73

in bass,73,84Diminished seventh chord,4,26Dissonance, ermi ttedJ7Dixieland, 16

Dorian mode, 2Duple rhythm,2,128Dynamics, ,82

subito piano, 5

Ending;see Tag,see Cadence uncharacter-istic, 02

Essential tones;see Tones,hportantEwell,Don,116

Fill-in chord formula,99Form,

Eight bar blues,60Form outline,l70;

also see Theme and Variation formForm 0 u t l i n e s 2 1 5 2 4 5 9 ~ 7 2 ~ 8 1 ~ 9 8 ~ 1 1 5 ~

127,139,159FOUR O'CLOCK BLUES, 39-146

Glissandos 2 16 75 128 142

blues scale,in,25,83chromatic tones, n, 4down beat, n, 12notation of,162upbeat, tart on, 42

Grace notes,16,45,101,128,143acciaccatura, crushed, bent,

twang, played on the beat,100-101clusters, played in,45single graced notes,145syncopated, 7

Harnony chart, 70Honky-tonk, 1

Important tones:see ToneslimportantIntrodxction, 0

Jingles, 116Johnson, ames P., 16Jugband, 17

Kinetics, 43Principle of three motions,l44

Lof ton, Clarence, Cripple Clarence, 84

Measures;see Chart divergence fromchart,

Melodic figures 5,25repeated melodic figures 5,25,46,128,161

Melodic outlines,45,60,160patterns, hree basic, 42

pick up, 146variation 44 45 128.14011411161

blues scale, n, 61blues scale option,l41



Melody,chant,basic blues,25

correct, 100expansion of ,46neighboring tone rnelody,44,60,

100,141,142pro to type,simplification of, 0

Minuet, 16Mood,Motions,144;also see Kinetics

Neighboring tone melody,44,60,100,141,142

New Orleans marching band,2,73,117

Oom-Pah bass;see Bass patterns;alsosee Swing bass

0rnamentations;see Glissandos,Gracenotes,Repeated figures,Repeatednotes,Tranolos;also see Piano

Out1ine;see Form out1ine;also seeMelodic outline

Passing tenths,43Passing tones, 3Pedal point, 40

right hand, n, 1Pentatonic scale,l7

shifting, 6Performance, 62Piano, he, 00

Pick upa 26,146

Polka, 16Polyrhythmic melodic figures,5,25,

117,170Prototype blues melody,25

Ragtime,2,73,116,162ragtimey, 6folk rag, 6swing bass, 6

Register,Repeated melodic figure,25,46,128,161Repeated notes,26,102,128,142Rhythm,

duplet, ,128duplet vs. triplet,2,73polyrhythmic figures,5,25,117,170subdivided triplet ,12

RIFF BOOGIE, 4,98-102Riffs ,102Rocking motion,75,145

rocking chords in left hand,5Run, 6,170

ST. LOUIS BLUES,2-5,140themes, hree, 17

ST. LOUIS BLUES STOMP,115-118Scales,

adjustments, 7blues scale,17,27Dorian mode, 2harmonic minor, 17

pentatonic, 7permitted dissonances,l7

SEE SEE RIDER, 1-47,116SHAKIN' LOOSE, 2 7

Sliden;see lissandoSpacing, 7,161SQUARE DANCE BLUES,15-17,116Stride piano, 6,73,116,162Styles, 6,44,162,115

genuine blues,128,17,25swing bass,16,42,73,116,162

Subdominant chord, 9Subito piano,82,85Swing Era,42,116,162Syncopation,

melodic,43,146moving tremolos, n, 6rag time, 6

Tag ending,unusual, 7

Techniques,collection of,170free use of ,4,25,128,145thumb-pinJq 27 85 145 161voice to piano,from,lOl

Tenths, 2walking, 2-43,116

Thematic simplification,60Theme and Variation form,l70

Thumb-pinkya technique, 7,85,145,161Tones,

important 45-46 61 74 140-141 160-161meaning of, 3

Train blues, ,117Tremolo,25,100,101,128

moving,Triplets, 3

subdivided, ,128TROUBLED IN MIND BLUES,127-129TROUBLED IN MIND BOOGIE,59-62

Turnaround, 4

Upbeat;see Melodic pickuprepeated note, o, 6

Variation,l70;also see Melodic varia-tion; also see Form outlinemaintaining interest,l43

Waltz, 16



Tag ending,unusual, 47

~echniques,collection of, x, 170

free use of, 4, 25, 128, 145thumb-pinky, 27, 85, 145, 161voice to piano, from, 101

Tenths, 42walking, 42-43, 116

Thematic simplification, 60Theme and Variation form, x , xi, 170

Thumb-pinky technique, 27, 85,145, 161

Tones,important, 45-46, 61 , 74,

140-141, 160-161meaning of, 83

Train blues, 5, 117Tremolo, 25, 100, 101, 128

moving, 46Triplets, 73

subdivided, 2, 128TROUBLED IN MIND BLUES, xiii, 127-129TROUBLED IN MIND BOOGIE, xiii, 59-62llTurnaroundl',

Upbeat; see Melodic pickuprepeated note, to, 26

Variation, 170; also see Melodicvariation; also seeForm outline

maintaining interest, 143

Waltz, 116

Yancey, Mama, xiii



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HOW TO ORDERTo order, write down your name and address, and the numberof copies of The Blues, Boogie Barrelhouse PianoWorkbook you wish to order (specify product #934653)Foreach volume ordered enclosed check or money order for$19.95, plus $3.00 for postage and handling (NY and MDresidents please add sales tax), payable to SongbooksUnlimited. Or CHARGE IT to your Mastercard, Discover orVisa. Include your account number and expiration date. Mailto: SONGBOOKS UNLIMITED, Dept. 095315, PO Box1950, Ridgely, MD 21681-1950. We will ship promptly withfull 30-day money back guarantee.

For Fastest Service Call On Credit Card OrdersToll Free 1-800-641-9797

24 Hours A Day, 7 Days WeekBe Sure To Ask For Catalog #934653



New

Play Like A ProPiano Arrangements

With The Professional TouchOver70Great ArrangementsByThe Best Pianist/ArrangersOf Our TimeCompleteWithTipsAnd Comments

You'll sound like the top piano professionals when youopen to one of the great tunes rranged especially for ourreaders n this great new collection We've gathere d thebest and most stylish pianists working today rom DickHyman, Ray Charles , Harry Connick, Jr. , MarianMcPartland, Dave Brubeck and Billy Taylor to Noreen Sauls,Andy LaVerne, Bill Charlap, Phil Della Penna , Jimmy Rowlesand others nd have chosen the cream of the crop fromthe arrangements they've written over the last decade. Manywere commissioned byThe Piano Stylist magazine, and theresponse ha s been nothing short of overwhelming.

Superb Arrangements, Fantastic TunesMost are not too diflicult, but these elegant, lush, beauti-

fully crafted arrangements are just filled with the pianosounds we all love And what a list of songs

There are evergreen standards likeASfie, Here s ThatRainy Day, Star Eyes, Memories Of You, Georgia On MyMind, Stella By Starlight, Fall In Love Too Easily, Don tBlame Me, Laura , Ill Wind, Isn t It Romantic, The NearnessOf You, On Green Dolphin Street, Out Of Nowhere, Solitude,Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams, But Beautiful, Danny Boy,Blue Moon and more special pieces you won't find any-where else, such as Duke Ellington's dreamyReflectiom InD and The Clothed Woman bluesy piano solos l ikeSometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child and 5 2 Blues ...and so many others Whether you play professionally, or athome for friends and family, these will quickly become your"showcase" versions of the songs you want to perform

A Bonus A GuaranteeYou'd have to comb clubs and concert halls all over theworld to track down some of these artists... and you stillwouldn't have even one of their wonderful personal pianorenditions written down, notefor-note, s o you could play and

enjoy it yourself Tha t's what makes th is collection so special.There's even aBONUS: many of these arran gemen ts are

accompanied by special comme nts and tips by the arrang ersthemselves And, a specialspiral binding allows it to stayopen on your piano without any fuss or bother nd p r eserving the book for years to come Thi s is a unique collec-tion, sure to bring you h our s and ho urs of musical pleasure

Play Like A Pro comes complete with our money-back-if-not-delighted guaran tee If you are not absolutely thrilledwith thi s one-of-a-kind collection, just return it within 30 daysfor a full refund. No questions asked You have nothing tolose, so ord er your copy today

Play Like A Pro #940759 $19.95

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HOW TO ORDERTo o rder, write down your name and add ress (includingzip code), and th e num ber of copies ofPlay Like A Proyou want. For each volume ordered enclose check ormoney ord er for $19.95 plu s $3.50 shipping and handlingpayable to Songbooks Unlimited(NY, NJ L residentsp l e a s e a d d s a l e s t a x ). O r C H AR G E I T t o y o u rMastercard or Visa. Include your account number andexpiration date. Mail to: SONGBOOKS UNLIMITED,Dept.095323, PO Box 1950, Ridgely, MD 21681-1950. Be sur e to a sk for catalog #940759. We will shippromptly with full 30-day money back g uarantee .

For Fastest Service Call On Credit Card OrdersToll Free 1-800-641-9797

4 Hours Day, 7 Days WeekBe Sure To Ask For Catalog #9 4075 9

aaron blumenfeld - blues boogie

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