Blues Run the Game

35012 · Post by **35012** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 2:40 pm

Lately, I have become fascinated with the simple but at the same time great things one can do with basic blues progressions. Who else here likes to experiment with variations on the blues progression?

winston · Post by **winston** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 2:49 pm

Isaac,

Count me amongst the many musicians who love playing many genres, including blues, R&B and some jazz.

35012 · Post by **35012** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 2:54 pm

That's good to hear. I like to be able to hear the inspirations in music, whether they are emotional or inspired by real people and genres. (unlike most of today's music which is rather hard to identify with, or identify, for that matter.)

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:01 pm

I-IV-V is the most common chord progression in rock n' roll, yet quite often i've come up with cool variants on it, which I find amazing. It's always in style, I suppose.

telebob · Post by **telebob** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 4:00 pm

It Ain't Nobody's Business

G7//// B7//// C7//// C#1/2 dim//// G7// E7#9//

Am// D9// G7// C9// G7// D+5//

This one is cool too:

A6// A7// D9// F#-// A7//// A7//// D9//// F#-////

A7// Bm7// C#m7// Cm7// Bm7//// E9//// A7// D-//

Bm7// E9//

jaybic · Post by **jaybic** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:23 am

I love the blues! Really started getting into Howlin' Wolf, John Mayall, Delbert McClinton and others. On the surface deceptively simple yet they really illustrate the importance of feeling and all the other intangibles that make music so great.

As an aside, I started learning the bass by playing along with various blues artists and discovering the magic I-IV-V progression. It was a great place to start to get involved with a group. You can play as simply as possible, then learn more and more and start adding frills, runs, walking lines, etc.

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:46 am

I like blues when i'm blue (which is, to be true, a rare occasion). I even tried to write a blues once or twice, but it came out as something closer to punk rock... Oh well. The chord progression is still the same, anyway.

expomick · Post by **expomick** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:52 am

as long as it's from the soul, baby...it's all good

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:53 am

I've got a tune in the works which is basically a blues tune, but it's in 5/4, then the chorus in 3/4.

Too bad my drummer can't do it! Grrr...

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:53 pm

A really good blues is almost...mystical.
Plenty of room for dynamics and space too.

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 1:28 pm

A really good drummer is almost mystical, as well.

Plenty of room for 5/4...

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:40 pm

"I've got a tune in the works which is basically a blues tune, but it's in 5/4"

Inerestingly, I was up Friday night (actually early Saturday) after coming home from work and just plunking around on the bass and came up with these neat runs and when I figured it out they were in 5/4. I really need to have a small digital handheld recorder when I do this as usually the next day I forget what I did...

melibreits · Post by **melibreits** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:46 pm

I love the blues....it satisfies the melancholy artist in me--and makes me laugh at myself when I try to play 'em, LOL!

telebob · Post by **telebob** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 2:21 am

LOL! A blues in 5/4! You can't dance to blues as it is! Must be fun to watch what happens in 5/4!

Me? I dig playing in 9/8. Not as challenging.

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 4:53 am

While not a strict blues, "Money" (PF) is a bluesy song - in 7/4. Seems to work well.