Jazzy Swing Blues Chords

[pompeii0]

I am looking to expand on my blues playing and I want to get more of a swing/jazz/bebop feel. What are chords and progressions that would fit this style. I am looking for stuff like Duke Robillard, Hollywood Fats, T-Bone Walker, etc. Are there any good instructional materials out there (DVD, book) other then the Robillard DVD? Thanks!

[charlie chitlin]

I always advise folks to listen to plenty of T-Bone and make sure you steal the horn lines, too!

G T-Bone
x-----------------
------3------------
---2----------
------3------
---2--------
--------------

C T-Bone

----3---------
----3------------
----3-------
--2---------
----3--------

Killer T-Bone D chord used for the V in the last measure

x---------------
---3--------
---3-------
-----4-------
---------5-----
x------------

Swingy G

----3----
----3-----
--2-----
--2-------

Swingy C (works best for the I chord)

------------8----------
---5-----------------
-------7-------------
------------8----------

Now get to work!

[ednew]

Check out TDPRI contributor Kenny Blue Ray for some well researched and very well executed tasty blues licks from T-Bone and peers. Kenny's CD tutorials are very cool.

http://home.earthlink.net/~blueray/

Ed

[JayFreddy]

I'm a fan of Matthieu Brandt's Swing and Jump Blues method.

http://www.swingblues.com/swing.htm

The whole thing is free on his website, but he gives you the option to pay him if you like it. I like it!

The following is a line cliche I learned from Richard Chalk of the Texas Topcats:

 Ascending Line Cliché

      D9/C       D9sus/C      Do7        D9(no3)
 VII ||||1|      ||||||      ||||||      ||||||      
     |||||| VIII ||||1|      ||||||      ||||||      
     |||2||      |||2||   IX ||1|2|   IX |||1||      
   X ||3||4    X ||3||4    X |||3|4    X ||2|34      

      D9/C       D9sus/C      Do7        D9(no3)
  e--10--10------10--10------10--10------10--10----
  B---7---7-------8---8-------9---9------10--10----
  G---9---9-------9---9------10--10-------9---9----
  D--10--10------10--10-------9---9------10--10----
  A------------------------------------------------
  E------------------------------------------------

[jazztele]

to put some names to charlie's nice examples:

ex 1: G9 (no root)

ex 2: C9

ex 3: D+ (augmented--cool sound as a V)

swingy G: G6/9

swingy C: a nice inversion of a C9, with the root on top.

[stevieboy]

I've worked on learning a lot of this kind of stuff over time, and besides specific examples, what I've found is that it's best to learn it slowly, and especially to take the things you learn and work them into your own playing until you can use them comfortably in a lot of different situations. Knowing tons of chord voicings doesn't do anything for you unless you can apply them to your own playing. A few simple things can go a long way. And work on getting the right feel, you can do a lot just by doing that with what you might know already.

I think you could take any of the great examples here and spend a lot of time with each one. After a while, you get to where you can mix and match and improvise within the progressions you play, and work them into solos as well.

This is pretty cool--



This guy has lessons at http://www.99centguitarlessons.com/JazzComping.html

[wangdangdoodle]

Learn as many tasty extensions as ya can... and if you really wanted to sound Jazz learn about interchanging chord types.

[twangcaster1]

I'm learning to play jazz, too. So complicated!

[porgy]

Porg likes video. Got some ideas, porg gona give it a try. Porg does do Jazz and voicings on Guitfiddle, but this is a bit different. Your taking the same box chord pattern and going up and down the neck, basically no changes in fingers or hand, of course following a blues scale or progression, as to where I generally use different boxed type chord shapes at different locals on the neck, where this is much easier it seems. Easier on the hands anyway.

[Chris Clemens]

Originally Posted by stevieboy

This is pretty cool--

Sweet!

[pompeii0]

Thanks for all of the great info!!!

[charlie chitlin]

Originally Posted by jazztele

to put some names to charlie's nice examples:

ex 1: G9 (no root)

ex 2: C9

ex 3: D+ (augmented--cool sound as a V)

swingy G: G6/9

swingy C: a nice inversion of a C9, with the root on top.

Cool.
Thanks.
Almost everything I know about music comes from folks telling me what the hell I'm playing!

[Tim Bowen]

There's loads of stuff available, but I'm still a huge fan of the old Mickey Baker Jazz, volume I. Those moves and voicings are timeless. Also, the Joe Pass instructional video, The Blue Side of Jazz is really good. And there's nothing quite like hunkering down with only the ol' ear and a bunch of great records and attempting to figure it out for yourself; this remains the best education, in my opinion.

[JayFreddy]

Originally Posted by JayFreddy

The following is a line cliche I learned from Richard Chalk of the Texas Topcats:

 Ascending Line Cliché

      D9/C       D9sus/C      Do7        D9(no3)
 VII ||||1|      ||||||      ||||||      ||||||      
     |||||| VIII ||||1|      ||||||      ||||||      
     |||2||      |||2||   IX ||1|2|   IX |||1||      
   X ||3||4    X ||3||4    X |||3|4    X ||2|34      

      D9/C       D9sus/C      Do7        D9(no3)
  e--10--10------10--10------10--10------10--10----
  B---7---7-------8---8-------9---9------10--10----
  G---9---9-------9---9------10--10-------9---9----
  D--10--10------10--10-------9---9------10--10----
  A------------------------------------------------
  E------------------------------------------------

I was wondering if any of you esteemed theoreticians could apply your thinking caps to naming these chords... I realize the same notes can have different names, depending on how they're used, e.g., the D9sus/C could also be a Cadd9... However, it sounds more like a D chord to me... I'm pretty sure about the first three, but the "D9(no 3rd)/C" seems a bit clunky for standard terminology. Ideas? Thanks in advance!

ps. Thanks for posting that video Stevie, that's a cool trick!

[stevieboy]

Originally Posted by JayFreddy

I was wondering if any of you esteemed theoreticians could apply your thinking caps to naming these chords... I realize the same notes can have different names, depending on how they're used, e.g., the D9sus/C could also be a Cadd9... However, it sounds more like a D chord to me... I'm pretty sure about the first three, but the "D9(no 3rd)/C" seems a bit clunky for standard terminology. Ideas? Thanks in advance!

ps. Thanks for posting that video Stevie, that's a cool trick!

I just call that a D9. Maybe there is more of a name for it, as it has the root at the top but D9 seems to cover it, maybe someone with more theorectical knowledge can elaborate.

A lot of people just call the first one the "Freddie King chord," because it's the first chord in the break part in Hideaway. Probably not the technically correct name though!

As far as that walk up you got from Richard Chalk (who btw I used to be acquainted and friendly with when I lived in the Big D in the mid-late ninties) I do a slightly different version. The first two chords are the same, but then I play an Em7 (B 9th fret D string, E 9th fret G string, G 9th fret B string, D 10th fret E string) then the same Ddim7, and then resolve to that D9 as the I chord. Or it works equally well resolving to a G9 as the IV chord. The Em7 could technically need a different chord name in that context, not sure, over my head! The extra chord makes it a four beat walk up not counting the D9 which is beat one of the next measure, which I am more likely to use. Also detours it a bit from a straight voice leading pattern on the the B string, but I like that. I got the essence of it from a Duke Robillard tutorial somewhere or another, but I think I changed it somewhere along the line.

I've been digging that "swingy G" that Charlie Chitlin gave us. But I've been using it in combination with a bit of the stuff from that video I posted. To me that's kind of the essence of working with all this, mix new little bits with stuff you're already doing, and getting enough pieces so you can improvise a little. Blues you can use!

[Leon Grizzard]

Originally Posted by Tim Bowen

There's loads of stuff available, but I'm still a huge fan of the old Mickey Baker Jazz, volume I. Those moves and voicings are timeless. Also, the Joe Pass instructional video, The Blue Side of Jazz is really good. And there's nothing quite like hunkering down with only the ol' ear and a bunch of great records and attempting to figure it out for yourself; this remains the best education, in my opinion.

I agree with Tim. Mikey Baker Vol I is a great book. However, his I chord is the Maj. 7th and you might need to sub in dom 7th chords to make it sound right for blues. (He also teaches altered dominant sounds, although he doesn't get into more modern sounds like using the melodic minor a half step up from the V7 chord. heh heh)

[jazztele]

Originally Posted by stevieboy

I just call that a D9. ...





I've been digging that "swingy G" that Charlie Chitlin gave us. But I've been using it in combination with a bit of the stuff from that video I posted. To me that's kind of the essence of working with all this, mix new little bits with stuff you're already doing, and getting enough pieces so you can improvise a little. Blues you can use!

yeah, i don't hear it as a slash chord--that C isn't a bass note to my ears, it's just an inversion of a D9...so really all of the /C's are superflouous. very cool though...i like it like this, personally

x x 10 9 7 10

x x 10 9 8 10

x x 10 9 9 10

x x 10 9 10 10

(oh, i guess i'd think of that third chord as a D9#11, and the fourth just as D9 again...i'd resolve up to a G maj7)

which brings me to the second thing i wanted to mention--charlie's G6/9 (swingy G) is a nice example of the I in a blues not having to be a dominant. There's plenty of jazz blues' out there with a maj7 for the I.

since this thread was all about jazzing up the blues, I think the next step for you cats is to expand the structure of that 12 bar blues...there's an awful lot that can be done (in particular after bar 7) to shake things up--i suggest a real book and some charlie parker tunes...that'll get the blood flowing!

[klasaine]

I like these Wes type changes for a blues in G (b7th in the bass) ...

G7/6

----X----
----8----
----9----
----9----
----8----
----X----

C9

----X----
----8----
----9----
----8----
----9----
----X----

E7#9 in bar 8

----X----
----8----
----7----
----6----
----7----
----X----

Am11 bar 9 (this is a slight stretch but very 'worth it')

----3----
----3----
----5----
----7----
----x----
----x----

D13 bar 10

----7----
----5----
----5----
----4----
----x----
----x----

Then repeat the G6 - E7#9 - Am11 - D13 for the turn-a-round (2 beats each)


Robben Ford does this a lot on blues ...

G6/9

----3----
----3----
----2----
----3----
----2----
----x----

C6/9 {you can substitute the low Bb for a C or just play a straight C9 chord. Sometimes in the lower registers, putting the b7th in the bass can get a little muddy on guitar. The b7 in the bass though is one of the typical ways to arrange horn section stuff: b7 3 6 9 (1) *that's getting into something called 'drop 2'.}

----3----
----3----
----2----
----2----
----1----
----x----

[Tim Bowen]

Originally Posted by Leon Grizzard

(He also teaches altered dominant sounds, although he doesn't get into more modern sounds like using the melodic minor a half step up from the V7 chord. heh heh)

Boo-yah, we're gonna have some funsies with this, huh?!

HEY MAN YOU STARTED IT.

Love, grins, and giggles.

- TB

[jazztele]

Originally Posted by klasaine

Robben Ford does this a lot on blues ...

G6/9

----3----
----3----
----2----
----3----
----2----
----x----

C6/9 {you can substitute the low Bb for a C or just play a straight C9 chord. Sometimes in the lower registers, putting the b7th in the bass can get a little muddy on guitar. The b7 in the bass though is one of the typical ways to arrange horn section stuff: b7 3 6 9 (1) *that's getting into something called 'drop 2'.}

----3----
----3----
----2----
----2----
----1----
----x----

would you call those 6/9's? that doesn't seem to suggest the flat seventh that is in these voicings.

sometimes chord naming is a nitpicky thing, really...