Blues Solo on I chord

[Tele4theBlues]

Hi, i discovered in a Albert King blues yesterday that when he start playing is solo, the band stand on the I chord of the song (that is what we call a vamp ?), for all the solo, so Albert can play with any care in the chords changes. Do you know other songs like that ?

Kind regards.

I hope you will understand my english .

[goteleonthemt'n]

For jamming on a single chord, I think of two related kinds of music besides blues: Funk and a few modal jazz tunes.

Especially for funk, if you listen to James Brown, Parliament, or African funk like Fela Kuti, you'll hear lots of soloists (guitarists and others) using blues scales to solo over a single chord.

The modal jazz concept is related but a little more complex, since there are a few, widely spaced chord changes, but soloists still can solo within a single mode. (That is, within a particular form of a scale). Here, think Miles Davis's Kind of Blue, both the song and the album.

You may be looking for more straight ahead blues tunes--I can't help you there because I don't know enough about it.

It must be really hard to stay fresh and interesting soloing on the same chord for several choruses, but all of the folks i mentioned (and Albert King) are masters, so they're up to the challenge.

Cheers.

[Telenator]

Don't forget disco! LOL!

[Axis29]

Look at a lot of John Lee Hooker. He does a lot of vamping over single chords for the entire song.

I understand that this may be the oldest form of blues. Especially if you look at the instruments blues was developed on... the old one stinrg guitars and such.

[Colin Johnston]

Duane Allman could always blow over a I chord vamp. He was a big Miles fan.

[Tele4theBlues]

What to do to quit this long solo on I chord and return to I IV V ? Is there any tips ?

[eddiewagner]

Originally Posted by Tele4theBlues

What to do to quit this long solo on I chord and return to I IV V ? Is there any tips ?

i can not quite understand the question. but i guess a couple of doublestops or stylish chord-progressions can get you out of the dangerzone. something like the little fills on soulman. or some funky-countrybends. if you have not burned that before.

[weelie]

Off topic, but here's some one chord songs: http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/moneychords/onechord.html

[Tim Bowen]

My acoustic duo does a I chord vamp of Howlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years" in 'E'. While I've not heard this recording, I think my partner was inspired by the Nighthawks' cover. We can usually count on playing the tune for fifteen minutes or more, and we usually introduce it after our listening patrons have collectively developed a full head of steam (that is, dancing on the bar and such).

My partner and I treat it differently every time, otherwise it would be boring, which is not our inention. We'll both play acoustic guitars, or either of us wiill play bass. We'll trade harmonica rides, or if I'm feling goofy, I'll trade fours, call and response style, on kazoo, while my mate plays harp. It's a handful of E, so I'll treat it as anything from major to minor to dominant to altered dominant. I play it stupid simple or a bit sophisticated, whatever I feel like the room is open to. I'll grab a slide if it feels good. I'll quote line cliche's such as "Secret Agent Man", and while there's no "turnaround" per se, I've superimposed unlikely choices, such as my read on Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird" turnaround. It's a handful of 'E'.

That's about the only one chord vamp that I do at the moment. For dorian mode and whatnot, there's "Smilling Faces" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed". A great E minor to A vehicle is Neil Young's "Down By the River"; you can treat it simply, or you can hear the intervals as though you were playing over Dennis Yost's "Spooky" or Steely Dan's "Josie". A great I7-IV7 vamp is Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon".

All music is blues if you wish it to be.

[charlie chitlin]

Originally Posted by Tele4theBlues

What to do to quit this long solo on I chord and return to I IV V ? Is there any tips ?

Maybe I understand the question...
Do you want to know how to get the whole band to come out of the vamp and go back into the song?
I have a song like this, and I have a riff that I play 4 times followed by a stop.
After the stop, it goes back to the normal progression.
Whatever you decide to do, you just have to work it out with the band that you are going to give them a cue followed by some number of measures.
A plus tard...

[Tele4theBlues]

Yes Charlie, it's my question. What chords or licks to use to go from solo to rythm ?

Regards.