Tuesday, May 3, 2011

What Did You Miss This Week? (Week 221 #264)

More George Smith!!!

If repetition is a good thing in your playing, it is also a good thing when teaching. Joe turned once again to George Smith this week, discussing the solo section of the tune Until You Come Home (available on the cd Blowin' The Blues).

The primary lessons to be learned here are:
  • Use the blues scale. Yeah, you've heard that one before, right? This means you should be extremely cautious of using the 3 draw unbent.
  • Learn to navigate from the 5th scale degree to the root in various ways. This is best exemplified by the phrase from the 4 draw sliding down to the 2 draw, which is fast becoming nicknamed Lick #1. The exception to this is that phrasing over the V chord should NOT end on the root but rather the 1 draw.
  • Yes, this 8-bar tune has a I-IV-II-V section (or perhaps a I-iv-ii-V) but you should notice that George barrels through that with nothing but low-down blues scale stuff.
Shoji also made a very interesting and astute comment that phrasing over 8-bar blues is different than over 12 or even 16-bar because of where the V chord falls. Notice that the V chord appears on the left side of the page in 12 and 16-bar songs, which means it's at the beginning of your phrasing. With an 8-bar song, it occurs on the right side of the page instead, which puts it at the end of most phrasing. Why does this matter? Well, it is more important that you end with the chord, which Joe was alluding to above when he stressed ending on the 1 draw over the V.

B1 Blues Ensemble at Folk & Roots Festival!!!

- Shoji Naito, our ensemble leader extraordinaire, has scored a half hour slot this summer at the Old Town School's Folk & Roots Festival on the staff stage. Here's his note:

B1 Ensemble got a slot!

Saturday July 9th
12:30 - 1:00pm

We want to play "Juke" and "Soul Finger" and more.

Everybody is welcome to join us, but we don't want to play sloppy in front of hundreds of people, so I am trying to have "special 4 week ensemble class" on Saturday afternoons.

Please plan to attend.

I will send out e-mails as soon as I get a new info.

Thanks

Shoji

You Missed Monday Is On Facebook!!!

You Missed Monday has a facebook page now. If you're on facebook, click HERE and "like" us so you can get late-breaking gig news and also help us spread the word about events like Recital and the Chicago Blues Harp Bash. Get on board!

And speaking of Recital, if you're on facebook, be sure to "attend" our Recital event so word about this great show spreads! Click here.

Class Notes
  • The date is set for our next recital at the Harlem Avenue Lounge. Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 21.
  • Shoji has prepared another fantastic ensemble piece for the upcoming recital. Get a copy of the harp part for Albatross from him and join the group of harmonica and guitar players performing this beautiful Peter Green tune.
- Grant Kessler, B1 Blues Crew