"Boppin' The Blues'"

Lick of the Day Series

This Week's Articles

Further Study with Matt Warnock

Playing the Jazz Blues progression is one of the water marks for any developing jazz guitarist.Even after many years playing gigs and touring as a professional player, I still spend time every day working out the blues, and there seems to never be an end to the new and exciting ways I find to navigate these common and important chords.In the following article we will look at the different ways that you can apply Bebop Scales to each chord in a jazz blues, the I7, IV7, V7, VI7b9 and iim7, in order to build your vocabulary and provide you with added melodic material the next time you jam on a blues in any key.Each Bebop Scale in this article is written out in four, one-octave positions on the neck.These shapes are not only a great introduction to these scales, since they are small and easy to get under your fingers, but they allow you to quickly change keys as you move through the blues, or any other, chord progression.To read more about any/all of these scales (including fingering and further application), please check out my article “ Bebop Scales: Definitions and Application .”The first scale you will need to check out over the jazz blues is the Dominant Bebop Scale.You can use this scale to solo over three different chords in the jazz blues progression, the I7, the IV7 and the V7, which is 4/6of the chords in the progression.The Dominant Bebop Scale is built by taking a Mixolydian Mode, the 5Mode of the Major Scale, and adding one extra passing note, the #7, creating an 8-note scale.Here is how both of those scales look from an intervallic standpoint.MixolydianR 2 3 4 5 6 b7 RDominant Bebop ScaleR 2 3 4 5 6 b7 #7 RWhen using the Dominant Bebop Scale, you will need to change the root of each scale to fit the chord you’re on.Unlike the blues scale, which can work over all the chords in the blues, the Dominant Bebop Scale only works over one chord at a time.Because of this, you need to learn three different scales to solo over a Blues in F, F, Bb and C, all of which are written out in the attached PDF.When learning to use this scale for the first time, it’s a good idea to isolate one chord and practice soloing over that chord using its relative Dominant Bebop Scale.So, try putting on an F7 vamp and soloing over that chord with the F Dominant Bebop Scale, then repeat the same process with Bb7 and C7 before starting to mix them together.Once they are under your fingers and in your ears, take them to a I-IV-V blues progression and try and apply them to the full 12-bar blues form.When that is comfortable you can start to add in the other chords such as the iim7 and VI7b9 which we will explore below.The next scale we will look at is the Altered Bebop Scale, which can be used to improvise over the VI7b9 chord in bar 8 of a blues, a D7b9 in the key of F.This scale comes from the fifth mode of Harmonic Minor, and uses one extra note, the #7, to form an 8-note scale, as was the case with the Dominant Bebop Scale.Here is how both of those scales look from an intervallic standpoint:Mode HMR b2 3 4 5 b6 b7 RAltered BebopR b2 3 4 5 b6 b7 #7 RTry isolating this scale by working on it over a static D7b9 vamp at first.Then, take it to the 11 other keys to get it under your fingers and in your ears, and then take it to the Blues itself in an improvisational standpoint.The VI7b9 chord is the one chord in a blues that can tie you up when you are first beginning to explore the jazz blues progression.Using this scale can give you plenty of ammunition when navigating this tough chord, allowing you to confidently outline the change without having to “skim” over it as many of us tend to do with this chord in a blues.Learn more about this scale by reading my article “ The Altered Bebop Scale: Mixing Modes to Master Minor Progressions .”The last scale we’ll look at is the Minor Bebop Scale, which you can use to improvise over the iim7 chord in bar 9 of the blues, Gm7 in the key of F as in the PDF.This scale is built by taking a Dorian mode and adding in an extra #7 to create an 8-note scale.Here is how these two scales are built from an intervallic standpoint:DorianR 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 RMinor BebopR 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 #7 RTry practicing this scale over an isolated m7 chord, in one or more keys, and then mix it up with the Dominant Bebop Scale by improvising over a ii-V progression.For example, you could put on a Gm7-C7 backing track and practice switching from the G Minor Bebop Scale to the C Dominant Bebop Scale in your soloing.When you feel ready you can bring this scale to the blues progression and use it to solo over the iim7 chord when you get to bar 9 in the progression.To finish off I have included a guide for you to print out and put on your practice stand that shows a jazz blues progression in F, with all of the different Bebop scales written underneath to use as a reference.This week I started a new Lick of the Day Series on my facebook page. Each day I will give a new lick, in either tab or video form, for your to check out.Here are this weeks LOTD LicksClick to visit the Matt Warnock Guitar Page on Facebook and give it a like while you're there!