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Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 06:57:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Will
Subject: Blues Scale Usage in Improv

Patrick writes
:I've always felt that using three different blues
scales (based on I, IV, and V) with a 12-bar blues
sounded better than using just one scale (based on I).
If I randomly tried this with major scales over a
major chord progression, each scale change might sound
like an abrupt modulation. This effect does not occur
with the amazing blues scale.

Does anyone feel that this scale-changing is
preferable to using one scale?"

I often use the "different scales for different
chords" approach on the piano, and I think it works
well. It may not sound as traditionally bluesy as
Chicago Blues, which is neither a good nor bad thing..
unless you're trying to sound as traditionally blue as
possible.

Re using the relative minor's blues scale.. gotta
admit I don't think I've deliberately tried that..
guess I will. I can see how you can make it fit. I
imagine you use the flat-3 to natural-3 (key of C)
resolution fairly often, which in A-blues would be the
flat-5 to 5. But you'd be missing the tonic 4, b5,
and b7, which doesn't seem right. Granted you might
not play the 4 over the I chord that much, but I'd
hate to miss the b7 especially.

I guess I would tend to draw from both the tonic blues
scale and the relative minor blues scale.. think in
both, flop back and forth depending on where I was.

Interesting idea.. I'm gunna try it out! Thanks.

Mike Will

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