So I'd like to talk to you today about the blues progression. In a typical blues progression, you use 7th chords. So we're going to talk about building the 7th chord, then go on to the blues progression. The seventh chord starts with the major triad. [MUSIC] Remember the major triad,one, three, five. Then we're going to add a seventh to it. [MUSIC] And we're going to flat the seventh. So now we have a one, a three, a five, and a flat seven. That is what we call a dominant seventh chord. [SOUND] One, three, five, flat seven. [SOUND] You can have the warmth, the root, the third, the fifth, and the flat seven. Dominant seventh chord. On the screen there you can see it says C7. Now if I were to play a dominant seven chord based on the F as my root I would use the notes F, A, C, E flat. That would be an F dominant 7. F7, F dominant 7. See, we have C dominant 7 And an F dominant seven. The next chord to the blues in a G seven. So that would be a G dominant seven. G, B, D, F. That's a flat seven, F natural. The one cool thing to think about whenever you want to play a flat seven, all you have to do is remember that it's a whole step below the root. So you have root, three, five, and root again, and then you just come down a whole step and you have your flat seven. [MUSIC] Flat 7th. Dominant 7th chord. So we have the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord. Dominant 7th. All these three chords go into playing a blues. Those are the only chords you need to play a blues. You see I have a blues written there. There's one chord for four bars. [MUSIC] And at the four chord for two bars. Back to the one chord of the two bars. Then the five chord. Four chord. One chord. Now I'm going to have the students sing the roots. That's the tonic, the one. Every time I change the chord. So this thing is C for the first four bars. And they're going to attack the pitch every four bars. So they'll go do, do, do, do. Then they go to the four-quarter to the F, do [SOUND] Doo. Back to the one chord. [SOUND] Doo. Doo. Then the five chord. [SOUND] Doo. Four chord. [SOUND] Doo. One chord. [SOUND] Okay, you ready, guys? One, two, one, two, three, four. >> [MUSIC] >> Good. >> [MUSIC] >> Good job. They're going to do the same thing and this time I'm going to play a little improvising using the minor pentatonic scale [MUSIC] While I'm playing the chords and they're singing, okay? And you'll hear how that minor pentatonic scales being used. To improvise or to create a melody over the blues. So let's try it, guys. One, two, one, two, three, four. [MUSIC] >> Cool. See how that minor pentatonic scale was used when I played the blues? And a really cool way to write a blues riff tune with a minor pentatonic scale is simply writing a simple melody for the first two bars. Melody or lyrics and a melody for the first two bars. [SOUND] And then you'll rest for the next two bars. You get to bar five, you repeat the same two bar melody that you did for the first two bars, and then you'll rest for the next two bars. So five and six, you're repeating the same melody you wrote for bars one and two, less for bars three and four, the same melody you're going to write in five and six that you wrote in bars one and two. Then you'll rest in measures number seven and eight. Then measure nine, you're going to maybe vary the lyrics that you sing on a melody that you write a little bit and rest in measures eleven and twelve. It may sound a little complex, but we're going to put it in context for you, so it makes even more sense. Now I didn't tell them I was going to do this, but each of these students right now is going to write a blues. They're going to improvise on the spot. They're going to improvise about whatever they want to sing about. It can be about their roommate, it can be about their favorite color, it can be about the weather. And they're going to use the structure that I just mentioned. They're going to sing lyrics for the first two bars, then they're going to rest for two bars. And they're going to repeat those same lyrics For two bars, then rest for two bars. Then they'll vary the lyrics for two bars, and then rest for two bars. So I'll give you an example. And I think I'll put it in another key so we can sing it in that key. C is kind of hard sometimes to sing blues in. So we'll put it back down in F. [MUSIC] So, you can start out with something simple as, my name is George, and I like to play. And, rest a few bars, repeat. My name is George, and I like to play. [MUSIC] If given the chance here's where we vary it. I play all day. [MUSIC] Piano is the thing that I like to do the best. I'll repeat that. Piano is the thing that I like to do the best. [MUSIC] My name is George. And I like to play. [MUSIC] I know I don't sing so well. But that's okay. [MUSIC] I know I don't sing so well. But that's okay. [MUSIC] I'm going to do it any old way. Okay? Now, I'm going to go through, and I'm going to have each student just make up a blues on the spot using that minor pentatonic skill, and the structure that I just mentioned. Now the main thing about this and this is the most important thing, you've got to have fun. This is mandatory, because if you're having fun, you won't be nervous hear that guys? This is going to be a lot of fun. Okay we're going to start with Courtney and go right around. Courtney, Grace, Janae and the lovely Juliana Davis, and then George. Ready guys? Sure you are! First up we have Courtney. Here we go. [MUSIC] >> All right, Genee? >> [MUSIC] >> Juliana >> [MUSIC] Eat. So I can get something to eat. I ate lasagna after I brush my teeth. >> My baby loved me a long time ago. [MUSIC] So that is the blues progression guys. In its most simplistic form, you use the one chord, the four chord and the five chord. Just like what's on the screen there, one chord, the four chord and the five chord. The one chord for the first four bars. When you get to bar five you go to the four chord. Bar seven back to the one chord. Bar nine there's some kind of cadence chord and it's normally the five chord then the four chord. Bar eleven goes back to the one chord. You'll notice that I added a few extra codes here and there and you're able to do that but just know that all you need to play is those three codes and they are all dominate codes. How is a dominate code constructed again? One, three, five, flat seven see? One, e, three, g, five, b flat, flat seven, c dominant seven chord. That is a dominant seventh chord. Then you have the four seventh, f seventh, five seventh, g seventh, back to the one seventh. C seventh. The blues.
