Big Boss Man Groove and Improvisation
Wed, 07/22/2020 - 03:41
Hi David,
I think i'm correct, but the licks from this song are staraight 8th's, so I'm trying to use these licks and improvise over The Strut jam track, but cant seem to make it work. Is there a reason for this and is there anything I can do to make these licks work.
Also, whilst writing, as well as loving the blues, boogies and shuffles, i'm into blues rock and rock music. Now on this site I'm learning some brilliant licks which in the main are for the 12 bar blues. How can I use these licks for non 12 bar blues for rock and blues rock improvisation.
Thank you for your help,
Paul
Hello Paul.
Yes, you're correct, Passin' Time is a straight-eighth song. You can play Passin' Time to The Strut jam track. The Strut jam track is a little faster, so pick up your tempo (Chorus 3 onwards will be challenging). Another option is to slow down the jam track to the same tempo as Passin' Time at first, so you you're not changing everything at once.
Great rock harmonica players are great blues harmonica players... they are one-in-the-same. The blues licks you're learning now will be the licks you'll use in rock. The main change is that you'll be playing in forms other than just 12 bar (some of them will be), so the Chorus Form concept you've learned is not as applicable. Your Music Theory Study 6 lesson will be very important to you. Also get really good at improvising within the blues scale (this is the primary scale you'll use in rock).
P.S., I wrote a book for Mel Bay Publications called Rock Harmonica Method, I recommend you check it out. https://www.melbay.com/Products/21979M/rock-harmonica.aspx