songwriting

Last week's tip focused on how repetition is the key element in making your improvising and songwriting memorable. Here are a few examples of famous classic blues harmonica instrumentals... note that repetition plays the key role in making the head (the opening 12 Bars) memorable. This happens just as much with modern instrumentals, but you most likely already have these songs in your collection for convenience of review. continue reading...

Our first variation via deletion is the most common one for this hook. Delete the third note...

I7 = 2 2" 2 > 2 2"

IV7 = 4+ 3' 4+ > 4+ 3'

V7 = 4 4+ 4 > 4 4+

Or on your Bb Harmonica in 3rd Position...

I7 = 4 4+ 4 > 4 4+

IV7 = 6+ 5 6+ > 6+ 5

V7 = 6 6+ 6 > 6 6+

Give this a try while playing the song and listen to the effect it has. Have a great weekend everyone... see you on Monday.

Now that you've played the hook as it's presented in the song and experimented with adding textures for variation, how about using deletion as a way to bring interest? Experiment with this and see what type of ideas you come up with. I'll share some of my thoughts tomorrow.

Listen to "In Memory," the song featured in today's release of Recording Study 4. The pitch content of what I played and the textures I used in which to present them are of course important, but dynamics are center stage in this song to convey emotion. The use of dynamics (primarily volume change) is what's commonly missing from players in their first five years of study. The addition of dynamics easily doubles the emotional impression on the listener... I can't emphasize this point strongly enough. continue reading...

The theme in “Gary’s Blues” is presented in the first two notes, the 3+ eighth notes. This eighth note figure is restated throughout the song. You see this at the end of the first line, with the 4+ 3 played in the same eighth note rhythm. The second chorus starts with these 3+ eighth notes and you see them again in the third bar of Chorus 3… and at the end of Bar 4. This repeats in other places, but I think you get the idea. This type of thematic element is not commonly noticed, but it’s no doubt part of what makes a song cohesive. continue reading...

Listening to Chorus 2 of George Harmonica Smith's "Juicy Harmonica" notice that the first and second line use the same rhythm. Though the notes are different, the rhythm remains the same. This is a rhythm sequence. He changes on the last line (last four bars). Focusing on pitches only, you would call this an A B C Chorus Form. Taking into account the rhythm, it's clearly an A A1 B Chorus Form (A, A variation 1, B Chorus Form).

Here's what he plays using TAB. I placed the pickup to each line in parenthesis so that you can see the main meat of the line he's playing. continue reading...

"Can what you play (when you don't repeat your "A" lick) still be cool if it doesn't use a theme?" Absolutely. This where the importance of using phrasing can be vague to new improvisers. They CAN play lick, after lick, after lick, and as long as the licks are cool (pitch, rhythm, texture, dynamics, etc.), the solo is cool. But, "Will it be memorable?" No. We can remember the experience of the solo, which in itself IS valuable, but if you want the listener walking away with a cool hook/melody, you need to repeat it enough so that it can stick with them. continue reading...

In Little Walter's "Juke" you hear him play the opening one-bar lick for four bars (A), then repeats those four bars (A), and then move away for the last four bars (B). This is called the AAB Chorus Form. If the opening lick, labeled "A," does not take up the entire line, then there's room to throw in a fill, labeled "f." The last line's fill is a turnaround and is labeled as 't." This makes the Af Af At or Af Af Bt Chorus Forms. AAB is the standard rhyme scheme for blues vocals. In the space you play harmonica fills... this is the Af Af Bt Chorus Form idea. continue reading...

In "Rocker" Little Walter plays the opening four-bar lick thee times. This creates the first of five common Chorus Forms, known as A A A. The lick is played (A) and then it's repeated two times (A A). Pretty cool that you can play one lick over all of the chords of the 12 Bar Blues and it still works.

Take a listen to LW's "Juke" and figure out which Chorus Form he's using in the opening chorus.

My most creative ideas come from moments where I gift myself enough time to get bored.