theme

Here's the hook the piano and guitar play. Play this on your F (or Low-F) harmonica in 2nd Position,

I7 = 2 2" 2

IV7 = 4+ 3' 4+

V7 = 4 4+ 4

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

I7 = 4 4+ 4

IV7 = 6+ 5 6+

V7 = 6 6+ 6

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...

In Friday's Richmond Browne quote he states, "The listener is constantly making predictions; actual infinitesimal predictions as to whether the next event will be a repetition of something, or something different. The player is constantly either confirming or denying these predictions in the listener's mind. As nearly as we can tell, the listener must come out right about 50% of the time--if he is too successful in predicting, he will be bored; if he is too unsuccessful, he will give up and call the music 'disorganized.'"

Let's use the Af Af At (AAA with fills) Chorus Form as reference. continue reading...

What is the soloist doing when he attempts to "build"? Actually the ideal process hardly ever takes place--that is, it is hardly ever the case that a conscientious soloist plays a thinking solo for a hard-listening hearer, but when this does happen, the key process is memory. The soloist has to establish for the listener what the important POINT, the motif if you like, is, and then show as much as he can of what it is that he sees in that motif, extending the relationships of it to the basic while never giving the feeling he has forgotten it. continue reading...

"Sad Hours" by Little Walter starts with the guitar playing a bass line hook to set the mood with the band. Walter then enters with a pickup and holds a ghostly 5 draw. Walter plays thematically and never overplays... a great example of building a mood and staying with it. continue reading...