Pacticing the blues scale and the flat third
Hello David,
I have been having this dilema for a while.
So far while practicing the blues scale on 2nd posiiton (and as of late on 1st posiiton) I have been aiming to hit that flat third somewhat sharper, all because...well perhaps a missconception of some material I have seen online.
Also when practicing my -3 bending control I practice all of those bends together with that -3 quarter step bend (aiming at about 50C sharper than the -3') so that my tongue and my ears learn to make the difference between both.
However the one I play on the blues scale arpegios is the one that would start to feel more natural with time and start comming more and more often subconsciously in my playing so I wonder
should I aim in the bulls eye while practicing the blues scale or should I always try to get it sharper (idealy 50C sharper)?
I have seen an article on wkipedia stating the following:
The blue "lowered third" has been speculated to be from 7/6 (267 cents)[9][10] to 350 cents[12] above the tonic tone. It has recently been found empirically to center at 6/5 (316 cents) based on cluster analysis of a large number of blue notes from early blues recordings.[17] This note is commonly slurred with a perfect third at 5/4 (386 cents)[17] in what Temperley et al.[18] refer to as a "neutral third". This bending or glide between the two tones is an essential characteristic of the blues.
So that 316 cents are about 16 cents sharper then the -3' and the so called 386 cents "perfect third" is about 14 cents flatter than -3.
I have noticed that my Special 20 harp has already come with a -3 that about 14 cents flatter, and I was considering of filing the reed a bit, but after reading that article I have decided to keep it where it is.
Still so many numbers have made my head spinning and I need your advice.
Mostly about which bend should I aim to incorporate in my blues scale practice and as well as in my playing.
Thanks in advance!
Thank you so much, Dave!
Straight to the point as always!
Hello Angel.
You're correct to not go in and tune up your 3 draw on your Special 20. The 3 draw is lowered so that when you sound a draw chord (holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 for example), it sounds smooth. If the 3 draw was not lowered, it will make the chord sound harsh.
The 3 draw carries tremendous importance in 2nd Position.
Played as a 3 draw, it sounds light and pretty (major).
Played with a dip, you get a touch of bluesyness, but still retains its light character. The default way to present the 3 draw is with a dip (whether or not the 3 is bent... in other words, if you bend the 3 a quarter tone or half step, we still commonly put a dip on it).
Played as a quarter tone bend, it has a bluesy sound, but not too dark. This is the default way to present the 3 draw in the blues.
Played as a half step bend, it's bluesy, dark, and minor. We use this bend, on the I Chord, less often, unless we want a dark sound, or we are in minor. When practicing the blues scale, you should use this bend. Also, you should NOT use the 3 draw quarter tone bend for the IV7... the 3' is the correct note (the 3' is the flat-7th on the IV7 chord, so it has a different function than that of the I Chord).
Played as the 3", it's the 2nd of the I Chord, 6th of the IV Chord, and 5th of the V Chord. This bend can be used both in major and minor, and is a great note on all chords. The advanced player should strive to have this bend as much as possible in their playing.
The 3''' is generally only used in 3rd position blues. It can be used in 2nd position (see Bending Study 5), but should generally be avoided (it's the flat-2nd, and is a half step away from the tonic of the song, so it's very dissonant).
As you can see, the 3 draw contains an amazing range of notes, and its control is extremely important in one's study as they advance.
The simple answer for you is that you should use 3' in your blues scale, when a song is dark, and when a song is in minor. Use the 3 quarter tone when the blues song is not so dark, but still bluesy in nature (most blues). Use the 3 draw unbent, and commonly with a dip, when the song has a light feel. So... it's context-dependent.