I often say that playing the blues (or guitar) is a lot like a baby learning to talk… and if you’ve followed me for any amount of time you’ve probably heard that before.
But I got to thinking about what makes the blues sound like the blues.
So here’s a real academic description of the blues for ya:
The blues sound is created by the juxtaposition of a minor 3rd over a chord with a fundamentally major sound.
You can almost think of it like an accent… not really a different language.
Let’s say that you were improvising over a C7 chord, but you wanted it to sound kind of country…well to do that you’d play the Aminor/C major pentatonic scale (remember, Amin and Cmaj are the same notes) mostly and it would tend to have a bit of country flair.
Or let’s say that over that C7 chord you wanted a bit of a jazzy outside sound… you might play the G minor pentatonic scale and it would give you sort of a C11 type of sound… not really outside but definitely not blues. But if you really do want to play pretty far out try a C#minor pentatonic (briefly) over a C7 chord and you’ll hear outside 🙂
But if you wanted to make your solo over a C7 sound bluesy… all you have to do is throw in a little C minor pentatonic (or C minor blues… they’re basically the same) and it’s going to be instant blues sound.
Notice that for all that it’s only 1 scale to learn… not 3 or 4 as you might have thought.
And of course, blues licks (or phrases) have that certain “bluesiness” to them that makes it so they kind of always sound bluesy.
To me it’s like hearing someone from the south talk… or someone from New York. You instantly know where they come from by the inflection they use and some of the words they choose… it’s their accent.
Well if you hear a blues player improvise, you’re bound to hear those blues roots come out in the notes he or she chooses and the inflections that come out.
Now to show this I’ve got a video of a song I don’t care much for at all – it’s David Bowie doing “Let’s Dance.” It was a hit in the 1980’s… but the ending solo (about 3:30 in) is Stevie Ray Vaughan.
It’s a total pop song and couldn’t be further from a blues sound but as soon as Stevie hits that first note (and unfortunately it’s David Bowie in the video, not Stevie) of the solo you’ll know it’s him and you’ll hear that blues accent all over the place 🙂
Try and listen to some of the song itself if you’re not familiar with it but really listen when the guitar solo comes in and listen to how it sounds bluesy no matter what. It’s E minor blues scale (maybe Eb… I don’t remember off the top of my head and my ear isn’t quite that good) the whole way through… there is nothing fancy and no other scales are involved.
So the point is: remember that for all the scales and sounds out there, the pentatonic and blues scale (again… they’re pretty much the same) is where we spend our time because it sounds bluesy. If you start messing with modes or altered scales or anything else, it’s going to start getting away from the blues sound.
I also like to point out that if that one sound is good enough for Stevie then it’s probably good enough for all of us too!
115 replies to "Do You Speak Blues?"
The point I got was to wade through differences in vocabulary and explore the opportunity to mix sounds and make it more interesting. Huge nod to both Bowie here, and Michael Jackson with Van Halen for trying something that sounds like it shouldn’t work and finding music!
My bag on Bowie is guitar synching on the video to appear as if it was him playing. Just a bit of stolen valor. Would have been better to show SRV, or have Bowie play a tambourine, or just dance…
Coming from the NorthEast, Friendly’s is a familiar family restaurant known for its FRIBBLES (a thicker milk shake with ice cream). Living in CA now, I miss them still. Friendly’s is also NOT “fast” food –you’ll be there awhile. (ed. note) Never understand why they never went national.
I never listened to any thing by Bowie before that I know of. Just didn’t like that type of music and at the time didn’t know of SRV. Though I was always a fan of the Blues, I didn’t know much about it or how to play it. I just knew the Blues from hearing it as a kid here and there. In fact if I had not seen this video here I still would not know about this. But I have seen this type of thing in music all my life. People have different back grounds in music and it shows in there playing or singing or whatever. I had a teacher that was a very good guitarist, in fact a professional session player from Nashville. He could play all kinds of music. Classical to country, blues, blues, rock Jazz and everything you can imagine. But his back ground was in mainly Jazz. And it would show in his style of playing If you played close attention when you heard him. It was very hard to tell but it was there and you had to pat very close attention. I t showed up most when he played the blues because he would use a jazz chord here or the once in awhile That fit but was just not quite Bluesy. Had a note in a chord that was a little off and in a lead there might be a note that seemed out of place. You could a not usually tell if he mean to play it or not. Once in a while His beat would get a little jazzy too. But
he was a very well known player in the business. The only way i knew it was that in a conversation with him he told me he was into Jazz more than anything else and then I started hearing it once in awhile. This man played all genres for a living, but the Jazz would come come out now and then. SRV was always a blues player as I understand So I can see where he could be heard in Bowie’s song. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. That’s one thing about the Blues It is in so many kinds of music it comes out every where. I think that is the big point to this Video.
Give me malts over shmaltz… everyday. More Stevie less Bowie may have helped that one.
I heard a Bowie tour rehearsal bootleg with SRV. He & Carlos Alomar trade some serious licks on Jean Genie. . Both are great axe slingers . I saw Bowie on that tour but with Frampton instead of SRV.
Hey Griff
I’m from Massachusetts, where a milkshake is whipped up milk with flavoring added. A frappe has ice cream.
Friendly’s was basically a chain of ice cream parlors, though I guess they served food.
Speaking of Framingham. I attended my first two rock concerts there, at the Melody Tent. I think it was 1967. First was the Vanilla Fudge (speaking of ice cream), and the next week was the Jimi Hendrix Experience. I wonder if the Melody Tent was still there when you were. I’m probably a little older than you at 71, learning to play guitar in my “golden years”.
I’m with u there David , I was in my 20’s during the 80’s and David Bowie’s music was well liked by many even me a rocknroller who can forget that iconic sound of space odyssey.
However I’m older now and I love the blues .
I think what Griff is saying the further you get away from the minor pentatonic and or the blues scale it sounds a little like something
Else which is not bad either. The point is not ever knowing that SRV played That solo after hearing it I could it was definitely him !
Do you say, pop, soda, or soda pop. In the south, BBQ, is not like in the west. it is, more tangy and just plain.
Framies??? In England, a shake is called a float.
GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM. My Favorite David Bowie song , Besides, LETS DANCE.
Can be a nice Blues song.
I’m not sure where in England you heard a shake called a float – but where I come from (London and surrounding counties) they’ve always been called milkshakes.
Keep up the good work Griff.
By the way, my favourite guitarist is Peter Green (from the original Fleetwood Mac lineup) – sadly no longer with us.
Where I am in England a milk shake is a…milkshake. Pattie n chips. ..to Griff chips are French fries NOT crisps that come in a bag. A Pattie is potato with herbs or other ingredients mixed in and fried. Across the Humber they call a Pattie a fish cake. We call a “Pattie” made with pieces of fish a fish cake. Not sure what they call a fritter though…
Same everywhere, local dialects have different names for the same things. It’s what makes language so rich and interesting.
Same applies to music as Griff says.
I loved the SRV break at 1:41. One note. Perfect.
đź‘Ť
I don’t think, that “playing minor 3rd over a major chord” explains the blues in any way. Matt Schofield said in an interview (found on youtube), that he NEVER plays the minor 3rd – it sounds wrong. Listening to him and other great jazz & blues players , with the exception of pianists and such, shows, that not many does. However they all play the flatted 3rd a lot. The minor 3rd and the flatted 3rd is actually 2 different things. The minor 3rd is a fixed pitch , just like the root and other scale notes. The flatted 3rd is a blue note, and blue notes doesn’t have a specific pitch – it’s “in between notes” , that aren’t even in any scale. Sometimes it’s slightly higher than the minor 3rd, other times it’s somewhere from halfway between the 2nd & minor 3rd to slightly below the minor 3rd.
Listening a lot and playing along original recordings might be the way to go to get the blue notes right.
Isn’t the minor third the same as the flattened third.? I am surprised Griff didn’t mention the “blues note,” which is the flattened fifth, as well.
The flatted 3rd and the minor 3rd are the same note, a half-step down from the major. In the blues scale, the passing note to which you refer is the flatted 5th.
Another thing that makes it “bluesy” is the flatted, or minor, 7th.
I admire both Griff and Bowie but as The Beatles once sang, “My soul keeps singing the Blues – Roll over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news.”
of course, The Beatles were covering the late, great Chuck Berry with that song.
Good example Griff. Interesting contrast. Bowie was smart but, I wish he had given Stevie a few more bars in that one. He knew better, though. I recall that Stevie was propelled to the pinnacle right after or at the same time that album came out.
Griff
Thanks for sharing the Bowie song! Bowie threw the book away when it came to making music & songs! He was just crazy in everything he did!
If you watch his lips & mouth, he sang that song w’ little effort! If you you read his biography, it just is amazing! Never a dull moment in life. His music is just another twist in how great rock n roll & all types of music are!
Ok song, but not one of Bowie’s best efforts. The addition of SRV made it a bit better though. David Bowie was an amazing songwriter and performer, going back to the sixties – such a storied career. RIP, David.
Hello fellow commenters… hope 2017 brings health, happines and good fortune to you and yours. I’ll try to be brief… but I doubt I’ll succeed the task. My apologies in advance. Notwithstanding, for anyone who believes that GRIFF doesn’t know theory… please re-think your position. GRIFF studied with “STEVE TRAVOTO,” who teaches at USC. If you’re not familiar with STEVE, please type his name into the YOUTUBE box- enough said.
Moving on… GRIFF merely stated (regarding, “LET’S DANCE” by BOWIE), “I’ve got a video of a song I don’t care much for at all,” and went on to mention SRV’s blues solo located at the end of the song. GRIFF did not bash “DAVID BOWIE.” The “NEW WAVE” movement in the 80s was very superficial and had many great artists from earlier decades scratching their heads wondering how to create and produce chartable music without compromising quality; it was very difficult to say the least. Even BOWIE didn’t care for 2 of his albums he penned during the 80s. The average 80s music fan in general… was not a thinker, as compared to the average fan of the 60s and approx. half of the 70s (perhaps a bit more).
With that said, let’s move into GRIFF’S territory of the “THE BLUES.” That is why we’re here. GRIFF is absolutely correct when stating that blues or the blue sound is the juxtaposition of a minor third over a chord with a basic, major sound. There is also a “BLUE NOTE,” which happens to be part of the “MINOR BLUES SCALE” – THE b5. E.g. C minor blues: C, Eb, F, Gb/F#, G, Bb, and 8va, C. That “BLUE NOTE” was 1st penned by W.C. HANDY subsequent to allegedly hearing “HENRY SLOAN” playing “strange-sounding note’s, on his guitar… while waiting for a train at “DOCKERY STATION” (located in the “MISSISSPPI DELTA”). circa, 1902. “CHARLIE PATTON” and “SON HOUSE” were taught by “HENRY SLOAN.” However… there are no recordings of SLOAN as well as no death record or place of burial. Any of his music that may have been recorded would have been done by PATTON… as he was accused of stealing much of SLOAN’S music. Following on their heals was “ROBERT JOHNSON” who was poisoned to death at the age of 27, circa, 1939. POINT BEING… there are a number of ways to create “THE BLUES SOUND.” And our good buddy and teacher, GRIFF, does illustrate this in many ways (one-by playing solos in styles of different, GREAT PLAYERS). Now, in ref… to the aformentioned minor blues scale. One could play that scale all day along over C7, F7, nd G7 in a 12-bar blues and have it sounding nothing like the blues. WHY? BECAUSE “THE BLUES” has to be felt. In order to feel it, one has to listen to the blues and apply what one hears combined with what one knows or hs learned.
PLEASE REMEMBER… “THE BLUES” was a way of life, not a style of music (in the beginning). It started out in the cotton fields and on chain gangs, with songs, chants… that would often include, “ANSWER AND CALL” MOTIFS– performed vocally; THEY WERE STORIES (MUSICAL STORY). The pentatonic (minor/major), was part of many “WESTERN AFRICAN TRIBES'” culture. During their great suffering, amidst the “BLACK CODES” or Jim Crowe days (in the deep south), they would vocally bend of drop between min. and maj. 3rd, or between the P4th and P5th, or the may. 6th and b7th. This was all very natural as it was a reflection and physical result of their greaat suffering. However… singing about their woes in the field and on the chain gangs helped to keep these people alive for vaariety of reasons, both physical and psychological.
SO… when learning the blues, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, feeling the blues… TELL A STORY (with the note on the guitar- TELL YOUR STORY. There’s only one “YOU” and your story is going to sound different the next guy of girl’s story… just like in life. Like GRIFF says, it’s a language… once you learn the basic speaking patterns( combined with your heart nd soul… and all the aches and pains of life ), your “BLUES STORY” is going to sound great.
Now, with regard to GRIFF writing about jazz and country approaches- major pentatonic over major chords for country and minor pentatonic one 4th below the root scale note ( e.g. G minor pent. for C Maj.), or C# min. pent. over Cmaj. (very briefly)… ONE or YOU do not need to know that for “THE BLUES” YES… that is theory, but certainly not necessary for “THE BLUES.” As GRIIF states, C min. pent./minor blues pent. over C7 of a C shuffle… and you’re golden- so long as you feel and hear where the “BLUES NOTES” could go.
OK, FINALLY (and I apologize)… “LET’S DANCE” by BOWIE, is a pop tune, nd not really my style. However… the song has great meaning; DAVID was very well read, I assure you. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
The music video for “LET’S DANCE” was made in March 1983 by David Mallet on location in Australia including a bar in CARINDA in New South Wales and the Warrumbungle National Park near Coonabarabran. In the beginning it featured Bowie with a double bass player inside the one-room pub at the Carinda Hotel and an Aboriginal couple ‘naturally’ dancing “to the song they’re playin’ on the radio”, the couple in this scene and in the whole video is played by Terry Roberts and Joelene King, two students from Sydney’s Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre. As Bowie opted for real people, some residents of the 194-souls village of Carinda are in the pub too, watching and mocking the couple. They DO NOT BELIEVE who DAVID is nor what the take is all about, hence their behaviour towards the couple as seen in the video is real.
The “RED SHOES” mentioned in the song’s lyrics appear in several contexts. The couple wanders solemnly through the outback with some other Aboriginals, when the young woman finds a pair of mystical red pumps on a desert mountain and instantly learns to dance. Bowie’s calling ‘put on your red shoes’ recalls Hans Christian Andersen’s tale “The Red Shoes”, in which the little girl was vainly tempted to wear the shoes only to find they could not be removed, separating her from God’s grace – “let’s dance for fear your grace should fall” “The red shoes are a found symbol. They are the simplicity of the capitalist society and sort of striving for success – black music is all about ‘Put on your red shoes'”, as Bowie confirmed… yet in contrast, simultaneously still “Dance the Blues.
Soon, the couple is visiting museums, enjoying candlelit dinners and casually dropping credit cards, drunk on modernity and consumerism. During a stroll through an arcade of shops, the couple spots the same pair of red pumps for sale in a window display, their personal key to joy and freedom. They toss away the magic kicks in revulsion, stomping them into the dust and return to the mountains, taking one final look at the city they’ve left behind.
Bowie described this video (and the video for his subsequent single, “China Girl”) as “very simple, very direct” statements against racism and oppression, but also a very direct statement about integration of one culture with another. He inserted numerous references to the Stolen Generations. For example, the scene where the young woman scrubs the street on her knees in the middle of a busy street refers to Aboriginal children that were trained as domestic servants before being sent to white homes.
TAKING what you’ve just read into consideration… it seems very obvious why BOWIE hired SRV to perform a short blues solo at the end (SRV also played a bit throughout along side NILE ROGERS). THE BLUES SOLO or just “BLUES”, not only complemented the POP MUSIC STYLE (similar to certain colors being complementary to other certain colors), it (THE BLUES SOLO), served as a reflective statement of an oppressed black people, indigenous to AUSTRALIA. And it was those very black people’s land (MALINGA), that the BRITISH gov’t, in collaboration with the AUSTRALIAN gov’t, tested nuclear weapons ( that’s why there’s a brief nuclear plume in the background).
ONE FINAL NOTE- MR. BOWIE’s overall style of music and fashion was largely a derivative of “SYD BARRETT.” YES… David love everything SYD DID before he was removed from “PINK FLOYD.” YES… the band he named and co-founded; named after 2 east coast BLUESMEN, “PINK ANDERSON and “FLOYD COUNCIL.” BOWIE performed a number of SYD’S songs with DAVID GILMOUR… a great player/writer, who incorporates “BLUES” into his own playing.
RIP DAVID BOWIE, ROGER “SYD” BARRETT… AND all the GREAT, ORIGINAL BLUES MEN who have INSPIRED and since passed: BB KING, ALBERT COLLINS, ELMORE JAMES, FREDDIE KING, T-BONE WLKER, ALBERT KING, MISSISSIPPI FRED MCDOWELL, BLIND WILLE MCTELL, HOWLIN WOLF, MUDDY WATERS, SKIP JAMES, LIGHTNIN’ HOPKINS, JOHN LEE HOOKER, ROBERT JOHNSON, AND MANY MANY MORE!!
AND thanx to “GRIFF HAMLIN” for perpetuating this incredible form of music know as, “THE BLUES.”
Great post. I’m an intermediate-talent blues player, but very avid, and I can so appreciate your comments. History is paramount. Griff is my teacher. I hope some day to meet him! Who knows. I’m purely acoustic now, maybe one day I’ll go for an electric, a Les Paul or something.
Nice. Very insightful. I remember when Ken Burns Jazz anthology series came out. And how it went on and on about Louis Armstrong. I didn’t understand the amount of time and energy spent on that one musician, until they explained that he created a style of playing and singing that became jazz. But because I grew up in an era where everybody had borrowed from that style he didn’t seem innovative to me, until I got educated about it. One could argue that David Bowie created glam rock, and yes some people were disappointed with the let’s dance album. Just as a lot of people were disappointed when Syd Barrett was kicked out of Pink Floyd. And their style changed. (Unfortunately Syd created his own demise.) And rather than say David Gilmour incorporates blues into his style, I would say, try learning any of his solos. They’re all blues. So the same way that David Gilmore plays the blues over rock songs in Pink Floyd, David Bowie hired a basically unknown SRV to play the blues over his pop rock songs. ( Bowie even begged SRV to tour for that album, but because of his new-found notoriety from this album, SRV declined and embarked on his own sold out tour). And being a 30-year-Old when this album came out, I remember how different it was to Bowie’s other albums but still it was a great album—or at least it had some timeless songs on it.
I remember first learning it was SRV playing On Let’s dance . It was many many year ago ,yet many many years after the song came out…I was (am) a huge srv fan and couldnt believe ,one , that I didnt know this already ,and two, that I never noticed that it’s unmistakably srv playing….. it was one of those seriously messed up mind tricks or brain quibbles that one just can’t understand….. for me it was at least…. I too , like Griff , never was crazy about the song but I would hear it so often( and still do on classic rock radio stations) it still amazes me I never picked up on those srv spots in the song …….. the whole story behind srv not ending up as Bowies guitarist is both tragic and something I’m so grateful for… if he had not been pulled away from touring with and undoubtedly become a full time member of bowies band we may never of had those few years of greatness from srv….or at least not the same amount and content of greatness anyways. I did appreciate older Bowie music , but mostly for how he bucked the norms with his immense talent and created stuff none else could have ever even conceived the thought of . I wasn’t a huge fan by any stretch of the word …. But once finding out that lil bit of srv/ Bowie trivia I opened up my musical palette much further and I became more interested and accepting of more music than ever before ……and now I have a deeper understanding of the musical genius that was Bowie…. For me almost nothing compares to the musical loss of srv …..but In that musical awakening and new found appreciation for bowie , I felt a large loss when Bowie passed too… two musical genius’s that can never be replaced gone forever leaving a musical legacy that’ll be influencing others for longer than they lived and longer than those they influenced will live too…..Kenny Wayne shepherd coming sharply into mind with regard to SRV’s influence ….. sounding (to my ear) nothing like srv yet emulating SRV’s style very closely . I’m sure kws has influence many who probably didn’t know (at first at least ) kws was a “student” of srv…..and I’m sure that’ll continue on forever …
RIP David Bowie. He was a great Artist who we will not see anymore but always keep in our memories forever Griff. We will never forget him.
Well I think Bowie is great seen him play at radio city music hall in the 70’s with Mick Ronson,try listening to the albums Ziggy Stardust and Diamond Dogs and maybe you’ll appreciate some talent.
Griff I was a truck driver for 15 years. You are so right, I could drive 200 miles and the lingo was very different. In Delaware we have a product called Scrapple, It’s strictly a local thing. I went toPittsburgh one time and they never heheard of it. It can be halaruios.
I don’t get the point of Griff’s message here…is it that anything other than minor pentatonic scales ‘aint the real blues? Clearly nobody told BB King!
I really appreciate the whole “accent” approach Griff is pointing out here. I’ve noticed that guitar players sort of solo (improvise) like they talk or write…lots of words, lots of notes kinda thing. There seems to be a “personal communication rhythm” thing going on. And I’m starting to hear it when guitarists add extra, non-blues notes to their blues playing. That’s when I really hear their “accent” (or lack of an authentic blues accent!). Interesting stuff and challenging to define by theory.
I think we cant let this pass without a mention of the late great Mick Ronson
Who was Bowies guitarist.I am not a fan of Bowies music,but Mick Ronson who
hailed from Hull was a superb guitar player.
Let’s Dance was a hit for Chris Montez in the early 1960s. Not even the same song. Only the title is the same.đź‘Ž
Excellent comments and observations Griff.
Many thanks from London.
John S
Hey Griff,
Yep killer blues solo.
Michael-Sydney-Australia feb 2016
Mike,
Thanks for that info, I’ll give it a try. How about if you want to play a blues lead, use the blues scale/pentatonic of the chord?? Major or minor? Seems like I remember Griff saying minor I chord, major IV chord, and minor V chord. I’ve probably got this wrong so any help for my memory?
Major on the I, minor on the IV and V
Griff,
I was saddened to learn of David Bowie’s passing. While not a great fan of his style he was truly an innovator and will be long remembered for his contributions to the arts.
Today (01-15) I turn 71 and most of my musical preferences come from the old blues masters coupled with the varied sounds of the 50s and 60s.
I wish I had the knowledge of music theory and actually purchased your “Guitar Theory Made Useful” this past Fall (2015), but I just haven’t gotten in the right frame of mind to work on it yet! I will however, because life for me is a learning process.
As always, thanks for all you do to help those of us who play guitar – play a little better!
Old School & Still Rockin’
well put
Griff,
I’ve been following you for a while ( and even have some of your courses ).
I’ve heard you say many times that it’s really not necessary to know a lot about music theory. Well if you’re playing lead over a C7 chord and you want a country, jazz, or blues sound, you should use this, that, or another pentatonic or scale. How do you know this if not for music theory? Does it just sound good or right? Is it trail and error? Is there a formula? Thanks for all you do.
S-man,
When playing a country type lead over any key, just play your solo in the relative minor using your pentatonic scale . In C solo in Am, A solo in F#m,
E solo in C#m, not much theory here.
Yep, there are many formulas to memorize.
A good example from the video is when Griff mentions that Aminor is the relative minor of C major …this, IMO, guitar players should know these relationships in all the keys they play in … which for me is E,G,A,C and D.
The relative Majior starts 1 note after the relative minor note in the pentatonic scale pattern
Hi Griff. I’m originally from Massachusetts and yes, you did remember correctly, the Friendly’s version of a Frappe is called a Fribble, but I’ll bet you didn’t know that it was originally called an ‘Awful Awful’. I think the idea was that it was ‘awfully good’ which it was and is, but I think that eventually some PR person for Friendly’s probably thought that some people might get the wrong idea!
Message is clear thanks Griff yes Me Bowie had some very different styles to his music he loved using many different types of instruments and although not huge fan like some early stuff Green Jenni ect he left in a very classy way made a record and left many erie videos I admire that in the man and of course would much rather hear some SRV !!
Message is clear thanks Griff yes Me Bowie had some very different styles to his music he loved using many differ
First, Thank you Griff for all the lessons you provide, free of charge. I have a number of your courses. I enjoy and learn from all of them.
Second, Why are so many of the posters here so piety. Grammar, spelling, who really cares. You know what is meant. Let’s appreciate the time and energy Griff puts into all these videos and posts. Instead of bitching you can always unsubscribe.
Third, Regardless of the type of music, every artist you’ve ever heard of has a following of loyal fans. Very few people enjoy all kinds of music, but, everyone likes some genre. David Bowie had many fans and to them, his family and friends I say, ‘Sorry for his passing and your loss’.
Mark H.
to speak of identifying a certain sound, or artist, check out “whos that lady” by the Isley bros… jimmi henrix on guitar….
bar none he is still one of our greats in music history deal with it thanks griff
Sad, so sad, we have to tear someone apart to make or justify ourselves, what a pitiful world we live in. For all the Bowie bashers out there, interestingly enough, SRV agreed to play for David, says something about the MAN that SRV was….RIP both of you…
Bowie was and will always remain one of the very best.
Regarding Brian’s comments, aren’t the notes C, E, G and B, technically, a ‘C major 7’ chord as opposed to a ‘C major’ chord? Also, and although adding a Gb to a C blues scale would not necessarily be musically wrong, wouldn’t that really move it toward a C diminished (flatting the third and fifth notes of a chord) scale instead – just to be more accurate? Finally, if a ‘C minor blues’ scale and a ‘C minor pentatonic’ scale are “pretty much the same”, as Griff says (and I concur), wouldn’t a ‘C blues scale’, being derived from the 6th note of the three flat Eb major scale, have E, B and A as the flat notes – and not a G? Only trying to clear up some confusion that I alone may have.
R.I.P. David Bowie
Karma man, it a bitch
Judge not, dude. Somebody might say the same about you when you die.
So you’re not a fan then, can’t say I particularly was either but there’s no need for that, ***say only nice things***
Cheers Griff
For the advice was looking into modes but will put it off now
SRV s playing as always top drawer
Bowie great at what he did some good songs but not all
RIP
Back to my gig in a box now GRIFF thanks just what I needed to put it all together
We are all entitled to an opinion mate.If something is incorrect then say so and get on with life.
The problem is that theoretically Griff is very naive and does not really understand half the time what he is saying.
For instance the notes of Am are A C E
Where the notes of Cmaj are C E G B
There is no such thing as a minor blues scale or minor blues chords. Blues scales are based on 6 notes, for instance in the scale of C they are C (E flat) F (G flat) (B flat) and the octave C. The blues scales stand along.
In the scale of C the (G flat) is a very important note as is the flat 5 in any key.
I am 78 years old and play the piano, keyboards and percussion to a very high standard even ay my age. I teach these instruments and if you want to take me on with theory then have a go.
Brian, Maybe you should stick with Gershwin. It’s obvious you don’t get the “Blues”
You’re 78 and it seems you still have a lot to learn about decorum, my friend.
I think you meant C Maj7 Brian. You said C Maj..The B is the Maj 7, as you know…Also, you forgot to include the ‘5’ (G)in the minor pentatonic with the b5, or ‘blues’ scale…Lots of mistakes for someone who is being so critical, don’t you think?
You know not of what you speak. Chords (major and minor) are based on three, not four, notes of the corresponding scale – the 1st, 3rd and 5th. So, a C major chord is comprised of C, E and G only. Adding a B gives you a 7th chord.
That was great Griff, I never would have noticed it.
Blue on griff
WHAT’S WORDS. people who play well together just jell together. They understand each other without being perfect. There is perfect word communication, and then there is musicians communication. Get over it.
I’m sorry, its not get over ??? it words can confuse people because of there meaning BUT MUSIC IS UNIVERSAL
SO LETS JUST GET ON WITH ALL OF MUSIC and those CONFUSION of WORDS
Thanks Teach ! Point taken 🙂
I have followed Griff Hamlin’s teaching methods for a number of years already. At no point did I feel I could criticise either his guitar knowledge or find it necessary to stoop to challenge his command of the English language. Apart from anything else on this side of the big pond there some that do not command it any better than our ‘American cousins’
Let us all as students of Griff – get off the soap box in terms of showing superiority in any capacity. We follow his lead because he is very good at what he does. Those that mock or even draw attention to such matters merely show their own short comings. Had it not occurred to any of them that there are such things as typing errors and perhaps little time to reassess the content, for wishing to get it out there, so to speak. Enough already.
Be nice! I am certain that Griff knows the difference between “than and then” and “throw and through”. If I wanted a grammar lesson in English I wouldn’t be on this site! I am here however, because I am interested in the grammar of music.
Thanks Griff for all that you do to help those of us who play guitar, play a little better!
Old School and Still Rockin’
Major/minor scales, Relative minors, box 1, box 2…. Got lots of accents to learn, all ya all!
There’s even better SRV on two other songs on Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” album: “Criminal World” and “Cat People.” Cool stuff
Bowie’s music doesn’t really float my boat, but I admire his voice and his singing and his determination to go “out of the box” and “buck the trends” greatly. He’s another instantly recognizable artist, and I respect that. Obviously many other artists (like SRV) respect him too.
David has to the most underrated star in the business
Eric Clapton said that he was riding down the road in his car when this song/solo came on the radio. He then proceeded to pull his car off the road and go to a phone, call his manager a say “WHO THE HELL IS PLAYING ON THIS RECORD” If it made Clapton do that,well enough said!
I’ll bag on Bowie … he blows … and as usual : Stevie Ray is Stevie Ray : Great sound … what a cool piece of music trivia that might even win you a beer in a bar (IF you set it up right) 🙂
Thanks for the lesson Griff (and for all the previous ones) I always learn something. If anyone reading this thread has not purchased one of Griff’s courses yet, do yourself a favor and do so immediately. He has them for everyone … from the very green beginner to the well versed.
A.B.
Thanks Griff. I love blues and like country. I’ve spent a lot of time learning blues on my strat and lp, and have been meaning to look into what makes blues blues and country country. This helps a lot. I thought I needed to get a telecaster. Maybe I can get by with my Strat after all.
You NEED a tele because….you don’t have one yet!!
You may even need 2…lol
Why is a Telecaster better than a Strat for country? I’ve never played a telecaster but I thought the tremelo arm on the strat gives it the edge. Just wondering !!
thank’s griff the blues are every were all you have to do is listen..im just learning to play agin after a long hiatus..but i grew up in the OC.aie canyon high i remember bowi swinging from a star during ziggy star dust have a listen to that all so or maybe some pink floyd..i might not play well now but give it time..but i do have a vary good ear even brian may talk”s blues,i saw srv.in missoula mt in 87 he”s a hero…thank”s griff keep it comeing …samiyam..
All I can say is…………If David Bowie can play a guitar and sing that song in out back Australia in 40-50+ degree heat.In a non air conditioned bar with enough fly’s that would steal your guitar case when you weren’t looking, and not even show a ounce of sweet in long pants and white gloves is doing OK by me.
Keep up the good work Griff.
Never did like Bowie .but SRV that’s a whole different kind of entertainment . Could listen to high for hours
I am stunned at your opinions as to this song, video and outstanding artist Grif. I am also more than a little disappointed in your derision of anything but a minor pentatonic scale. As to Stevie Ray and the “Yobbos in the outback pub” I guess it proves one thing and one thing only. People will do Anything for money.
I have always loved this video and in fact the whole album the song came from.I have travelled the length and breadth of this great southern land and in my mind it captures the essence of the spirit of the outback in much the same way as the movie ‘Crocodile Dundee’ did.
I think it is extremely poor taste when one artist is so dismissive of the work of another for reasons purely based on taste.
A good example is my complete lack of interest in heavy metal but my total awe of the best heavy metal guitarist’s technique. I would give my eye teeth for a fraction of the technique shown by some while not wanting to play in their style.
Griff didn’t dis Bowie. Not at all. Just said he didn’t care much for the song. I concur. I think Bowie is great. The greatest. But I don’t care for the song. And that is not a dis toward Bowie.
And I can tell you that Griff does NOT have “derision of anything but a minor pentatonic scale.” Griff knows a bunch of other stuff. (See, for example, his “Guitar Theory Made Useful (and Easy)) course. The reason Griff emphasizes the minor pentatonic/blues scale so much on this website, “BLUES GUITAR Unleashed,” is because this is a website dedicated to the BLUES. And therefore he naturally emphasizes what makes the BLUES work, and not other genres. That means he teaches (and talks about) the minor pentatonic/blues scales a lot. Go figure.
Interesting video, Griff. Shot around Sydney Harbour and the outback of Australia. I never new it was SRV that played that solo but now that I know, it definitely has his stamp on it. Very tasty.
I grew up in Australia – wonder what all those bushwhackers thought of David Bowie!
Funny,I didn’t see anything he said bad about the song,merely expressed the fact he didn’t like or care for it,,and nothing I saw indicated his opinion of Mr. Bowie,only that Stevie Ray played in the song,which is why he used this video example. It seems to me that he used this song also because of the contrast of the 2 musical styles,,pop versus blues. As for “anything for money”,,i sweriously doubt that was the bottom line reason for the collaboration of the 2 artists.
unny,I didn’t see anything he said bad about the song,merely expressed the fact he didn’t like or care for it,,and nothing I saw indicated his opinion of Mr. Bowie,only that Stevie Ray played in the song,which is why he used this video example. It seems to me that he used this song also because of the contrast of the 2 musical styles,,pop versus blues. As for “anything for money”,,i seriously doubt that was the bottom line reason for the collaboration of the 2 artists.
Total agony watching Bowie waiting on SRV……..
Thanks Griff….
srv did a classic which belongs to a pop single recording. short solo without too many notes – bb king style. not really a classic blues solo but if you play in a band and you have 20 seconds to make your mark, plan your solo don’t try to shoot from the hip. if you are jamming fine play what you want to. griff keep those ideas coming i am learning from your great lessons. as for gary moore he was a great guitarist and i saw him play about two years before his demise but not the greatest. sometimes less is better listen to wilko johnson for some cool simple blues with edge.
hello from Canada Griff , I really should not say this but not ever having
played blues before , but rather he old rock and vegas show tunes ,
I learn so much from your short promotional samples , I have not needed your course . you are that good a teacher , but for a beginner or an intermediate guitarist , your course is an absolute MUST .
keep up the good work –you are one hell of a teacher,
jimmy
Wow! Griff, you are right… I’ve been subjected to this song a few times. I knew Stevie played on it, but I never noticed the bluesy sound… whenever I heard the guitar solo, I just would think “Thank God, it’s almost over!”Now I hear the blues in at the end – definitely SRV stamped!!
Mike said “I’ve been subjected to this song a few times” and so have I, lol. I understand the lesson imparted here but, much like Mike,“Thank God, it’s almost over!” . SRV sounds good but I never could bring myself to have any interest in Bowie. As the late, great Frank Zappa once said of new wave and/or disco/or 80s music in general “they forgot their chops and play real dumb.”
Fantastic !!! I always loved the end of that song not knowing it was Stevie playing … Thanks Griff .
David Bowie oh Ya! He got his own style of Music. Thanks Griff for just alittle different twist in Artists!
I think the other thing this points out is that a good blues player, like SRV, can hang with anyone playing any kind of music. Knowing that one or two scales can work in most music types should empower all of us. Whether it is a local blues jam, or rock, or country, a basic grounding in the the blues and knowing what differentiates it from other styles, allows any guitar player to play many styles. Thanks Griff.
Stevie really chimes in for a short riff at 1:42. great point griff. Thanks as always.
Apparently, David Bowie offered Stevie a job in his band having heard him in Europe! Thank goodness he didn’t take it!
Actually, I read that Bowie offered the job, then reneged. Stevie was quite pissed about it, but it turned out for the better.
He didn’t “renege”. Bowie or his management wouldn’t let Stevie promote Texas Flood or allow Double Trouble to open. Regardless of the dirt done to Stevie it made his (Stevie’s) fortune. From the same LP the track (Cat People or Putting Out Fire With Gasoline) has some extremely obvious Stevie Ray Vaughn work throughout the song. It’s long enough to not simply recognize his Stevie’s style but his famous tone shines through.
I never saw that video before. It truly sucks and confirms my resolve, at the time, to not pay them or MTV any attention. Bowie did some great songs but this was not one of them. I recall it did help propel SRV’s career, though. That said, it is a great example of Griff’s point.
I’m very glad to read this post because I thought to be a good blues player you needed to know modes and various other scales. Thanks Griff.
To be a good blues player you need to listen to a lot of blues, have a reasonable amount of skill and to feel the Blues.
To be that is my aim, I’ve got points 1 and 3, I’m working on 2, maybe before I die…
Hey Griff…great lesson/information.
Time to talk about modes of the pentatonic scale??
G
Well I am not a huge fan of David Bowie so other than the beat maybe, there is nothing about this song I like, including SRV lead playing, although I do get your
point. Having the knowledge and putting it to use is what counts, but if I had my dithers I’d take doses of Gary Moore every day. Don’t think I don’t appreciate this lesson I do, and it’s valuable in knowing how to flavor blues in different ways.
yeah heard that first sustained note and the solo is in the key of e or e minor i am also not sure . concider the idea that alternate tuning could have been used. droped down, Steve was known to do that. i think it is a possiability. the only way to be sure is research how others may play the tune like on some site ,but, i have found the sites where some are tone deaf. i have a didgtech rp 7 where you can put music thru it and it displays the notes . pretty cool it is a cheat but a wise one . this tune takes me back to the days of disco dancing one dollar drinks and polyester oh and chains dangling from the neck . i will work on this and try to let you know what i find. yup got it on compact !!!!!
checked into the tune and yes it is eminor .found the sustained note is a Bb. B-)
revisiting 011516 A great disco music man gone . David Bowie AKA Jones which happened to be my brothers name . Whatz in davey jones locker anyway?
Yup the N E is a weird place but they say if from LA YER NUTZ
thanks Griff…love the analogy on using the “other” scales…always like the “KISS” approach…later.
cowboy
Little Jimmy Dickens passed away 2 days ago. He is the last of the great grand old Opryland stars of the 50’s.
‘ and 40s he was onstage many times with hank williams. BB king is 87 wow the legend lives on be sure and catch him in concert be4it’s too late our hero’s are dieing off and it is very sad indeed
all I could think about was “how does he play that guitar with gloves on” amazing…lol
The blues in print sounds so simple but in reality it is anything but simple I do believe if one has a very good understanding of the blues they can switch back and forth from blued to rock, country and jazz. I do believe that David’s Lets Dance shows that
Great example again Thanks Don
Very good Griff, like it!. good explanation. However, this is mainly aimed at solo work. How about the backing? They need to be “bluesy” too. One or two tricks from the New Orleans Jazz type 12 bars is to emphasize the seventh on the end of the 4th bar as a precursor to entering the subdominant on the 5th and 6th bars but also on the 6th bar entering the minor chord. As most blues melodies end on and around 10th/11th bars the last two bars then can be used by the backing to lead back to the start. Usually simplest way is by splitting 11th and 12th bars to enter subdominant for 2nd half of the 11th bar, and the dominant seventh for second half of 12th bar. These patterns help the soloist to identify where-abouts they are in the proceedings and act as “signposts”. As a matter of interest, this is how Eric Clapton got his initial introduction to how that sort of blues is played, and he sat in and played with our band whilst learning his craft. Later on our trumpeter used to sit in with his R&B band (Yardbirds) and they played great blues together as they both spoke each others language. Hope that is of interest.
I feel like Johnny in the first grade when I hear guys like you and Griff talking about splitting bars and subdominant chords, etc. I learned my trade to start with about 55 years ago from some older musicians playing on the back porch. I’ll just have to continue playing what I hear and feel, but would love to know the things you two do about music.
Old School and Still Rockin’
Good point on SRV, but was it necessary to bag on David Bowie? The infusion of Texas Blues into pop music was genius and SRV’s work throughout the Cat People album put SRV on the world stage. Ah well, to each his own. Cheers…
I don’t think Griff was trying to bag on David Bowie but reference the point that we wouldn’t see SRV do the solo…guitar players kinda want to watch the guitar player…later.
cowboy
Just got home, killer blues solos just arrived, sorry chat soon, cheers griff.