LarryMolter
Blues Newbie
I'd like to do solo 2 in A (not Am) -- is it just as simple as transposing down two frets?
Solo #2 Transposition
- Thread starter LarryMolter
- Start date
To play in Box 1 in A Major, you would move down 3 frets or stay at the 5th fret but play box 2.
Even then, it may, or it may not work depending on the notes in the solo. You may not like the result.
Are you trying to use this solo in another specific song? If not, why are you trying to shoehorn a minor solo into a Major chord progression?
Even then, it may, or it may not work depending on the notes in the solo. You may not like the result.
Are you trying to use this solo in another specific song? If not, why are you trying to shoehorn a minor solo into a Major chord progression?
LarryMolter
Blues Newbie
Well, I was going to say that the minor chords may be troublesome for the person I play with. But... he just needs to learn the minor barre shapes. Lemme try it as is. And, no, I'm not using the solo anywhere else but in a play-along with family member.
dvs
Green Mountain Blues
Not that simple, no. You'd have to do something like change every occurrence of C to C# (minor third to major third), F to F# (minor 6 to major 6), possibly change G to G# (flat 7 to maj 7), and probably do a bit of trial and error to make sure it still sounds ok, because the blues is different from "normal" music.
Edit: Wait, isn't Solo 2 Thrill Is Gone? That is in Bm, so the notes I wrote aren't the correct ones but the concept still holds. Unless you want to do it in Am instead of Bm, then you'd just move it down two frets, as you said.
Edit: Wait, isn't Solo 2 Thrill Is Gone? That is in Bm, so the notes I wrote aren't the correct ones but the concept still holds. Unless you want to do it in Am instead of Bm, then you'd just move it down two frets, as you said.
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LarryMolter
Blues Newbie
I'm so daft. Yes, of course I meant A minor. It's just that when we say 'let's play blues in A', the minor is assumed because we're playing the minor pentatonic over it. Sorry, the whole blues thing is new to me and that's why I purchased the course.
Paleo
Student Of The Blues
In that case, yes, just move the solo and chords down 2 frets.
However, a "Blues in A" usually means it's based around A7, D7 and E7, while a "Blues in Am" is based around Am, Dm and Em.
You will find that some refer to these as "Dominant Blues" and "Minor Blues", respectively.
The scales you use will be up to you.
Minor pentatonic is simply the first one we learn and it will "work" over all the chords in both types.
You'll eventually learn that there are lots of options beyond the minor pentatonic.
However, a "Blues in A" usually means it's based around A7, D7 and E7, while a "Blues in Am" is based around Am, Dm and Em.
You will find that some refer to these as "Dominant Blues" and "Minor Blues", respectively.
The scales you use will be up to you.
Minor pentatonic is simply the first one we learn and it will "work" over all the chords in both types.
You'll eventually learn that there are lots of options beyond the minor pentatonic.
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LarryMolter
Blues Newbie
<egg-on-face = ON>
Yes, @Paleo (and everyone else), you are right. When family member says 'Blues in X', we play the Dominant 7 chords, not the minor 7 chords. And we play the minor pent boxes appropriate to the root. Never really played the minor blues, but it's no different other than playing the minor 7 chords, right? I hate being the newbie and always being confused. When does it all sink in? (rhetorical question).
Should have stuck with playing the triangle.
</>
Yes, @Paleo (and everyone else), you are right. When family member says 'Blues in X', we play the Dominant 7 chords, not the minor 7 chords. And we play the minor pent boxes appropriate to the root. Never really played the minor blues, but it's no different other than playing the minor 7 chords, right? I hate being the newbie and always being confused. When does it all sink in? (rhetorical question).
Should have stuck with playing the triangle.
</>
Paleo
Student Of The Blues
There's no difference in the scale/Boxes.
The difference is in how the scale "fits" the chords.
In an A minor blues, the Am pent scale and the Am7, Dm7 and Em7 chords are all in the Key of A minor.
The scale "fits" or "agrees with" the chords.
For a Blues in A, each of 3 of the dominant 7 chords are from a different key.
The A minor pent scale doesn't "fit" any of these chords perfectly.
But that lack of fit is the sound of the blues.
It will sink in with time and playing, playing and more playing.
As you continue to advance this earlier stuff will just become "standard" and you may look back and wonder why this was originally confusing.
The difference is in how the scale "fits" the chords.
In an A minor blues, the Am pent scale and the Am7, Dm7 and Em7 chords are all in the Key of A minor.
The scale "fits" or "agrees with" the chords.
For a Blues in A, each of 3 of the dominant 7 chords are from a different key.
The A minor pent scale doesn't "fit" any of these chords perfectly.
But that lack of fit is the sound of the blues.
It will sink in with time and playing, playing and more playing.
As you continue to advance this earlier stuff will just become "standard" and you may look back and wonder why this was originally confusing.
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LarryMolter
Blues Newbie
Ok. What I'm going to do is create a bunch of backing tracks for minor progressions at different BPM and noodle over them. I'm suspecting that the noodling *may* sound better over the minor blues progressions.
LarryMolter
Blues Newbie
Initial testing with an Am progression loop showed (heard?) promise. I know I'm new at this, so bear with me -- playing Am pentatonic (box 1) over Am7, Dm7, and Em7 sounded a whole lot better than playing over A7 and so forth. <muffled sound of head exploding>
ChrisGSP
Blues Journeyman
Larry, you don't need to create backing tracks yourself - go down to the bottom of the Forum Site and you'll find the Virtual Jam Room. In there you will find dozens (if not hundreds) of jam tracks in all sorts of feels and keys. Members post the tracks, and other members record over the tracks and post the recording back - BUT, if you download the track from the very first posting you will generally get either a completely clean jam track or one with just the first person's recording over the first couple of minutes. Then you can just noodle away as long as you like.
LarryMolter
Blues Newbie
Oh. I will look there right after I post this. However, my simple backing tracks are made with Band In A Box, and all I do is enter the chord symbols, choose an accompaniment style, and voila! What's nice is that I can change the tempo while it's playing, or, I can export it as an mp3 or wav file to bring to my family gettogethers. But... I'm sure the Virtual Jam tracks are a bit higher quality.