opening

Another fun way to open a song is to play a twelve-bar boogie line on the harmonica and then have the band join you. Here's what I like to play. Each note is one beat in length (quarter notes). Feel free to add pulls on the upbeat to help it swing.

I
2 3 4 5+ 6+ 5+ 4 3

2 3 4 5+ 5 5+ 4 3

IV
4+ 2+ 2 3" 3' 3" 2 2+

I
2 3 4 5+ 6+ 5+ 4 3

ii - V
3" 3 4+ 4' 4 4+ 3 3"

I
2 2+ 1 2+ 2 2+ 1 1+

My personal favorite way to open a song is to play the opening four bars of the I (one) chord by myself, with the band entering on the IV. The band will interpret the tempo of the song from my playing, so there's no need to count anyone in (tempo errors are more likely to happen when you count the band in verbally). You also don't need to tell the band the feel of the song in most cases (shuffle, slow blues, swing, etc.). What you'll play will be rhythmic, and the use of eighth notes (swing or straight) will tell them the groove. continue reading...

The same approaches that we used from the V (Bar 9) we can use for the Turnaround (Bar 11). Here are these options again, but specifically for the Turnaround.

1) “From the Turnaround, All-in” – You and the band start on Bar 11 and play a turnaround lick

2) “From the Turnaround, All-in” – Same idea as above, but you don’t start until the beginning of the next chorus. This gives you the opportunity to hear what the band is laying down before you play. continue reading...

The next most common place to open a song is from the V. This is bar 9 in the 12 Bar Blues Progression. Even though there is a V Chord associated with the turnaround in bar 12, it's known that "The V" only means bar 9.

There are three options to this opening type...

1) You and the entire band starts from the V ("All In")... "E, Shuffle, From the V, All In" continue reading...

The common way to count a song in is to just count 1 2 3 4 and away you go. If the bandstand is loud and you need to get the attention of the band, use a pre-count. The pre-count is 1 (skip a beat) 2 (skip a beat) and then proceed with your standard four count. The end result is 1 . 2 . 1 2 3 4.

The pre-count is also useful/needed when the tempo is very fast and 1 2 3 4 is too quick for all of the musicians to get ready to play (the drummer to sit up on their throne... bass and guitar players to turn their volumes up... harp player to get their harp to their lips, etc.). continue reading...

Our first type of opening is simply from the beginning of the 12 Bar Blues Form, from the I (from the one... we use Roman numerals for chords). The speech will be as follows for "Need My Baby" by Big Walter Horton...

1) "G"

2) "Shuffle" (in this case with a Quick Change)

3) "From the I"

4) Count the band in and play continue reading...

Today I'll start a series to help you understand, and eventually use, the common opening types found in blues that are safe to call in a sit-in (you sitting in with an established blues band) or jam session (mixture of skill and experience level of musicians) situation.

Let's start with the basics of what generally needs to be stated for a song...

1) Key - "E," for example. Avoid drawn-out phrases like "Okay, we're going to play a song in the key of E." Keep it succinct... "E" continue reading...

Since we've been dancing around the subject of openings, I might as well define the most common ways a song can start.

From the I (one chord) - Beginning of the 12 Bar Blues form

From the V - Bar 9 of the form (V IV I V and then the form starts from to top)

From the Turnaround - Bar 11, the beginning of the turnaround (I V and then the form begins) continue reading...

In jam situations sometimes songs are called quickly and the person counting in looks to you to solo in the intro. You may not know where in the form the song is starting, nor the feel of the song (even if they call a "Shuffle," there are many types of shuffles). You could just start blowin' riffs, but an even better approach is to play a long-held note (with vibrato would be a good idea) for about two bars... and then continue playing. continue reading...