Berklee Blues Progression In Songwriting_BOOGIEWOOGIE.RU

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Berklee College of Music
The Songwriter’s Workshop:
Melody
Jimmy Kachulis
Lesson 36
Major Blues over Progressions
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LESSON 36
Major Blues Over Progressions
Major pentatonic blues melodies can be sung over any chord progression in a major
key. The “major blues” scale is particularly useful when the chords change quickly—
much easier than matching all those chord tones. But it’s also used over any chords
that have a blues color in them (see the Appendix for blues scales and chords).
Hit songs that use the major blues scale over a progression are very common. These
songs use the scale over the following types of chord progressions:
■
One Chord: “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Midnight Hour”
■
Chords in a Major Key: “Heart of Gold,” “Man in the Mirror,” “September,”
“Desperado,” “Crocodile Rock,” “When a Man Loves a Woman,” “Beast of
Burden”
■
Fast Chords: “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “And When I Die,” “Soul Man,”
“Believe Me Baby (I Lied),” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “ In the
Midnight Hour,” “Gimme Some Lovin’
■
Blues Chords: “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” “Purple
Haze,” “In a NY Minute” (Ronnie McDowell), “Bird Dog”
Listen
Listen to the first part of “Major Blues Over Progressions: Five-Foot-Two” (CD 63). As
you listen, notice that the same C major blues pentatonic melody works over a onechord groove, various chords in the key of C, blues-colored chords, and a fast chord
progression.
63
A. Melody Over One Chord
C
j
Œ
j
& 44 b œ œ œ œ
b
œ
œ
œœ œ œ
Five - foot two
& w
she
in her
high - heeled shoes
œ
œ œ Jœ œ
struts
right on
‰ œj œ œj œ j
bœ
Œ œ
˙
We all stop and stare
œ œ Œ Ó
J
But
∑
by
97
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B. Melody Over Major-Key Chords
C
Amin
4
& 4 bœ œ œ œ œ
œ
Five - foot two
in her
F
j
Œ
j
b
œ
œ
œ œ
‰ œj œ œj œ b œj
˙
Œ œ
We all stop and stare
But
C
œ œ œ œ œ
J
she
G
high - heeled shoes
G
& w
F
struts
œ
J
right on
˙
Ó
C 7( # 9)
F7
C 7( # 9)
‰ œj œ œj œ b œj
˙
∑
by
C. Melody Over Blues-Colored Chords
C 7( # 9)
C 7( # 9)
F7
4
& 4 bœ œ œ œ œ
œ
Five - foot two
in her
F7
G7
& w
œ
F7
j
Œ
j
b
œ
œ
œ œ
high - heeled shoes
C 7( # 9)
œ œ Jœ œ
she
struts
We all stop and stare
But
C 7( # 9)
F7
œ ˙
J
right on
Œ œ
F7
∑
Ó
by
D. Melody Over Fast Progression
C
F
C
F
C
F
C
j
& 44 b œ œ œ œ
œœ œ œ
Five - foot two
Amin
& w
she
98
G
in her
high-heeled
shoes
struts
right on
L E S S O N 3 6 Major Blues Over Progressions
C
F
C
F
C
Œ œ
˙
We all stop and stare
G
œ œ Jœ œ
F
‰ œj œ œj œ j
bœ
j Œ
bœ œ
F
œ
C
C
œ
J
by
F
C
œ Œ
Ó
F
But
C
F
C
∑
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Listen again, and sing along with the recording. Did you hear how the melody seems
to “float” above the chords? When you compose a melody by using this scale, you’ll
use the reverse process. You’ll use the scale over any of these types of chord progressions.
Writing Exercises
64
Sing the following exercises along with “Rhythm Track 26: Five-Foot-Two” (CD 64) or
to your original rhythm track using any chords in a major key.
■ Practice
Reset the lyrics to “Five-Foot-Two” in three different way using only the notes of the
major pentatonic blues scale.
Five-foot-two in her high-heeled shoes
We all stop and stare
But she struts right on by
■ Set Your Own Lyric
Create an original lyric, and set it using notes from the major blues scale.
■ Rewrite the Hits
From the songs you know, find an example of a melody that uses the major blues
scale over chords in a major key. Then create your own major blues setting of that
song’s lyrics over the same chords.
■ Write a Song
Create a song where the verse uses a chord-tone melody (see units II and III) and the
chorus uses a major pentatonic blues melody over a chord progression.
L E S S O N 3 6 Major Blues Over Progressions
99