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Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 12:11:54 -0800 (PST)
From: Winslow Yerxa
Subject: Bluesette (was Jazz Improv tributes Toots)

Michael Rubin discusses the structure and difficulties
of the chord progression of Bluesette.

A few things to consider.

This is basically a 12-bar blues.(OK, 24-bar - the
times is doubled). If you divide it into the three
sections that mark out a simple 12-bar blues, you can
get a functional handle on the chord progression that
suggests some ways to deal with it.

The three basic sections of a blues verse are

1. the part that starts out on the I chord.

2. the part that starts on the IV chord, then comes
back to the I

3. The part that starts on the V chord, and goes back
to I (sometimes via IV, sometimes not).

In Bluesette, the first part starts on the I chord,
then immediately launches into an approach to the IV
chord via the circle of 5ths. That Am7b5 chord that
kicks off the cycle is the VII chord in the key of Bb,
and the chords cycle around the circle of 5ths, using
a few dominant 7ths along the way just to goose the
action along. You can avtually play the Bb major scale
over the Am7b5 - D7 - Gm7 - C7. Over the D7 and C7,
you'll get blue notes (minor thirds F and Eb). Once
comfortable with this, you can try raising F to F# on
the D7, Eb to E on the C7. When you get the the Fm7,
you're approaching the key of Eb, so you can switch to
the Eb major scale for the Fm7-Bb7 (ii-V of Eb).

Eight measures, and only two scales? Simplistic?
maybe, but it's a foundation on which you can
elaborate.

The second section of the tune starts on the Eb (IV)
chord - EbMa7, or course, not the Eb7 you'd expect in
straight blues. But instead of hanging on the IV and
going back to I, it keeps going down in key by a whole
tone - from Eb to Db to Cb. (Actually, the Cb comes in
the third section.)

The process for each 4 measures is:

=you arrive in a key and play its tonic chord for 2
measures

=then spend the next 2 measures preparing the next
key.

EbMa7 (I of Eb) becomes Ebm7 (II of Db) and goes II-V
in the next key.

Then, at the beginning of the next 4-bar section, the
new key finally "arrives" after all that sneaky
preparation, and the process begins again, leading to
another key at the end of four measures.

So for the first 4 meaqsures you could play Eb major
scale for 2 measures, then Db major for 2 measures
(II-V preparing Db).

Then in the next 4 measures, you'd play Db (tonic
chord) for 2 measures, then Cb major scale (B) for two
measures while preparing the new key.

Once we land on the Cb chord, we're into the third
section, and the pattern changes. This is where the
standard blues would play the V chord. In Bb, the V is
F, and B is the note a tritone away, often used as a
substitute. So let's switch from calling that chord Cb
to B - the tritone substitute for F. So we're on a
crypto-V chord, playing maybe a B major scale. But
instead of following it with a Bm7 and leading into A
like the previous pattern does, we follow BMa7 with
Cm7b5 - leading into F7 - the ii-V of Bbminor(!).

Now, is there a way we can simplify the scale
requirements for this section? The BMa7 should
probably stick with B or F# major scales. The Cm7b5 is
native to Db major, which is also Bb natural minor -
you could probably play Db major over the Cm7b5-F7,
especially descending, though it could be well to try
and work in an A natural. Eb melodic minor will
encompass Cm7b5, but won;t give you the A natural of
the F7 chord - again, you can treat the Ab like a blue
note, or raise it.

The above suggests a couple of scale progressions:

B major followed by Eb melodic minor.

Gb major (i.e. F#, or B lydian) followed by Db major -
two scales with only one note different (B/Cb in the
first scale, C natural in the second scale).

The turnaround is an elaboration of something that is
based on the Bb major scale. You could try just
playing that scale, then finding ways to accomodate
the Db7 chord- comon chord tones - (F), common or
neutral scale tones (Eb, F, G, Bb) and "dip" tones -
tones that go down a semitone to accomodate the Db
chord - D to Db, A to Ab, C to Cb.

Just to recap:

First Section

6 meaures of Bb major, 2 meas of Eb major

Second Section:

2 measures Eb major, 2 measures Db major

2 measures Db major, 2 measures B major

Third Section:

2 and 2 of Gb major and Db major

- or --

2 and 2 of B major and Eb melodic minor

4 measures of Bb major, with a nod to Db in the 2nd
measure.

Try this boiled-down scale succession, adding
elaborations where needed.

Winslow

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