What Relates to all the chords:
- B Minor Pentatonic & Blues over all the chords. Since we are in a minor key with no major V chord, we
instantly know we can solo with minor pentatonic & blues scales over all the chords. These scales “relate to all”.
So whether we are playing over the Bm chord, the Em chord, or the F#m chord we can play B minor Pentatonic &
Blues scales all day long in this jam. - B Aeolian over all the chords. Most of the time in minor key we can play a minor mode over all the chords, as a
minor mode usually will relate to all. In this jam we are in minor key and when analyzing the chords we have a
minor IV chord (Em). This tells us we can also play B Aeolian mode (B Natural Minor) over all the chords. B
Aeolian relates to all the chords in the progression. B minor is the relative minor of D major. So play D major
scales but to make them B Aeolian start on and emphasize the B notes (B Aeolian = D major). - Mix both B Aeolian and B Minor Pentatonic & Blues over all the chords for some killer sounds.
Treat each chord like a separate event:
- Over the Bm chord try B Minor Pentatonic & Blues, B Aeolian, B Dorian, or B minor arpeggios.
- Over the Em chord try E Minor Pentatonic & Blues, E Aeolian, E Dorian, or E Minor arpeggios.
- Over the F#m chord try F# Minor Pentatonic & Blues, F# Aeolian, F# Dorian, or F# minor arpeggios.
TRACK 10 – G 12-Bar Blues G-C-D 124 BPM Key of G 2:55 min
This jam is a traditional I-IV-V 12-bar blues in the key of G and has many soloing options. Like many blues jams
this one starts off on the V chord. This jam features a pinky embellishment on each chord adding the 6th to each
chord – very traditional blues rhythm here. This is a variation on the 12-bar pattern that you may not be used to. It
is a different 12-bar pattern than the rest of the jams on this CD, but it is a common pattern used in the blues. So
be careful when soloing over each chord independently on this track. First you will want to become familiar with
the pattern or number of measures on each chord. I suggest playing the rhythm a few times until you feel
comfortable with this 12-bar pattern.
What Relates to all the chords:
- G Minor Pentatonic & Blues over all the chords – Since this is a major I-IV-V blues progression minor
pentatonic & blues will give killer bluesy sounds and will often be the first choice for many blues players on this
type of jam. - G Major Pentatonic over all the chords. Major Pentatonic gives that sweet major bluesy sound. G Major
Pentatonic is the same as E minor Pentatonic. G Major and E minor are relative major and minor. So play E Minor
Pentatonic scales, but start on and emphasize the G notes and it will be G Major Pentatonic. Make strong solo
statements with strong landing chord tones. - G Dorian over all the chords. Because we know that both major pentatonic & minor pentatonic will work we then
know that the Dorian mode will also work. G Dorian is the same as F major (G Dorian=F major). So play F major
scales but emphasize and start on the G notes. - Mix G Minor Pentatonic & Blues and G Major Pentatonic as well as G Dorian over all the chords.
Treat each chord like a separate event: With this 12-bar pattern there is not as much time on each chord as the
other 12-bar patterns on this CD. But there is enough time on each chord to treat each chord as a separate event.
Just time your changes over each chord and really listen to the rhythm to ensure you don’t get caught playing the
wrong scale or in the wrong key over a given chord.
- Move Pentatonics over each chord:
- over the G chord play G Minor Pentatonic & Blues or G Major Pentatonic
- over the C chord play C Minor Pentatonic & Blues or C Major Pentatonic
- over the D chord play D Minor Pentatonic & Blues or D Major Pentatonic
- Move the Dorian mode over each chord – because the rhythm of this jam is embellished with the 6
th
, Dorian is
a perfect choice for each chord as that is a very key interval in the mode (1,2,b3,4,,5, 6 ,b7) - play G Dorian (=F major), over the G chord
- play C Dorian (=Bb major), over the C chord
- play D Dorian (=C major) over the D chord