I'm currently in the process of helping my students prepare for their participation in the School of the Blues winter student concert. Some of my students will be part of the many house bands for the event. In the process of helping to prepare them for what they may encounter on the bandstand from different bandleaders we've been working on all of the different common ways a song can start, end and the types of breaks (stop time) they may encounter in a song. This article starts a three-part series on the subject. This article we'll focus on Openings.
12 Bar Blues Progression
Let's take a moment and become familiar with the 12 Bar Blues Progression-our standard form for the Blues. The I Chord starts the progression for four measures. This is followed by two measures of the IV Chord, with the return of the I Chord for two more measures. Our last four measures contains the V Chord for one measure, the IV Chord for one measures, the I Chord for one measure and finally the V Chord for the last part of the progression (somewhere in the last measure), called the Turnaround. Measures nine, ten and the downbeat of the eleventh measure is called the V-IV-I area. After the downbeat of the eleventh measure to the end is called the turnaround area. The 12 Bar Blues Progression is repeated until the song is over. This progression is demonstrated below in Example 1.1.
Ex. 1.1
Information to Band
There are two ways that you'll approach speaking to the band-each of which depends on the type of opening you decide to use.
All In - When stating "All In" to the band you're asking everybody to start at the same time. When doing this, you'll need to give them the following information and count them in.
- Key: ___ (Ex: Key of E)
- Groove: ___ (Ex: Shuffle)
- Start: ___ (Ex: From the I [One Chord])
...and count In (Ex: 1 . 2 . 1234)
Follow Me - After stating the key of the song (Ex: Key of E), you can say "follow me" and say nothing else if you intend to start from somewhere like the V Chord. By playing a cliché lick, the band will be able to hear where you're at and come in at the appropriate time. The great value of this is that by playing first, you give them a sense of the feel (such as a shuffle feel), the tempo (because you're already playing, thus you don't need to count them in) and the audience gets a chance to hear the harmonica up front-making sure the listener knows that the harmonica is the main instrument of focus of a song.
"From the I"
This openings starts from the beginning of the progression. You would say something like, "Key of E, Shuffle, From the I, All In" and count them in.
Ex. 1.2
"From the V"
This opening starts from the V Chord at measure nine. If you want everyone to start with you, you would say, "Key of E, Shuffle, From the V, All In" and count them in. If you want to start alone (harmonica only), then say the key and "follow me" and make sure to make a confirming look to the band (just look back at the band and nod) two to four beats before the beginning of the form (the start of the next twelve measures).
Example 1.3 demonstrates where you (and the band if everyone starts there) are starting within the form. In the music notation I have provided a V-IV-I and Turnaround lick that you could use. Remember that when starting by yourself you can improvise anything you want, but what you play needs to outline the chords or be played in such a rhythmic way that the band has no doubt where you are (since we're not telling them ahead of time). For this reason, our opening example lick is pretty cliché.
Ex. 1.3
"From the Turnaround"
This opening starts from the I Chord at measure eleven (specifically after the downbeat, the resolution of the V-IV-I Lick). If you want everyone to start with you, you would say, "Key of E, Shuffle, From the Turnaround, All In" and count them in. If you want to start with harmonica only, then say the key and "follow me" and make sure to make a confirming look at the band two to four beats before the beginning of the form. Example 1.4 demonstrates this.
Ex. 1.4
"Meet Me On The IV"
This opening has you playing the first four measures by yourself, with the band entering at the IV Chord at measure five. Say the key and "I'll take the I, meet me at the IV." You can either improvise (again, make sure the band can hear where you're at) or play a bass line (more common). Playing a bass line quickly tells the band the groove and is very easy for them to hear where you're at within the form. Example 1.5 demonstrates a common Rhumba line played on the harmonica.
Ex. 1.5
"I'll Take The First Chorus"
This simply has you playing the first time around the form by yourself. Again, what you play should telegraph the 12 Bar Blues Progression. At the very least, make sure to play a cliché turnaround lick and nod to the band so that they can easily follow you into the next chorus.
Final Comments
Take some time and practice these ideas and listen for their usage in the recordings you enjoy. Make a point to watch and listen to how experienced players tell and signal a band at the start of songs. It's very common these days for artists to fly in and work with pickup bands (this is where the gig doesn't pay well enough to bring your band with you, so you use a local band with a good reputation). When playing with a pickup band a leader is forced to instruct and signal the band more than usual. This is a great lesson for you hear and see what the artist does to get what he or she wants from the band. Your local jam session is also a great place to see what works and doesn't work!
Next month we'll dig into breaks (stop time)...
Best Regards,
David Barrett
About the Author
David Barrett
President, Harmonica Masterclass Co.
"Leader in Blues Harmonica Education" www.harmonicamasterclass.com
Founder/Director, School of the Blues www.schooloftheblues.com
Author, Mel Bay Publications & Blues Revue Magazine
www.harmonicamasterclass.com/books.htm & www.bluesrevue.com
http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/david.htm
