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Funky Blues Bass Line Inspired by Albert Collins
Keep It Groovy

Funky Blues Bass Line Inspired by Albert Collins

Today we’re playing a funky blues bass line in the key of C. Inspired by the Albert Collins tune “If You Love Me Like You Say,” this groove combines chromatic motion and dead notes.

How To Play A Texas Shuffle In E
Keep It Groovy

How To Play A Texas Shuffle In E

Today’s “Keep It Groovy” lesson involves playing a blues shuffle in the key of E, and more specifically, a Texas style shuffle. Inspired by the bass line from Albert Collins’ “T Bone Shuffle,” this takes us through a 12-bar-blues progression.

Keep It Groovy: Using Open Strings: How To Play A Slow Blues In C
Keep It Groovy

Keep It Groovy: Using Open Strings: How To Play A Slow Blues In C

Today’s “Keep It Groovy” lesson is all about versatility, understanding the fretboard, and integrating open strings. This one piggybacks off a previous lesson on playing a slow blues. This time, we’ll find the bass part in a different position.

Keep It Groovy: Rhythm Section Jam – Tips For Playing A Funky 12 Bar Blues
Keep It Groovy

Keep It Groovy: Rhythm Section Jam – Tips For Playing A Funky 12 Bar Blues

In this new “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora is joined by Derrek Phillips to chat about improvising a funky 12-bar blues bass line with a drummer.

Keep It Groovy: How To Jam In A Rhythm Section Jam: B Minor Blues
Keep It Groovy

Keep It Groovy: How To Jam In A Rhythm Section Jam: B Minor Blues

In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora references a popular minor blues groove similar to the B.B. King classic, “The Thrill Is Gone,” and uses it as inspiration for a new groove.

Keep It Groovy: Learn The E Minor Pentatonic And Apply It To A Blues
Keep It Groovy

Keep It Groovy: Learn The E Minor Pentatonic And Apply It To A Blues

In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora shows how to play the E minor pentatonic scale across two octaves, both ascending and descending. Then, she adds a bit of rhythm to the scale to create a simple yet effective bass groove.

The Brown’stone: Playing The Blues Using Ghost Notes
The Brown’stone

The Brown’stone: Playing The Blues Using Ghost Notes

This week in The Brown’stone on No Treble, Rich Brown is taking the ghost notes concept he talked about in a previous lesson, applying it to The Blues.

Bass Transcription Analysis: “I Start With The Blues” Bob Mintzer Sax Solo, Part 4
Creative Bass Lines

Bass Transcription Analysis: “I Start With The Blues” Bob Mintzer Sax Solo, Part 4

Our fourth installment on Bob Mintzer’s “I Start With The Blues” solo is a discussion of the crucial chord on bar 8 of a typical jazz blues. Almost always this is a vi chord – so in an F Blues like this one, it’s a D7 ( D dominant 7). In Letter A Bar 8 finds a D7 #9 chord...

Bass Transcription Analysis: “I Start With The Blues” Bob Mintzer Sax Solo, Part 3
Creative Bass Lines

Bass Transcription Analysis: “I Start With The Blues” Bob Mintzer Sax Solo, Part 3

Don’t be afraid to make some notes on your transcription! By that I mean to write in where there’s a cool diminished lick, a nice ii-V line, etc. If there’s a cool lick – outline that, and identify stuff you want to come back to. It’s so valuable to learn licks through the cycle of 4ths, so we’ll be taking...

Bass Transcription Analysis: “I Start With The Blues” Bob Mintzer Sax Solo, Part 2
Creative Bass Lines

Bass Transcription Analysis: “I Start With The Blues” Bob Mintzer Sax Solo, Part 2

For our second installment focusing on Bob Mintzer’s solo from “I Start With The Blues,” we’ll be focusing mainly on transposing a line through different keys and why we do that. This is really important and something I touched upon in part one, too. It goes without saying that jazz standards and indeed tunes from all genres are in different...

Bass Transcription Analysis: “I Start With The Blues” Bob Mintzer Sax Solo, Part 1
Creative Bass Lines

Bass Transcription Analysis: “I Start With The Blues” Bob Mintzer Sax Solo, Part 1

I’m kicking off a new series here for Creative Bass Lines. In this episode, we’ll take a look at a really great solo over a jazz 12 bar blues – performed and transcribed by sax great Bob Mintzer! We’re really fortunate to have this music for our lessons. Bob very kindly agreed to let me share this with you, so...

Talking Technique: Pivot Permutations in the Blues
Talking Technique

Talking Technique: Pivot Permutations in the Blues

Ready to apply all this hard work in a song? In part three of this mini-series on Talking Technique we are putting all this hard work to good use in a blues. If you haven’t been following along, be sure to check out the past two Talking Technique episodes! So far we’ve been working on using pivot permutations with their...