About the course

Blues is African American music formed in the southern United States in the mid-1800’s. It is one of the oldest American music forms and the most fundamental song structures we see today. Bridge your knowledge of forms and phrases by making an original blues composition.

Are Phrases and Forms similar to sentences and paragraphs? Learn how to define and distinguish them from this week's topic.

Project

Blues Improvisation

Course overview

Blues History and Form

Students will learn about the Blues by listening to examples.

Blues Scale

Students will identify the Blues scales by playing along with Frank.

Build a Blues Melody Horizontally

Students will learn about minor pentatonic by building a melody.

Build a Blues Melody Vertically

Students will use chord progressions and rhythmic variation by building a melody.

Combination

Students will combine both horizontal and vertical melody writing by building a new idea.

Quiz

Assess your learning with a quiz.

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Tags:

Jazz
Music
Music Composition
Music Theory
The Blues

Recommended Materials

Your Instrument
The Provided Sheet Music
Staff Paper
Pencil

Instructor

Frank V.

Professional Jazz Musician

Frank is a professional jazz musician with training from NYU and WWU. Nominated as the Emerging Artist of the Year 2017 by Earshot Jazz Magazine, his music is fluid and unapologetic. Frank aims to inspire a deep love of the art in his students.

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