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What is the Blue Note in jazz

By William Howard

In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical context.

Where are the blue notes?

These “true blue notes” are located in between the b3rd and major 3rd, and between the b7th and major 7th, respectively, and help to produce the profound sound of the blues.

What is the blue scale in music?

A blues scale is a six note scale based on the major or minor pentatonic with added chromatic “blue” notes. The blue notes are ♯ 4/♭5 in the minor blues scale and ♭3 in the major blues scale.

What are examples of blue notes?

  • C major scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B.
  • C blues scale: C, E-flat, F, F-sharp, G, B-flat.
  • C major plus C blues: C, D, E-flat, E, F, F-sharp, G, A, B-flat, B.

How do you identify Blue Notes?

The blue notes can be determined in any key using the half-diminished seventh chord. Due to the fact that the half-diminished seventh chord is not commonly used like major and minor chords, you may think this approach is difficult, but it’s relatively easy.

Who invented blue notes?

Blue Note RecordsFounded1939FounderAlfred Lion, Max Margulis, Francis WolffDistributor(s)Capitol Music Group (United States) Decca Records (United Kingdom) Universal Music Group (International)GenreJazz

How many Blue Note Records are there?

There are also around forty Blue Note titles in the Blue Note catalog, examples are 4193, 4196, 4204, 4206, 4209, and many others approaching the 4250 cut-off, which had been prepared for release prior to the sale of Blue Note, labels and covers printed, but were pressed subsequent to the company sale to Liberty.

Why is it called 12 Bar blues?

The term “12-bar” refers to the number of measures, or musical bars, used to express the theme of a typical blues song. Nearly all blues music is played to a 4/4 time signature, which means that there are four beats in every measure or bar and each quarter note is equal to one beat.

What are swing and blue notes?

There is tremendous variety in jazz, but most jazz is very rhythmic, has a forward momentum called “swing,” and uses “bent” or “blue” notes. You can often hear “call–and–response” patterns in jazz, in which one instrument, voice, or part of the band answers another.

What is the meaning of blue note?

In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical context.

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How do you write a blue scale?

The blues scale is made from the 1st, flattened 3rd, 4th, flattened 5th, 5th and flattened 7th notes from the major scale above. The 2nd and 6th notes of the major scale are not used. To flatten a note, just replace it with the piano key lower in pitch ie. lower down the piano.

What are the basic blues chords?

The standard 12-bar blues progression has three chords in it – the 1 chord, the 4 chord, and then the 5 chord. In the key of E blues, the 1 chord is an E, the 4 chord is an A, and the 5 chord is a B.

Who was called the father of blues?

Today’s blog celebrates the career of W.C. Handy. Born in Florence, Alabama on November 16, 1873, William Christopher Handy became interested in music at an early age.

What does head mean in jazz?

Head. The head is the melody of the song, usually played at the beginning and the end of an improvisation performance. You’ll hear people say “I’ll play the head at the start and you take it at the end after Johnny’s taken his solo”. Changes. The changes are the chord progressions used in a song.

When did Blue Note open?

OpenedSeptember 30, 1981Websitewww.bluenote.net

What is the first Blue Note record?

The First Blue Note Record Is Released: Meade ‘Lux’ Lewis’ ‘Melancholy Blues’

Who designed Blue Note album?

The Blue Note style was largely carried out by Reid Miles, a graphic designer turned art director. His ability to create bold typographic layouts was world-class, and he used the session photography of Francis Wolff, Blue Note’s co-founder, in creative and often playful ways.

Who distributes Blue Note?

Blue Note Bourbon and Riverset Rye are currently distributed by RNDC in US states Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana and Mississippi. Blue Note Bourbon is offered in five expressions, including Blue Note Juke Joint, Juke Joint Uncut, Crossroads, Premium Small Batch and Single Barrel Reserve.

Who wrote the most jazz standards?

The most recorded standard composed by a jazz musician, and one of the most covered songs of all time, is Juan Tizol’s “Caravan” with over 500 uses. Originally, the most recorded jazz standard was W. C. Handy’s “St.

What are Blue Notes quizlet?

Blues note. In jazz and blues, a blue note (also “bent” note) is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Walking bass.

How many blues scales are there?

The scale is used in many different styles of music, such as rock, blues, and jazz. There are 2 kinds of blues scales: the minor blues scale and the major blues scale.

What are the 3 blues chords?

Essentially, the blues is a specific progression that uses the C7, F7, and G7 chords. (For the sake of brevity, I’ll only look at playing blues in the key of C). The blues chord progression lasts 12 bars (thus the phrase “12-bar blues”) that move in a familiar pattern using those three chords.

Who started the blues genre?

Blues is a music genre and musical form which was originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s by African-Americans from roots in African-American work songs and spirituals. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads.

What were country blues?

Country blues is a style of blues music that developed in rural America—particularly the Mississippi Delta region—in the early twentieth century. Also called folk blues, it was commonly performed by Black American singers accompanying themselves on acoustic guitar.

What is a bent note?

Definition of bent note : a variable microtonal lowering of the third, seventh, and occasionally fifth degrees of the major scale.

For what kind of jazz is Duke Ellington known?

One of the originators of big-band jazz, he led his band for more than 50 years and composed thousands of scores. His gift of melody and mastery of sonic textures, rhythms, and compositional forms translated into a body of music unequaled in jazz history.

How did slaves influence jazz?

While working in the fields, slaves sang work songs that combined African tribal chants with Christian hymns incorporated from the Southern Baptist Church. Together, these influences created Negro spirituals that had strong, percussive beats and were accompanied by intense physical dancing.

What is a blue melody?

Blues songs are often texted, and the lyrics consist of a lyric line which gets repeated, then followed by a contrasting line (aab). Melodies often follow this structure. Blues melodies often leave large gaps to allow for call and response between the melodic instrument and other instruments.\

What are the 12 blues scales?

When playing a twelve bar blues in the key of Bb, use the Bb blues scale anywhere in the chord progression: Bb, Db, Eb, E, F, Ab, Bb (If you’re playing an F blues, use the F blues scale, etc.) The blues scale can also be used over minor chords when the minor chord is sounded for 2, 4, 8, or 16 measures or longer.

What key is blues scale?

The blues scale is a 6 note scale that comes from the minor pentatonic scale. The reason the blues scale is different from other scales is that the note that’s added to the minor pentatonic scale to create the blues scale does not naturally occur in the key it’s being played in.

Was jazz popular in the 1940s?

The swing era lasted until the mid-1940s, and produced popular tunes such as Duke Ellington’s “Cotton Tail” (1940) and Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the ‘A’ Train” (1941). When the big bands struggled to keep going during World War II, a shift was happening in jazz in favor of smaller groups.