Summertime Blues Recap!
During this class students (who had all previously participated in either the first blues course or an electric guitar course) further developed their skills with blues comping and improv. We worked on several different keys, using the pentatonic minor and blues scales, 12-bar blues chord progressions, and other progressions that are a variation of 12-bar blues. After doing some simple blues exercises, the class moved on to real blues tunes and they learned some of the important names in the history of the blues. A couple of the guitar students learned to play some things on keyboards, and the piano student learned a few things on harmonica (“harp”).
Students enjoyed playing music that was different from what they usually do. Some of the songs had simple backgrounds (one-chord progressions or repeated riffs) that allowed them to have fun improvising over them without having to have too much practice time to learn the songs.
From Franz (Hana’s father), “The in-person jam was really great.” From Michelle (Carson’s mother) “Carson always loves the blues!”
Students developed some music theory, identifying I, IV and V chords, building triads, and playing pentatonic scales. They really started being able to improvise in ways that make musical sense, after having done it for a while. And the guitar students learned new techniques on electric guitar.
The music we worked on in the class was picked to help build on the basic skills they learned from their earlier classes. The first three classes were on Zoom, where they could learn the basics, and then the last class was in person where they could experience jamming together.
All students spent time between classes learning some of the riffs that I presented to them (I threw out a lot of different ones so they could each pick the ones they liked). They all learned the scales and chord progressions.
Some students really enjoyed playing on another instrument (guitarists playing piano or bass, pianist playing harmonica). They really enjoyed some of the classic blues songs that I was not sure if children their age would get into.
In the future I’d love to put up a drum set and have parents play along (several of the parents can play). We played the pieces called Spoonful – Willie Dixon/Howlin’ Wolf Born Under A Bad Sing – Albert King I’m A Man – Bo Diddley Mannish Boy – Muddy Waters.
Thanks to Hana, guitarist; Audrey, pianist; Eli, guitarist; and Carson, guitarist, and their parents!
