Blues Scales Question

[cobra1365]

Hi all,
New to piano and Blues. I started playing this past May (I am playing a Yamaha YPG 635) and am still very much a novice at piano.So, please forgive me if I this question sounds sort of obvious to you more knowledgeable types.
A friend plays the harp and got me interested in blues. I now incorporate some blues scales work in my practice sessions. But, I have a question...How do I tie the different scales together so they flow? In other words, if I am running some riffs in the C Blues scale, how do I switch smoothly to say the G or the F etc? Are there some that compliment each other better?
Also still working on getting the right hand to play a riff while the left hand is playing a bass line! I think this is the hardest part of learning to play! My right hand keeps wanting to do what the left is doing!
Anyway, thanks in advance for any tips! I am really ejoyig learning about how the music comes together and actually playing the piano and not having it sound like a skunk in heat! (I actually have o idea what that sounds like! )

Cheers
Mike

[tinsmith]

All the blues scales as far as I-IV-V, same as minor pent with added goodies, are in the same position, same fret across the board.
Same thing would occur on the keyboard....just slightly different notes, but all in the same spot.

[cobra1365]

All the blues scales as far as I-IV-V, same as minor pent with added goodies, are in the same position, same fret across the board.
Same thing would occur on the keyboard....just slightly different notes, but all in the same spot.

So, you're saying if I am playing in the scale of C, then complimentary scales would be F and G? If so, do you have any suggested connectors to tie the riffs together?

[jeffl]

from the I to the IV you can use 7th of the I chord (or walk up from the 7th); from the V to the IV or vice versa you can use the half-step in between to transition. You can also riff down using the the 7th,6th,half-step grace to the 5th then the diminished 3rd and down to the root note of the next chord. Those are just basics. BTW, a good book/cd primer with the scales,chords, and some riffs- in different styles- is Blues Piano by Mark Harrison, published by Hal Leonard.

[tinsmith]

Ok......sorry if I have a few boo-boos, I'm sure others will correct.

What I just played was......in the keys of Cm, Fm & Gm are:

Cm Blues:
C-Eb-F-F#-G-Bb-C-Eb-F-F#-G-Bb-C-Eb

Fm Blues
C-Eb-F-G#-Bb-B-C-Eb-F-G#-Bb-B-C-Eb

Gm Blues
C-C#-D-F-G-Bb-C-C#-D-A-G-Bb-C-C#-D

I think I got it.
See how close they are together.
As Dickey Betts used to say.....stay within the chord...

[cobra1365]

I just got my copy of "Blues Piano" by Mark Harrison. Good stuff so far! And in a format that's fairly easy to work with. But, I've looked all through the book and can't find that magic pill that makes my left hand follow a 12 bar while my right is doing somehting different! Practice Practice Practice!

Tinsmith....thanks for the recommendation...I'll try hammering them out and see how it works for me!

[Justin11]

Hi cobra. I'd also recommend to watch piano video tutorials. There are piano tutorials for blues slowed down for better understanding. Start with this video.




Hope it helps.

[tinsmith]

It's a fancy C Minor Pent scale..

[dabbdc]

A nice combination is a major scale and its relative minor

I IV V (C,F,G)
I IV V
transition V V# VI (G, A flat A (minor chord) up to d minor

vamp back and forth a minor d minor

Then play a D 7 and a G7 and you are back in C

[dabbdc]

For right hand riffs, listen to the harmonica players like Little Walter
For general all around good playing, Otis Spann
The piano players accompanying bessie Smith, I think James P Johnson, take it to a whole new level.

With blues, brevity is always the soul of wit