JIM OBLON
THE BLUES AND BEYOND
Finding new approaches to blues soloing
LAST MONTH, I demonstrated a Jimmy Reed-inspired eight-bar rhythm figure played with a funky, syncopated half-time feel, moving from the I (one) chord, A7, to the V (five) chord, E7, and back to the I, A7. As I almost always do, I perform the part with fingerpicking, using a thumbpick in conjunction with my first two fingers. I’d now like to demonstrate an improvised solo over this eight-bar rhythm part.
This eight-bar form consists of two bars of A7, followed by four bars of E7, and then wraps up with two bars of A7. Very often, I like to “follow” the chords when soloing; this means that I base my lines on scales and/or arpeggios that relate directly to each of the chords in the progression.