[Ella Swinbank]

Yes, I’m with you now! I’ve had a look at the ‘Basic Blues Scale Exercises’ section you’ve updated and I’m in agreement.

So thinking back to my first post where I also said I was clueless about playing over a chord, I’m now thinking that this is what I’m actually doing when playing over the G, C and D.

Thank you!
Ella

[Ella Swinbank]

Hi Johnny,

Thank you very much for taking the time to write the explanation for me. Yes its starting to make sense! I understand that the 1,4,5 of the G blues scale are G, C and D. And having wrote out the scales for C and D I can now see that when it changes to C the same numbers played from the G scale are repeated in the C scale and the same for D. So I think I’m starting to grasp it although I do realize I need to brush up on my theory as I don’t know what chords I’m playing.

I almost got in a right mess as I was going to transpose the C scale to A thinking I was matching concert C. It was the numbers played from the scales matching up which made me realize I didn’t have to do this. Go on have a laugh..

Thanks again for your time.
Ella

[Ella Swinbank]

I see, said the blind man as he walked into the lamp post!!!

Hi Johnny,

Sorry! Thank you for your reply yesterday and allowing me to respond. I understand that the alto is pitched at Eb and to play with other instruments the music needs to be transposed to match the pitch of the other instruments eg concert C, so I would need to be playing 3 steps down in key of A to match the concert C. You have done this for us in the alto exercises, thank you! so I know I need to be playing the exercises for the alto.

My question yesterday was referring to page 17 of the Killer Blues course – Eb saxes, Basic Blues exercise. I was confused why some of the notes were in there. Having looked at it again I’m still confused even though I have now read further down to page 21 and seen the part where you mention that all exercises are in concert Bb so the alto is in G.

So having tried to understand the Blues G scale I wrote it out as: G, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, E, F, F sharp,
and then I wrote the basic blues scale as: G, Bb, C, C sharp, D and F is that correct?

I think I might be going wrong somewhere as I’m still confused about why there are: D sharp, F sharp, A, G sharp notes in there.

Thank you for trying to help.
Ella

[Ella Swinbank]

Hi Johnny,

I’m Ella, I came across your website last week and I think its great. I’d love to be able to play like you! I got my sax in January and I’ve been teaching myself to play from beginners books, but they don’t teach a great deal on theory or how to improvise. I purchased the Killer Blues course and I wanted to ask you something about the basic blues scale exercise for alto. I’m thinking its in the key signature of C as there are no sharps or flats, so am I right to think that the exercise is the C Basic Blues scale which would have 3b, 5b and 7b. And if so are the E sharps, C sharps and G sharps accidentals?
I am also totally clueless with the idea of playing over chords, who’s chords am I playing over? is it another instruments chords that I’m soloing over in which case should I transpose all of the written chords? Or is it the written chord name the chord I’m supposed to be playing? Oh dear! I sound really hopeless and confused I don’t know if i’m a lost cause. Am I too old and confused to be starting out at nearly 50? I’d love to be able to play in a band. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.
Ella

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