Is It blues

[sam hoff]

Just starting to improvise, Alto sax, If the chord changes are primarily shown as major, i.e. with a little triangle,I would say the tune is not best fit to a blues solo but if they are all 7ths eg A7 or E7 etc or 9ths, than the appropriate blues progresion would fit i.e A blues or E blues?

[JL]

sam, I'm not sure I fully understand your question, but I'd agree that a tune which is primarily based on major chords would not be a typical blues. But the presence of 7th and 9th chords don't necessarily mean it's a blues either. The standard blues form, and there are MANY variations, is a 12-bar progression based on I7, IV7, and V7 chords (in the key of C, that would be C7, F7, and G7, but lots of chord substitutions are common in a jazz blues).

Having said all that, blues is as much a feeling and a style of playing as it is a certain set of chords. You could play almost anything with a blues feeling and you can play blues scales over major chords (sometimes). You could also play a standard 12-bar blues progression and without the proper feeling and inflections, it won't sound like the blues. The best way to find out what the blues sounds like is to listen to good blues musicians and hear how they interpret the music.

[egoulet]

If the chord is major "with a little triangle" then it is major 7th chord, and you definitely want to use major 7th (B for C major scale) rather than the flat 7th (Bb for C major scale). The blues scale with flat 5th in there might not fit well, kinda depends how the melody goes. Over a Cmaj7 chord, the C major scale works fine. It would all depend then on what you were able to "say" with your improvisation ... question and answer, riff, etc.

[sam hoff]

To JL and egoulet Thanks My problem arose trying to fit blues improv to Aebersoled vol 25 which I now see is not intended to be a blues vol and blues scales didnt sound right I guess the rythem section stayed with mostly major progressions I dont have the problem in a work shop band when the the leader says this is a g blues or an a blues etc I will have to listen and study the changes more closely thanks again