[lblangston]

I've been studying alto for 3 years and it seems all I am able to do is run up and down the scales and do long tones. I am able to play some sheet music but can't find a lot of what I like so I transcribe by ear from CD's. I would really like to be able to pick up my horn and just blow but every time I try, I can't seem to play any thing that sounds like anything I would like to play again. I really like blues and am working on the blues scales but how do I put together a riff that sounds good.:? I know the question is kind of rhetorical but I find it very frustrating. Thanks for any advice you can give me .

 

[RootyTootoot]

For now, go simpler. Get some blues backings and learn the minor pentatonic for a couple of keys. Put the backing on and blow the appropriate minor pentatonic scale. Get used to playing without a visual aid in front of you. If you blow something you like, repeat it. There's your riff. Good luck.

 

[Dave Dolson]

I detest anything called THE BLUES without stating a title. It is one thing to play a series of blues-changes and another thing to play an actual melody . . . and believe me, there are MANY blues-tunes with beautiful melodies.

Original jazz of the early 20th Century is filled with these tunes - AUNT HAGAR'S CHILDREN, TISHOMINGO, BEALE STREET, MELANCHOLY, WILD MAN BLUES, BASIN STREET, TIN ROOF, JAZZIN' BABIES' . . . it goes on and on.

SO, what you could do is find some of those tunes, learn to play the melodies in various keys, and then after playing a verse and chorus of a particular tune, go off the melody slightly and improvise something based on that melody (and the appropriate chord changes).

No riffs are needed, just vary the melody line enough so that you become comfortable with the whole concept. The riffs will come when you play with someone else who can carry the melody which will allow you to complement the other player. Put your written music away and get to it. DAVE

 

[NU2SAX]

I like using some of the playalongs with CD from Hal Leaonard, which is a good practice departure from scales, chords, long tones etc. I also noodle over the pentatonics and blues scales without music. I'm into only my second year so I understand your frustration. I spend a lot of time working on tone, and chord changes. But at least I can play some simple tunes based on the playalongs. There are lots of good ones including one book with some sample solos. I use sheetmusicplus for that stuff.

 

[Hernan123]

On sax I'm still learning the ropes, but back in the day one thing that helped me with my guitar blues and rock playing was to steal short licks from other people's solos. The trick is to find out short phrases that you can repurpose to create your own solos, not full-blown arrangements. 1/2 measure, maybe 1 measure long phrases... even a 1-note "lick" can be useful.

At least that worked for me at the time. I'm planning on doing something similar once I get the horn more figured out... maybe a year from now or so.

 

[Bernards20040]

Have a look at the Tim Price articles
here are the links
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Blues1.html
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Blues2.html

there is some great stuff there to get you on your way

PS thanks Tim for those articles they are great and a lot of work (for me that is)

 

[cann0nba11]

If you want to play music, put on a CD of the stuff you like, crank up th volume and PLAY! Try to copy what you hear... grab one lick that you like and figure it out. Just blow, experiment, try stuff out. It won't hurt. You can't run before you walk, but you can't walk if you don't take a step.

 

[jrvinson45]

What Dave Dolson said. Start by playing "standard" blues tunes... I don't know whether you recognize the ones he's called out, but they're pretty classic dixieland blues numbers. Pick up a Pete Fountain CD with about 20 tunes on it and listen to it a few times. Then try playing harmony behind the lead... after you listen a while, it not only gets easier, it becomes a lot of fun too. Even if dixieland isn't your bag, it's where this whole thing started and as the song says, "Let's start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start."

 

[Dog Pants]

Have a look here

http://www.saxontheweb.net/Rock_n_Roll/

Neil Sharpe has compiled a great resource of lessons and articles for anyone wanting to get their blues together.

Knowing your scales and chords is a necessary step, but in and of itself, I don't think that will help you blow the blues. As suggested above, you need to learn some vocabulary.

Grab some "loop and slow down" software, such as audacity, and transcribe and learn one generic blues solo. Just one chorus will get you going. But learn it so that you can play it inside out and backwards, in every key.

Most of us screw ourselves up by jumping onto the next thing before we've really absorbed what we are currently working on. Be patient with yourself. In 6 months time, if you have just a few blues solos down cold, you'll be able to mix and match them and you'll be well on your way to playing the blues.

In fact, if you find transcriping blues solos too difficult, just learn blues heads. If you pick a dozen blues heads and learn them cold in every key, you'll have more than enough vocabulary to mix and match them and solo convincingly. You'll also find that learning vocabulary makes learning vocabulary easier.

What I mean, is that the more you do it, the easier it gets. The first few take ages but then things start to click into place and you'll learn and remember it all with greater ease.

The blues has a vocabulary. Just running patterns on scales might at times sound something like the blues but it won't sound authentic. Learn the tunes and save yourself all that time trying to reinvent the wheel.

Good luck.

 

[lblangston]

Thanks

Thanks for the replies, they all have their merit and all have given me a little more insight into what I need to do. The last post by Dog Pants simplified it the best, for me anyways. What I meant is I like Blues as a genre much like I like Rock or Jazz so it's more an influence than the other styles of music. In the end, all I want to be able to do is pick up my horn and play without looking at a book or running up and down scales and make it sound good. (so is that learning and combining phrasing?) Eventually if I feel confident enough, I might even find a few sessions to jam in. Once again ,thanks for all the help and guidance...

 

[Step Hen]

You might be good enough to jam now - especially if you can find a sympathetic bunch of mates or amateur hour. People generally like the sound of the sax, and it's sufficiently unusual generally for its sound to be interesting in itself. And you will learn a lot by playing with others.

 

[lblangston]

You are correct Groovy, I may good enough to jam now but I am a little intimidated by my lack of technical knowledge. I feel like I have a pretty good ear for the music but I really want to be sure I'm capable before I venture too far into public performances.

 

[haptown]

Just do it! And have fun!