blues and scales

I believe that the approach to notes in blues playing (some styles,
anyway, where there's a lot of bent notes) is very similar to the
approach taken in raga/maqam style...there are some fundamental
guidlines, such as the blues scale, but the maestros are putting their
notes in all sorts of places that may or may not involve a point on a
scale continuum. I just saw Buddy Guy play, and he is living proof that
the "blues scale" is just a convenient starting point for this
incredibly deep and profound style of music...within 2 songs, I had
tears in my eyes because of the passion in his playing. There were times
when his playing was more like Coltrane's "sheets of sound" concept than
a "blues" guitarist...I've been playing blues for 30 years, and I can't
tell you what Buddy did in terms of scales, because he went totally
outside of those concepts, into an area of pure sound and tone...it was
a very humbling experience...he was "on," as we say. It would be
impossible to put what he did onto paper.
BB King was also on the bill, and was also masterful, but his
playing was much easier to describe in terms of scales/pitches....yet,
it was just as profound as Buddy's playing. In the final analysis, it's
the level of expression that makes music happen, regardless of
scales/tunings...that's why the playing of the masters will always be a
source of discussion and wonder...they do whatever it takes to express
what they need to express, regardless of theory...Hstick

Neil,

Hello!

I completely agree with you. I think it's also why "Meend" makes East
Indian classical music so beautiful. Because it's used to mimic the
human singing voice. I'm also a guitarist, and I recognize too that
it's a huge part of good technique and one's own unique voice. And I
think rarely is the guitar obeying the precise rules of any
particular tuning - even though it may be kind of hovering around
one. This is really evidenced by when you use a guitar as a midi
controller in a sequencing situation. You can go in and take a look
at the pitch controller information and it's plain to see that pitch
bends are being generated almost constantly from the idoisyncratic
pressures of the fingers on the strings (even the best players I've
seen do this). I believe it's really important to have some degree of
this happening on the keyboard too (or midi wind instruments) - I
actually like a combination of statically tuned timbres with ones
that use a meend-like technique.

And Coltrane! He defines the word BEAUTIFUL to me! - his
bending/multi-phonics is just such a "body" thing; I think is so
obviously like a vocal technique. When I saw him playing on the
documentary "The World According to John Coltrane", it all came
together for me. Just the incredible physicality of his playing in
the last couple of years of his life was incredible.

Good Day!

Jacky Ligon

Neil Haverstick wrote:
> I believe that the approach to notes in blues playing (some
styles,
> anyway, where there's a lot of bent notes) is very similar to the
> approach taken in raga/maqam style...there are some fundamental
> guidlines, such as the blues scale, but the maestros are putting
their
> notes in all sorts of places that may or may not involve a point on
a
> scale continuum. There were times
> when his playing was more like Coltrane's "sheets of sound" concept
than
> a "blues" guitarist...It would be
> impossible to put what he did onto paper.
> In the final analysis, it's
> the level of expression that makes music happen, regardless of
> scales/tunings...that's why the playing of the masters will always
be a
> source of discussion and wonder...they do whatever it takes to
express
> what they need to express, regardless of theory...Hstick

On Sat, 19 Aug 2000, Neil Haverstick wrote:

>[...]scales/tunings...that's why the playing of the masters will always be a
>source of discussion and wonder...they do whatever it takes to express
>what they need to express, regardless of theory...Hstick

"Theory" IMHO is an essential aspect of being alive. We all make theories
on why the car broke down, why stars twinkle, why there appears to
be so much evil and so little good, why the stockmarket ...

I agree that the downside of too much theory can be the stifling of
creativity. On the other hand, imagine setting up a theory and then
testing it on masterpieces, to see what is in there. It is one more
way to appreciate a great work, like a great pyramid from the inside.
(Assuming that the theory holds water to begin with.)

What I just wrote about the second-level appreciation of masterpieces
reminds me an old joke about jokes. I lough with jokes three times:
when I hear it, then when someone explains it to me, and then, again,
when I get it.

Good day!
- George K.