(Adults)
For adults with some experience with the blues, this class takes your playing to the next level. Topics covered include altering and ‘dressing up’ the 12-bar form; using major and minor blues scales across the neck; soloing over chord changes; using chromaticism and arpeggios in soloing; minor blues, chord and scale theory; reading and writing basic music notation; and transcribing blues solos. There is a heavy emphasis on improvisation throughout the course, and many songs at the intersection of jazz and blues are used as teaching tools, along with songs brought in and suggested by students.
Students should already be comfortable with playing the 12-bar blues form in several keys using 7th chords, improvising using the blues scale, playing accompaniment, and using basic lead guitar techniques (picking, bending, slurs). Students must provide their own acoustic (non-classical) or electric guitar.
