THIS GROUND-BREAKING BOOK/CD package will show you (or your students) how
to use the Major and Minor Blues Scales to improvise meaningful solos—without
having to first master all the scales and chords of a tune.
GOOD FOR ALL LEVELS - Essential for beginners, perfect for
intermediate students, and even useful for professional players to hone
their skills on this crucial—and often neglected—part of the jazz
language.
ACCOMPANYING CD by author Dan Greenblatt and his quartet of
swinging, New York jazz musicians shows how each exercise should sound.
And it also gives the student numerous play-along tracks to practice
with.
GREAT TRANSCRIPTIONS from Miles, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester
Young, Oscar Peterson, Dave Sanborn, Michael Brecker and many more,
showing how the Blues Scales are actually used in various styles of
jazz.
THE ONLY COMPREHENSIVE BOOK ON THE BLUES SCALES EVER PUBLISHED!
- step-by-step exercises to get beginning students able to quickly
solo using the two basic Blues Scales
- extensive dictionary of classic Major and Minor Blues Scale phrases
- help with transposing the ideas learned into other keys
- numerous ways to expand the Blues Scales to make them even more
useful
- appendices for advanced players showing how the masters of jazz use
the Blues Scales in their own playing.
88 page text, plus CD. Available in C, Bb, and Eb Versions
Endorsements
"An excellent addition to the growing number of books and CDs
dedicated to mastering the art of jazz improvisation. Useful to
beginners as well as advanced players, The Blues Scales admirably
addresses the vocabulary of the blues---the 'root of jazz.' "
Michael Brecker - saxophonist
"To actually play the blues, you have to know what's in the blues.
Dan has done a marvelous job of dissecting the blues and then bringing
all the pieces back together so you can make beautiful music. This book
will help those who want to have fun playing the blues."
Jamey Aebersold - one of the world's foremost jazz educators
"Dan has done a great job with this book! A good method for teaching
blues and jazz improvising to beginning students has been much needed.
It has been a long time coming, but finally that need has been filled."
Junior Mance - pianist with Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball
Adderley, Lester Young, Dinah Washington, etc.
"Finally a conscientious educator has created a method which focuses
on blues scales. It's sure to enhance the aspiring improvisor's
vocabulary, as well as expand their ideas for composing. Dan
Greenblatt's style of conveying this information is crystal clear, and
this will help the aspiring student to become a far more impressive
improvisor. Don't miss this book if you wish to strengthen your musical
articulation."
Reggie Workman - bassist with John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Elvin
Jones, Wayne Shorter, Max Roach, etc.
"I have seen first-hand how well Dan's systematic and insightful
approach to teaching jazz improvisation works with students. With the
publication of this book, jazz educators finally have a clearly
presented method for teaching improvisation, with the goal of helping
students develop the necessary vocabulary to create intelligent,
authentic and inspired jazz solos that actually deal with the changes!
'The Blues Scales' will become my essential tool for teaching
improvisation at Roosevelt High School."
Scott Brown - Director of Bands, Roosevelt High School,
Seattle, WA and Faculty Member, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Band Director
Academy
"This is a valuable book, with an innovative and well-explained
approach to using Blues Scales in jazz improvisation."
Bill Kirchner - jazz educator and editor of "The Oxford
Companion to Jazz"
