This Oscar Peterson line teaches us all we need about blues improv

Reader,

As we start improvising over C Jam Blues this week, I'm reminded of the first thing I learned about the blues. The minor blues scale.

And as I look around, it's still the first thing most teachers teach.

For good reason. We absolutely need it. The blues scale works. Every note is safe. You can play it over the entire progression and never hit a wrong note.

But the blues scale alone isn't enough for a jazz blues.

Friday Workshop: We'll continue our work through C Jam Blues together, combining the blues scale with chord tones to improvise lines that imply the harmony.

I'll demonstrate the technique in real time, show you where to place your chord tone targets, and help you hear the difference between lines that outline the changes and lines that just sit on top of them.

You are already on the list.

See you Friday, Jan 23 at 1:00 Eastern.

What's Missing?

The blues scale doesn't care which chord is playing. Every note works over every chord in the progression. That's why it sounds safe and bluesy.

But jazz blues players are doing something more specific.

They're making melodic choices that point to each chord as it arrives. When the progression moves to F7, they play notes that say "F7 is here now." When it returns to C7, their line reflects that.

We do this by targeting chord tones at key moments.

The blues scale provides the bluesy flavor between these targets. But the chord tones give our lines direction and helps the audience hear the harmony.

I've put together a worksheet that shows exactly how this works.

At the top, you'll see the C blues scale written out. Right next to it, I've notated an example of how we combine the blues scale with chord tones as the harmony changes.

Below that is a transcription of how Oscar Peterson used this technique over C Jam Blues.

You can hear him do exactly what we're talking about, but in a much more masterful way.

🎹 Listen to Oscar Peterson - C Jam Blues​

Download the Worksheet

Study the sheet, but make sure to play along. This is how you develop your ear for the blues language.

Happy practicing!

Josh