blues composition (gcse music)

hey hey
ummm, I'm in a gcse music and we've been given the task to create a blues composition, thing is the teacher is rather bad and hasn't explained how to create one. so I'm kind of needing help creating one. could anyone give me advice?

thanks all

Reply 1

MiniSlash

Original post by rubik-s.b

Any instrument in particular?

Reply 2

rubik-s.b

Original post by MiniSlash

Any instrument in particular?

not really, we are using sibelius. but my main instrument is violin

Reply 3

Jimbojambo

Is it just 12 bar blues?
Just use the Blues Scale to create a tune then improvise I guess?

Reply 4

rubik-s.b

Original post by Jimbojambo

Is it just 12 bar blues?
Just use the Blues Scale to create a tune then improvise I guess?

i don't know, it might be. but the teacher said that we had to pick a key and then improvise from there. in my opinion it isn't such a lot of information. so to be honest i don't know

Reply 5

Fingersmith

Original post by rubik-s.b

i don't know, it might be. but the teacher said that we had to pick a key and then improvise from there. in my opinion it isn't such a lot of information. so to be honest i don't know

For a start - in Sibelius write 'Swing' at the beginning in Tempo text. Then you can write in ordinary quavers and it will give you a triplet feel. You'll probably want the occasional triplet as well, which you do by putting in the first quaver, select it again for editing and hit [ctrl]3. This will set up your triplet which you can then fill in.

The chords you need are (in C but you can transpose easily in Sibelius to make it more interesting):

||:C///|C///|C///|C7///|
F7///|F7///|C///|C7///|
G7///|F7///|C///|G7///:||

Last time use a C in the last bar rather than a G7.

The scale you want (which in black American blues stays the same regardless of the chord) is a C minor pentatonic with an additional flattened 5th i.e. C Eb F (F sharp) G Bb.

There aren't that many examples of violin blues/jazz but you might want to look at Ray Nance (of the Duke Ellington orchestra) and Stephane Grapelli ( of The Hot Club De France).

Feel free to get back to me with any questions.
Good luck.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

rubik-s.b

hey there
thanks soo much i hope this helps. its much more of an insight that i have started with thank you.
I've heard of the black american scale but i didn't know it went like that. thanks again.
does stephane grapelli mainly play string?

Reply 7

Fingersmith

Yes he's a violinist. He used to play with Django Reinhart on guitar which gave the genre the name 'Gypsy Jazz'. He also used to play with Yehudi Menuhin when he came over here (which he often did). Ray Nance mostly played trumpet in the Ellington band but also played violin.