Can you play what you hear?
The blues pentascale is formed by flatting the 3rd and 5th of a major pentascale. In these Blues playbacks, your hand will be in a 5-finger position.
Your Assignment!
- For each audio track, you will hear the blues pentascale in either F, Bb, or Eb, in 4/4 time.
- Choose one of the tracks and play back the phrases that you hear, alternating one-bar patterns with the performer on the audio. This may require repeated listening!
- Listen to each pattern until you can accurately sing it.
- Play back the phrases that you hear, alternating one-bar patterns with the performer on the audio file. This may require repeated listening!
- TIP! The phrase that you hear may not begin on the tonic note.
- Determine the starting scale degree for each pattern heard.
- Use standard pentascale fingerings wherever possible.
- Practice first with the click track. When you are comfortable, play along with the backing track.
