3 Jazz Blues Forms Every Jazz Musician Needs to Know

The blues is arguably the most important song form in jazz and everybody needs to learn how to play the blues and should spend a lot of time practicing the blues.
So in this video today, I want to go over 3 different blues song forms as jazz musicians we need to know. We need to understand how they work and need to be able to improvise over them.
Sign up for my FREE masterclass "Boost Your Jazz Blues": www.learnjazzstandards.com/bo...
💥Important Links and Resources💥
Further Reading:
4 Blues Chord Progressions You Need to Know www.learnjazzstandards.com/bl...
1️⃣ Get our FREE "Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way" Guide and Masterclass: members.learnjazzstandards.co...
2️⃣ Join our powerful jazz Inner Circle community: members.learnjazzstandards.co...
🎧 Listen to the Learn Jazz Standards Podcast: www.learnjazzstandards.com/lj...
📘 Get our Amazon Best Selling book: www.amazon.com/Jazz-Improvisa...

[@roballen49]

Great lesson! thanks.. I'd love to see a lesson on how to approach soloing over these different blues forms.

[@TrevorduBuisson]

Excellent! The evolution from the basic Blues to the 'Bird Blues' is very clearly illustrated. Simple and logical.

[@dorianvaughn1915]

You can also add a tritone substitute in the 4th bar to go to the 4 chord. Or have the 1 chord with a sharp 5 in the 4th bar also. I do those a lot.

[@ProfileP246]

I was listening to Gary Willis while working couple days ago and realised while the album is fusion i could just barely make out form that sounded familiar. after a while it jumped out at me, it's the blues! i realised. For a while i've been trying to compose some of my own material (i do have a grasp on theory) but could never understand in fusion where all the ideas are coming from. I jumped on and found your lesson here and it clarified that indeed these fusion guys are using jazz blues form. Thanks so much for this super great lesson, talk about the penny dropping. Did i say thank you? Thank you!!!!

[@dontaskmemyfuckingpronouns]

That was really really good. I never knew the jazz blues changes, i really love the bird blues thanks for sharing

[@geminiguy2001]

I appreciate your explaining the use of secondary dominants as chord susbstitutions. I never really thought of them as such. Love your channel.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Awesome glad to help!

[@macjam9090]

excellent lesson and yes I understand it now. Its not just a case of 12 bar blues and its actually easier to solo over those changes as it adds more variety as you highlight the chord tones etc. Thank you.

[@magdalenajanecka]

Amazing! It helped me a lot, thank you...

[@AlejandroGonzalez-wo5fk]

So much value in these videos

[@joepalooka2145]

Excellent video, thanks.

[@deafprof]

Amazing. Super clear teaching!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks so much! Hope it was helpful.

[@jeffreydelisle7337]

Succinct, clear, awesome presentation.

[@Salang_7]

Very comprehensible. Thank you for this video.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

You're very welcome!

[@tonymountifield]

Very good! How about a follow-up on the minor blues?

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks for the suggestion Tony!

[@johns9070]

Nice job, good lesson

[@rodrigorunco5663]

Thanks! this type of videos are great for beginners in jazz like me! We appreciate your work... :D

[@edvardehler]

I second that!

[@Dobroz99]

Thanks so much to learn.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad to help Virgil!

[@EP-ki2zu]

🤩💖🎶💖thank you for making this so clear - finally i feel like I can do this 🤩💖🎶💖🥰

[@Learnjazzstandards]

That's great to know!

[@AndreiJablokow]

Great lesson! Thanks!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks Andrei!

[@danielmendez3098]

Nice content!!!

[@baranyiproduction]

Great lesson, perfectly explained. Thank you!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@001jinete]

GREAT MAN! THANKS SO MUCH

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad to help Tony!

[@gianfissore4290]

the best i ve seen in the week

[@patbreacadh]

Great lesson!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks Pat!

[@WickBeavers]

I'm working on a song using your Parker's Blues progression. It's a little too happy in BbMaj so I may go minor... the lyrics will foretell, thanks for this great lesson!

[@ericschwartz9982]

Awesome lesson. Thank you. I'm putting this one up there with my Mickey Baker books. A definite go-to reference for ever.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@Fatfingertunes]

A beautiful exposition. I am familiar with this stuff, but it is so difficult to teach, especially for players who think 'the blues' is Paul Butterfield (which is just fine). But, the next step is so difficult to put across. Your video is just great... thank you!

[@KMerrells]

+1 charisma for the haircut. Thanks for the video. Will have to re-watch the section on the Jazz Blues a few times to sort all that out!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Ha! Thanks Kris, glad you found it helpful

[@bradleydibble9239]

Great content

[@milesyalzin2018]

Amazing video, I know a lot about modern jazz but nothing about blues, this was very insightful, thank you!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad it was helpful!

[@backpackerway8533]

Excellent video !!!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thank you very much!

[@WickBeavers]

Holy Smokenzaggen! Cool stuff.

[@ezrakowadlo]

Thank you.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

With pleasure Ezra!

[@asd8654]

excellent lesson

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thank you! 😃

[@nikhilfranco7241]

Great video, my favourite chord to add would be the V augmented at the end, which i think BB king and John Mayer do. Something like Bb Eb Ebm Bb Faug

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks for sharing!

[@760Piper]

Great presentation.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it

[@gonzalosurvideos]

Thanks!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

No problem!

[@faonfaon]

Thank you for your videos. The Bird blues is what we call the swedish blues (blues suédois in french)

[@Learnjazzstandards]

ah interesting, I've never heard it called that before. Glad to help!

[@cartergebert3495]

great

[@tinajackel]

I love the Parker Blues... I wonder if the Ebm7 Ab7 could be seen as an four minor chord aswell... it would be easier to think about it for transposing but I guess for playing lines it wouldn’t make to much of a difference 😁thanks for a thorough blues lesson

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad to help! Sure, there is definitely more than one way to analyze harmony. I think the minor iv idea could be one way to look at it. Technically you could think of it as a back door dominant progression, but instead of resolving to the I chord it is substituted by the iii chord.

[@adeladnani3713]

GREAT

[@gerrycoogan6544]

Really good video, Brent. To be honest, I saw the title and my first reaction was, "Ho-hum, what's new?" But I learned something from the Bird Blues segment so it's a large slice of humble pie for me. :)

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Hey Gerry, glad you learned something! Keep in mind as well, quite a few people (at least among my subscribers) don't know some of the stuff that you may already know ;)

[@benink5690]

Thank you! You forgot to "Link Above"

[@danielbates7401]

I recently came across John Coltrane's "Some Other Blues". The movement by 4ths in the middle of the form is a really neat device!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Not sure if I'm familiar with that one, I'll have to check it out!

[@danielbates7401]

Learn Jazz Standards After the head, I think they just revert back to the typical jazz blues form. But the head is really interesting. Definitely check it out!

[@benbenpotato]

0:00 intro 1:30 basic 12 bar blues 3:46 basic jazz blues 10:23 bird blues

[@terrenceharrington9454]

I thought the Ab7 only appeared the first time through the head of FF and in the choruses. Also I was not aware of bar 2 being 4 rather than 1.

[@robertjones9598]

Thanks! My head is spinning. I've been trying to write close 4 part harmony for a swing band playing blues riffs and it just sounds rubbish. There is so much I simply DO NOT UNDERSTAND AT ALL. I never realised how deep this all gets. How is it that I can get my head around the diatonic jazz chords but I can't grasp the blues scale sitting on top of a dominant 7 chord?!? Is the key instead to incorporate these Byrd chords so that the voicings don't get stagnant?

[@ddanze]

It'd be very helpful if you could show tab or block chords- since I can't see your fingers it's hard for me to learn it all by ear (yeah, I know, it's only a few chords but hey) Thanks

[@RogueMammoth]

What computer program are you using for the transcriptions?

[@benink5690]

I hate saying flat I prefer sharp lol Is this a nono?

[@zenbr01]

Any chance of getting these transcribed into a pdf with links to any sound files. It takes me much less time to process that format.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Hey there, my eBook Zero to Improv does have these in them

[@zenbr01]

Thanks, I’ll get that. Really like your work.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks, glad to be of help!

[@user-zt7ym1dw2g]

Great video! Why is the 6 chord (G7) not minor?

[@brucejeric6701]

Often times minor is changed to dominant for a more tension and resolves nicely to the following chord like the Cm in last two bars all as part of the 1-6-2-5 progression. The G7 you see earlier in the progression is a part of that chromatic 2-5 walk down delaying resolution until you get to the 2 chord Cm. Hope that makes sense to you?

[@wrtwatch8576]

For example, at about 3:00 you describe the change in measure 11 as, initially, moving numerically...then say ".. it changes from the Bb to a Ab...", mixing the construction of thought and message. As a teacher this reduces the strength of your lesson-concept and weakens learning.

[@wrtwatch8576]

Why isn't Fm7, Bb7 considered or called V7, I7 then IV (Eb)? (not iim, V⁷, to 'new' I)

[@binface9]

Thank you, I now understand Au Privave much better

[@hammill444]

Yes, but what about the basics--- like how to actually play the chords you are talking about?

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Here's a post that should help with that: www.learnjazzstandards.com/blog/understanding-7th-chords/

[@shawndimery]

hammill444 Then you need to understand chord construction and then return. learning specific voicing s is kinda pointless in jazz, you need a repertoire of your own

[@wrtwatch8576]

Really, you're better off from an instruction perspective to talk in terms of numeric movement! Not "the chords"! but instead, the IV, ii7 etc... it's more universal that way...more able to use and apply broadly.. Teach one to fish! Not give a fish!