these called “Freddie Green” voicings, since
he used them constantly when playing in
the Count Basie band. In order to create
some motion we add a few chord inversions. Don’t be scared by some of the “
theory” talk, an inversion is simply a different
order of a group of chord tones. Easy, right?
In the key of G, the chords we’ll use are
G7, F/A, and G/B. The latter two chords
are called slash chords. In a slash chord, the
left side usually indicates a triad and the
right side tells us what bass note to use.
We then transpose these shapes up to cover
the IV chord (C7) and the V chord (D7).
It’s important to play this with a very hard
swing feel—like a triplet with the first two
notes tied together.
Fig. 2 is another short little move that is
related to the previous style. It works well
when connecting the I chord to the IV chord,
as in measure 1 or measure 5. Check out Fig.
3 to see how this lies on strings 5–3– 2.
We use some close-voiced 9th chords
in Fig. 4. Think of this over a straight
eighth-note feel, like you might hear on
some ECM records. In each measure we
go between a rootless 9th chord and suspended 9th chord. Often, I use my thumb
to grab the bass notes.
Things get a little sweeter sounding in
Fig. 5. This slow blues in the key of G
is great for backing up vocalists. We can
think of the partial chords in a few different ways, but the easiest is to consider
it as a move from a 6th chord to a 9th
chord. The top notes create an interesting
countermelody—contrasting the melody
coming from the soloist or vocalist—and
generate some harmonic motion.
Hopefully these examples will not only
give you some stock “moves” you can use
over a blues, but will also inspire you to
come up with some ideas of your own. A
quick way to know you have these examples
down is to play them in other keys or
grooves—even other time signatures.
There’s really no substitute for being
inspired by the great guitarists who came
before us. Anytime I feel like I’m in a rut,
I turn to recordings by artists I admire and
steal from them. The process of transcription
will give you more ideas, provide a gateway
to originality, and sharpen your ears.
˙
&
5
w
OE
10
12
12
11
9
12
11
10
˙
&
C7
&
D7 C7
oeoeoe oeoeoe ˙˙˙
3
5
4
5
3
2
3
oe
oeoeoe oeoeoe b oeoeoe oeoeoe oeoeoe b
8
10
9
10
8
7
8
10
9
10
12
10
11
10
9
10
8
7
8
oe
oeoeoe oeoeoe ˙˙˙
oe
oeoeoe oeoeoe b ˙˙˙
10
12
11
12
10
9
10
8
10
9
10
8
7
8
Fig. 4 Fig. 4
44 &
w
OE
A9 A9“ 4
oeoeoe ˙˙˙
A9
#
A9“ 4
oeoeoe™™™ w oeoeoej ˙˙˙
A9 A9“ 4
w
OE oeoeoe ˙˙˙
A9
#
A9“ 4
oeoeoe™™™ w oeoeoej ˙˙˙
5
4
2
5
4
3
5
4
2
5
4
3
5
4
2
5
4
3
5
4
2
5
4
3
5
D9 D9“ 4
oeoeoe ˙˙˙
D9
#
D9“ 4
oe oeoe™™™
w
oeoeoej ˙˙˙
A9 A9“ 4
w
OE oeoeoe ˙˙˙
A9
#
A9“ 4
oeoeoe™™™ w oeoeoej ˙˙˙
10
9
7
10
9
8
10
9
7
10
9
8
5
4
2
5
4
3
5
4
2
5
4
3
5
&
E9 E9“ 4
w
OE oeoeoe ˙˙˙
D9 D9“ 4
w
OE oeoeoe ˙˙˙
A9 A9“ 4
w
OE oeoeoe ˙˙˙
E7(#9)
oeoeoeoe n# oeoeoeoe
˙˙˙˙
10
9
7
10
9
8
5
4
2
5
4
3
7
6
7
8
7
6
7
8
10
5
Fig. 5
44 &
G7
oe
Fig. 5
C7 oeoeoe oeoeoe b ˙˙˙
G7
oe
oeoeoe oeoeoe oeoeoe oeoeoe
oeoeoe oeoeoe oeoeoe ˙˙˙
oe
10
9
10
8
7
8
5
4
5
3
2
3
5
4
5
7
5
6
5
4
5
3
2
3
8
3
oeoeoe oeoeoe b ˙˙˙
G7
oeoeoe oeoeoe oeoeoe oeoeoe
oeoeoe oeoeoe oeoeoe ˙˙˙
oe
5
4
5
3
2
3
5
4
5
7
5
6
5
4
5
3
2
3
3
G7
oeoeoe oeoeoe ˙˙˙
D7 oeoeoe oeoeoe ˙˙˙
oe
oe
5
4
5
3
2
3
12
11
12
10
9
10
3
