Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Masschusetts USA
    Posts
    550

    Default Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    I'm getting back into playing mandolin but more into jazz now that bluegrass. I'm working through one of the books on chording and finding lead sheets for those tunes (if you look hard enough, you can find anything online). For learning lead, rather than trying to improvise off the chord progression, I'm learning the melodies really well, then embellishing with scale notes, arpegios, etc.

    I've tried to improvise blues from the various "blues scales" but kinda get lost sometimes. I thought it might be good to find some lead sheets to jazz blues tunes, start with them, and then expand.

    So can anyone recommend any lead sheets for Blues / Jazz Blues tunes to start with?

    -K

    PS

    I kinda think everyone can play blues a little bit but if they don't learn tunes, everything just sounds like their blues. So, some guy named Bob plays blues but everything he plays just sounds like Bob Blues. I once heard someone describe good blues playing in that if you heard any two bars of a blues song, you would know it was that blues song, not just any blues song. That's why I'd like to start from some lead sheets.

  2. The following members say thank you to kvk for this post:


  3. #2
    Registered User Simon DS's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Peace and Love
    Posts
    2,416

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    ...
    Last edited by Simon DS; Jul-15-2019 at 9:43am.

  4. #3
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    North CA
    Posts
    5,020

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    Quote Originally Posted by kvk View Post
    I'm getting back into playing mandolin but more into jazz now that bluegrass. I'm working through one of the books on chording and finding lead sheets for those tunes (if you look hard enough, you can find anything online). For learning lead, rather than trying to improvise off the chord progression, I'm learning the melodies really well, then embellishing with scale notes, arpeggios, etc.

    I've tried to improvise blues from the various "blues scales" but kinda get lost sometimes. .
    Perhaps it would be better to improvise off of the chord changes.

    Anyway here is a link to jazz fakebooks:

    https://www.swiss-jazz.ch/partitions-real-book.htm

  5. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Chicago, IL,USA
    Posts
    613

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    https://www.soundslice.com/store/jazz-mandolin-chords/

    not lead sheets, but exploration of chordal accompaniment for standard swing/jazz progressions

  6. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Don Stiernberg For This Useful Post:


  7. #5
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Chicago, IL,USA
    Posts
    613

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    https://www.soundslice.com/store/jaz...ines-mandolin/

    not lead sheets, but finding fretboard routes for playing the changes in well known swing/jazz forms. sample solos included

  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Don Stiernberg For This Useful Post:


  9. #6
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    1,733

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    I've found it helpful to pull up videos of musicians jamming (e.g., Clapton/Marsallis), and either follow or respond to what they're doing. It doesn't matter what instruments they play, I just follow the music.
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  10. #7
    Registered User Tom Wright's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Rockville, MD
    Posts
    1,919
    Blog Entries
    7

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    The constant question or tension between learning patterns and learning melodies.

    People respond individually, and some are like me, in that I can’t bring myself to work through catalogs of riffs. What worked for me was learning the tunes, as those tunes are built from the riffs and patterns we use in other tunes, and in improvising.

    Assuming we are not restricting ourselves to the vocal-based Delta and Chicago blues, which are less about riffs than about bass lines and kicks behind the song, like “Born Under a Bad Sign”, it is jazz blues that offers instrumental satisfaction.

    A few I have learned from include:

    All Blues (Miles Davis, in G)
    Billie’s Bounce (Charlie Parker, in F)
    Bag’s Groove (Milt Jackson, in F)
    Now’s The Time (Charlie Parker, in F)
    Chitlins Con Carne (Kenny Burrell, in C minor)
    Blue Train (John Coltrane, in Eb)
    Blue Monk (Thelonius Monk, in Bb)
    Birk’s Works (should be Birks’, but that is the spelling in Real Book— Dizzy Gillespie, in F minor)
    Mr. P.C. (John Coltrane, in C minor)
    Sandu (Clifford Brown, in Eb)
    Straight, No Chaser (Thelonius Monk, in F)
    Tenor Madness (Sonny Rollins, in Bb)
    Things Ain’t What They Used To Be (Duke Ellington, in F)

    Plenty of flat keys, which will be good training. Transpositions to other keys can be found, but horns will want to use original keys.
    Bandcamp -- https://tomwright1.bandcamp.com/
    Videos--YouTube
    Sound Clips--SoundCloud
    The viola is proof that man is not rational

  11. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Tom Wright For This Useful Post:


  12. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Masschusetts USA
    Posts
    550

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Wright View Post
    The constant question or tension between learning patterns and learning melodies.

    People respond individually, and some are like me, in that I can’t bring myself to work through catalogs of riffs. What worked for me was learning the tunes, as those tunes are built from the riffs and patterns we use in other tunes, and in improvising.

    Assuming we are not restricting ourselves to the vocal-based Delta and Chicago blues, which are less about riffs than about bass lines and kicks behind the song, like “Born Under a Bad Sign”, it is jazz blues that offers instrumental satisfaction.

    A few I have learned from include:

    All Blues (Miles Davis, in G)
    Billie’s Bounce (Charlie Parker, in F)
    Bag’s Groove (Milt Jackson, in F)
    Now’s The Time (Charlie Parker, in F)
    Chitlins Con Carne (Kenny Burrell, in C minor)
    Blue Train (John Coltrane, in Eb)
    Blue Monk (Thelonius Monk, in Bb)
    Birk’s Works (should be Birks’, but that is the spelling in Real Book— Dizzy Gillespie, in F minor)
    Mr. P.C. (John Coltrane, in C minor)
    Sandu (Clifford Brown, in Eb)
    Straight, No Chaser (Thelonius Monk, in F)
    Tenor Madness (Sonny Rollins, in Bb)
    Things Ain’t What They Used To Be (Duke Ellington, in F)

    Plenty of flat keys, which will be good training. Transpositions to other keys can be found, but horns will want to use original keys.
    Thanks for the suggestions; I'll look some of those up. (Totally comfortable with the horns keys, F and Bb are two of my favorite. I tend to play tunes in the fiddle keys with open strings but like playing jazz melodies with all closed strings. F and Bb work really nice starting on the 3rd fret.)

  13. #9
    Registered User grassrootphilosopher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    2,117

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidKOS View Post
    Perhaps it would be better to improvise off of the chord changes.

    Anyway here is a link to jazz fakebooks:

    https://www.swiss-jazz.ch/partitions-real-book.htm
    Quote Originally Posted by Don Stiernberg View Post
    https://www.soundslice.com/store/jazz-mandolin-chords/

    not lead sheets, but exploration of chordal accompaniment for standard swing/jazz progressions
    Absolutely! Know your chords, know your melody.

    And while you´re at it find some room to be educated by Carol Keye:

    Olaf

  14. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to grassrootphilosopher For This Useful Post:


  15. #10
    Registered User Pete Martin's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    3,244

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    Now's The Time and Blues in the Closet are very easy melodies. Also don't forget Minor Blues. Blue Train is an easy melody to play.
    -----------
    Pete Martin
    www.PeteMartin.info
    Jazz and Bluegrass instruction books, videos, articles, transcriptions, improvisation, ergonomics, free recordings, private lessons

    www.WoodAndStringsBand.com
    Jazz trio

    www.AppleValleyWranglers.net
    Western Swing music

  16. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Pete Martin For This Useful Post:


  17. #11
    Registered User John Soper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Posts
    1,356

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    One of the most simple melodies is the head to C-Jam Blues (Basie); can be used as a jumping off point for many possibilities!

  18. The following members say thank you to John Soper for this post:


  19. #12
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    North CA
    Posts
    5,020

    Default Re: Recommend some beginner Blues / Jazz Blues Lead Sheets

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidKOS View Post
    Anyway here is a link to jazz fakebooks:

    https://www.swiss-jazz.ch/partitions-real-book.htm
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Wright View Post

    All Blues (Miles Davis, in G)
    Billie’s Bounce (Charlie Parker, in F)
    Bag’s Groove (Milt Jackson, in F)
    Now’s The Time (Charlie Parker, in F)
    Chitlins Con Carne (Kenny Burrell, in C minor)
    Blue Train (John Coltrane, in Eb)
    Blue Monk (Thelonius Monk, in Bb)
    Birk’s Works (should be Birks’, but that is the spelling in Real Book— Dizzy Gillespie, in F minor)
    Mr. P.C. (John Coltrane, in C minor)
    Sandu (Clifford Brown, in Eb)
    Straight, No Chaser (Thelonius Monk, in F)
    Tenor Madness (Sonny Rollins, in Bb)
    Things Ain’t What They Used To Be (Duke Ellington, in F)

    Plenty of flat keys, which will be good training. Transpositions to other keys can be found, but horns will want to use original keys.
    Almost all those tunes are in the links I posted. Also includes Bb and Eb books for other key versions of tunes.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by grassrootphilosopher View Post
    Absolutely! Know your chords, know your melody.

    And while you´re at it find some room to be educated by Carol Keye:

    Pay attention to her ideas about chord arpeggios and chord tones .

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by John Soper View Post
    One of the most simple melodies is the head to C-Jam Blues (Basie); can be used as a jumping off point for many possibilities!
    C Jam is an Ellington tune.


Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •