Jazzy Acoustic Blues

Ever fancied playing a convincing acoustic blues with some tasty jazzy overtones? Stuart Ryan has just the piece to get you in the groove...

- Stuart Ryan

This month’s piece takes the framework of the blues, a I-IV-V progression in E, but adds a twist with some jazzier chord voicings and phrasing. When playing this style as either a soloist or accompanist it is vital to have a large stock of intros, endings, and turnarounds at your disposal. Although intros and endings are self-explanatory, the ‘turnaround’ can be trickier to get a handle on; in essence, it’s a short phrase that takes you from the end of a chord sequence back to the beginning. A turnaround often gives a great opportunity to add something creative within a standard progression - one of the most appealing aspects of blues and jazz is that you can make it up. This month’s piece has an abundance of intros, endings, and turnarounds for you to utilize - the first five bars act as an extended intro but you could actually use each bar as an intro on its own.