|
Bluesday has become a standard among Stick players. This is due to the fact that it's relatively easy
to play, has a good, strong groove that rolls along, and a catchy melody. I've taught this song for years
to private students, and at the National Guitar Workshop TouchStyle Seminar and the European
Tap Guitar Seminar in Belgium. Everyone seems to like it.
The song is a 12 bar blues in 5/4 time. The right hand motif repeats throughout as does the left hand ostinato part (a melodic phrase which is continuously repeated). For soloing you could use a E blues scale (E, G, A, Bb, B, D) over the whole thing. If you like, you can play a F# dorian scale (F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#, E) at bar 9 over the F#-7 chord and then a F lydian scale (F, G, A, B, C, D, E) at bar 10 over the F major 7th #4 chord. The coda is for the ending only. The bass chords at bars 21 and 22 are played with harmonics. Hold the chord shape, an E minor triad, with your left hand at the 2nd fret. Then with your right hand lightly mute the same chord shape at the 14th fret, then the 9th fret and then the 7th fret. You can bend the string on that last harmonic with your left hand to get a nice effect. A word on musical terms and symbols. At bar 18 there is a sign that looks like a birds eye. This is a fermata. It means to pause or hold the chord. The next bar has a ritard. This means to delay the time gradually. Rubato in bar 20 means to play out of time. Literally, time values from some tones are "robbed or stolen" and given to others. Thanks to Daniel Schell for the fingering notation concept (1/2). Simply put, the first number is your finger and the second number is the string. Download the PDF file. © 1995 Frank Jolliffe |