LJS 173: Taking the Blues Through All 12 Keys (How and Why to Do It)

Welcome to episode 173 of the LJS Podcast where today I talk about the importance of blues, and why you should take it into all 12 keys. Jazz is a music that emerged from the blues and therefore jazz language is steeped in it. If you can play the blues in any key your jazz improv skills will be miles ahead. In this episode, I demonstrate myself taking the blues through all 12 keys and how you can too!
Listen to episode 173







One of the most important song forms in jazz is the 12 bar blues.
And this is because jazz came out of the blues. It was birthed from it. And that's why you hear so much blues language in jazz throughout the different eras, throughout the history of the music.
And the great thing about the blues is that it contains all of the most important harmonic elements of most jazz standards.
So, if you know the blues, forwards and backwards, and are versed in it, you are going to be able to improvise well over many other jazz standards.
It is important that we spend some time on these song forms, so in today's episode, we are going to talk about how I take the blues through all 12 keys. I'm going to take you through all 12 keys so you can hear it and we are going to dig deeper into this stuff.







In this episode:
1. Why the blues form is important to know
2. The benefits of taking the blues into all 12 keys
3. I improvise over the blues in all 12 keys
4. My challenge for you: take the blues into 3 keys you aren't as familiar with this week







Thanks for listening to this episode of the Learn Jazz Standards Podcast. If you aren't already, make sure you are subscribed on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
I look forward to having you join me in the next episode!
Important Links
Video: Blues in all 12 Keys Challenge
LJS 146: 3 Strategies for Improvising Over the Blues