This book is a collection of 12 Blues Solos, one in each key, with a “basic” (i.e., simple) accompaniment using keyboard, guitar, bass & drums and occasionally horns.
The inside cover contains all 12 Blues Scales, with alternate fingering suggestions.
Each Solo uses a 12 bar blues pattern, played twice,
with a 4 bar introduction based on the melody from bars 9-12 of the
solo; chord symbols are indicated in the solo part.
Please note that two of the keys used in both the Solos and the Blues
Scales, in strict theory, don’t exist! - they were chosen to keep the
Sax part in sharps, like the concert keys (E, B & F#). The key of
C# (7#s) is usually seen as Db (5bs) and the key of G# (8#s - the symbol
“x” means “double sharp”) is usually seen as Ab (4bs).
Some terms used: legato means smoothly, no tonguing; 8va is an abbreviation for octave - some solos have the suggestion “8va higher (or lower) 2x” (i.e., optional octave higher or lower the second time)
12 Alto Sax, 12 Tenor Sax and 12 C Melody Sax
- each piece is played twice, with NO Sax sound on the repeat;
An active subscription to SmartMusic® is needed to play smp Files. (see SmartMusic ).
With the smp Files the solo part displays on your computer screen;
you can change the speed and/or the key and a lot of other things - see
Using SmartMusic
There are 5 folders: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone and C Melody Sax (because C Melody Sax is not an instrument available in SmartMusic®, some ”tricks” had to be used - the display will read Flute but the sound will be a Soprano Sax, i.e., a C Soprano Sax, sounding one octave higher than a C Melody Sax).
Each folder contains 24 smp Files - two versions of each of the 12 blues songs:
- a “regular” version - each piece is played 2 times and has alternate fingering markings
- an “X” version (the file names start with “x”) - each piece is
played 6 times and has no alternate fingering markings (good to use if
you are changing the piece from the Published Key)
Book - 9"X12" - 16 pages - $14.95
CD - 36 Audio tracks & 120 smp Files