From tweriorw@yahoo.com Tue Aug 03 20:47:01 2004
Subject:Re: fingering/scales/positions

Let's see....... where's that transposition button?........ :)
Just joking. It's all good as long as we don't run out of fingers. Certain keys lend themselves to certain riffs. I find it boring to play in one key as muscle memory tends to take over. I like riffing in Bb or Bbmin. I tend to think in terms of starting riffs in Eb on C or F as well as using the conventional pentatonic groupings. Hey even the jazz greats like Art Tatum thought and think that way. It's part of makes keyboards different from guitar. It's a mixed blessing.
Roger Twerion

Dan S wrote:
For jazz, more than an octave of scales makes more sense, but for
blues/rock/funk, I stay in various positions and play riffs, or clusters of
notes.

The generic scale I'll use for blues & rock is a bit more inclusive than the
typical pentatonic blues scale. I'll play the I, then the minor third
chromatically through the fifth, then the dom7th and so on.

In G, this would be G Bb B C C# D F G. If it's a minor tune, I'll avoid the
major third (mostly:).

I play guitar and I've applied the concept of positions (hand placement) to
my fingering.

In "first position", I'd keep my thumb on the G, index finger plays Bb
and/or B (sliding), middle finger on C, ring finger playing C# and/or D and
pinky on F.

In "second position", my thumb is anchored on the third - B. I will place my
index on C, middle on C#/D, ring on F and pinky on G. I play the minor third
by crossing my index finger over my thumb, usually doing that with a trill
between D (middle) and F (pinky), sorta barrelhouse sounding.

I have a third position where I place my thumb on the fifth - D, and either
cross my index below to C# or up to F, middle on G, ring on Bb and pinky on
D.

I don't play scales, instead I'll move my positions up. I'll cross from
first to second by placing my thumb under the Bb. and from second to third
again, crossing my thumb under my index to land on the D.

If I'm in a key like Ab, I do the same basic positions but I'll place my
index finger on the third and fifth instead of my thumb. Not as much reach
upwards, but still gives me a lot of options.

I think rock & blues piano are about power and multiple notes - trills or
chords w/lotsa accidentals. Having the third, seventh or flatted fifth as
the top note in a cluster gives it that "bluesy" sound. By keeping my hand
in those positions, I've got lots of options on what to use in a given
position.

Hope everyone is fully asleep by now...

> I've seen is suggested that the D natural be included in the blues scale
> resulting in a very natural transition sliding thumb under 3rd on Db to
> index finger back on Eb. Works great in all kets too.
>
> >From: "Lon R. Hultgren"
> >Reply-To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
> >To: "'CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com '"
> >Subject: RE: [CWSG] Re: Eb vs E -- getting to the next octave
> >Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2004 03:38:28 -0400
> >
> >OK, I get the thumb on the white key thing ... however, given
> the number of
> >fingers I have and the number of white keys in the Eb blues
> scale, I still
> >end up with an awkward move since there is only one white key to tuck on
> >(A). If I'm using my index finger on Eb, it works fine for the
> first tuck
> >at the A (fingers 2,3,4, and then T going up), but then if one is
> >continuing
> >the run up, how do you get from the Db to the Eb to begin again
> on the next
> >octave? I've been using the thumb on the Eb, so the second tuck is from
> >the
> >4th finger on Db then the thumb on Eb ... which is awkward, but not as
> >awkward as going from the 4th finger on Db to the index finger on Eb ...
> >Yes?
> >
> >So what is the consensus on the transition from Db to Eb at the
> end of the
> >1st octave going up? What finger to do you use on that 2nd Eb???
> >
> >Lon H.
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Kevin Anker
> >To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
> >Sent: 8/3/2004 12:57 AM
> >Subject: [CWSG] Re: Eb vs E
> >
> >--- In CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com, "Lon R. Hultgren"
> >wrote:
> > > Interesting ... I find the Eb blues scale a bit cumbersome compared to
> >E.
> > > How do you finger it? Which pinky do you put on the Eb?
> >
> >I think that that depends on which "side" of the blues scale you're
> >looking at. If you're
> >looking at the minor side of it, e,g,a,Bb,b,d, then E is a little more
> >natural, but if you're
> >looking at the major side of it, e, f#, g, g#, b c#, then the blues
> >scale in Eb is much easier,
> >at least in my book, YMMV.
> >
> >To unsubscribe, send email to: CloneWheel-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> >
> >ADVERTISEMENT
> >
> >