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You are here: Home / Jazz Lessons / Blues Scales / 12 Great A7 Dominant Blues Licks Lesson
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12 Great A7 Dominant Blues Licks Lesson

12 Great A7 Dominant Blues Licks Lesson

Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 2 customer ratings
(2 customer reviews)

$9.99

SKU: 048 Category: Blues Scales Tags: blues licks, blues scale, jazz improvisation, patterns
  • Description
  • Reviews (2)
  • Lesson Sample

Description

The dominant chord is one of the most important and frequently encountered chords in all styles of music.  From Jazz to Rock, from Funk to Pop, learning to play over the Dominant Seventh chord is an essential requirement for any player.

In this lesson,  I show you 12 great blues licks using the Blues Scales you’re already familiar with, to create great sounding lines over a Dominant Seventh chord.  Listen and then play along with the blues licks on the PDF sheet included with the lesson.  I demonstrate each blues lick a number of times on the tenor saxophone, so that you can hear the phrasing, inflections and style of each lick.  I also demonstrate and discuss adding different notes to the basic Blues Scale to create more modern hip sounding lines.  I demonstrate how to handle the different notes of the Blues Scale over a Dominant sound.  I talk about the inherent tension of the Dominant Chord and how you can learn to create and resolve tension in your solo.  I demonstrate this concept on my tenor sax, so that you can actually hear how each note wants to resolve. I also explain what is happening in each blues lick and why different notes of the scale want to resolve in different ways.  Once you hear and understand this idea, rather than just memorizing these blues licks, you’ll learn how to create your own great sounding blues licks based upon this concept.
I also discuss my approach to practicing and internalizing these blues licks and give you ideas for making your practice enjoyable as well as productive by using play-along tracks and blues, pop and funk tunes you might have in your collection.

This lesson makes a great follow up to my earlier Blues Lessons and will really get you using the Blues Scale in a whole new way.  (30 Minute Audio Lesson)

2 reviews for 12 Great A7 Dominant Blues Licks Lesson

  1. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    C.N. – July 4, 2009

    Wow!!!!!!!!!! Do you need some ideas to add to your blues repertoire? If you do, start right here! You won’t need anything else for quite a while. I really enjoy this lesson! (actually, I enjoy all of them) But, this one, Wow!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Steve! C.N.

  2. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Greg – September 26, 2018

    Hi Steve
    Today I’ve been playing through a lesson that you created on A7 blues licks and it provided the missing link for me between major and minor blues. How you’ve emphasized the 4th and flat 7th brings an authentic dominant blues sound alive. I just wanted to say thank you for a terrific lesson and I’m glad you are still teaching and sharing what works so clearly.

    I’m going to buy your dominant blues book and pick up a few more brilliant ideas.

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Lesson Sample

https://public.neffmusic.com/12%20Blues%20Licks%20clip.mp4

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I’ve been having ‘ online’  lessons with Steve for a few months now. Being a teacher myself I had had some reservations with the idea at first and the practicalities of it .  Let me just say that my playing has taken a huge leaps forward while studying with Steve and continues to do so.Steve studied with some renowned player/teachers such as Bergonzi and Garzone– this in itself is invaluable but Steve teaches from his own books, which cover a a vast amount of  jazz language. Steve h… Read more
David
I just wanted to write a thank you note to you for this website. I play and teach saxophone, but I have always been intimidated by the gear aspect. Your website has helped me become a lot more knowledgable. Your knowledge is staggering! I’m telling all my students about your website. Pierre
Pierre
I would like to say that in the last year my sax playing has progressed loads from your lessons. I have had a sax for about 20 years and dabbled with lessons from a few teachers and have learnt very little from them. As you have said in your lessons many teachers tell you to use the blues scale and leave it there, not even showing you the resolution points!!. I am now believing I can in time become a good improviser.
Thanks again,
Shane
Shane

Mr. Neff,  I want to thank you for sharing your God-given talents through your on-line lessons.  My husband, Michael, is blind, but he is a great sax player and he has been enjoying your lessons for quite some time now.  It’s not unusual for me to hear “Hey, babe, listen to THIS!” – and he will cut loose on his sax, just thrilled at what he learned during his session with you.  His excitement warms my heart!  You have no idea how much you have poured into my husband.  You have opened musical … Read more

Carole B
It is so refreshing to have a great player, who can provide lessons and examples in a manner which is understandable to most any enthusiastic saxophonist who is ready to improve. not just the, do this, do that, memorize this, memorize that… while all that is absolutely necessary, you go on to give reasons and examples to explain and validate why you have to do all of these things, the benefits, if you will… that is the key for me, you tell, explain, demonstrate, explain some more, you give perso… Read more
Cedric
Thank you for the wealth of helpful lessons you’ve provided over the years.  I truly feel as though it has improved my playing more than the 4 years I spent at Berklee… and that’s not a slight on the school as I loved my experience there.
John
John

Hi Steve,

First, I want to thank you for all of your great lessons. They are like a “For Dummies” version of all the books on my shelf. The lessons break things down into manageable pieces, and give me the confidence that I’m practicing the right pieces. I’m starting to make progress.   Thank You,   Kim

Kim
I just joined Neff Music last month. I can’t tell you how excited I’ve been to be able to pick back up on lessons. I’ve been in a rut and you got me out! I’ve especially appreciated the Lesson Path section. It was so clear I knew exactly where to jump in and start. Many many thanks!
Karin
I am a music book junkie and I have to say that your books are the most clear, user friendly, and helpful books I own.  They are my absolute favorites and I only wish I had them years ago.  I wouldn’t change a thing about the experience I had in acquiring my degree at Berklee, but my playing has perhaps grown more in the time I’ve spent buried in your books and lessons.  Keep up the great work!!! Thanks, John
John
Steve’s monthly lessons are entirely valuable. Without brow beating, he tells you all the stuff you deep down know you really should be working on, instead of just relying on the same old patterns. In spite of the fact that you’re taking a video lesson, Steve’s presentation is comfortable and “real”. In a little more than a year, he’s developed a library of lessons that seem to offer any player a lifetime’s worth of practice material. I’m just glad I stumbled upon it.… Read more
Grant

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