Suspended Triad Fills For Slow Blues
In this lesson we combine the 12/8 left hand pattern with simple right hand melodic ideas and fills. We start with a simple melodic exercise, then a space filler exercise, and finally we combine both the melody and the space filler.
Completing the drills outlined in this lesson will help you to develop a sense of hand independence and it will set the stage for the next module where we introduce more complex melodic and harmonic ideas.
Simple Right Hand Melody
The chord tones root, 3, 5, and 7 play an important role when creating melodies and when improvising over the 12 bar blues. We introduce a simple right hand melody that approaches the third of each chord from a half step below and then jumps up to the root of the chord.
This drill will help you to visualise the 3rd of each chord and how to approach it chromatically. In the upcoming lessons we introduce a similar drill which targets the 7th of each chord.
Suspended Triad Fills
We can build a triad a 4th up from each chord to create a suspended triad fill. This works beautifully over all 3 chords in the 12 bar blues and it is a useful device to smoothen the transitions between the chords.
We explore the underlying theory on suspended chords and how they can be used to bridge the gap between the main harmonies of the 12-bar blues form.
Combining Simple Melodies & Space Fillers
Finally we merge the simple melody with the suspended triad fill to create interesting right hand harmonies which complement the left hand bass line.
In the 3rd module of this course we have a series of lessons dedicated to space fillers. We cover a selection of devices that can be used to tastefully fill space and complement our right hand melody lines.
Lesson Downloads
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Melody & Triad Fills: 3 Exercises File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
In this lesson we explore a secret ingredient to Beegie Adair’s captivating solo piano performances; the use of sus chords.
An important point with sus chords is that we often resolve the suspended 4th to turn the chord into a regular dominant 7th voicing.
We start the lesson by recapping the basic theory behind sus chords and then explore them in context of major and minor 251s
Practice Tips
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Remember to count the 12/8 pulse to help you to keep a steady groove when playing these simple melodic ideal.
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Isolate the simple right hand melody and the cycle around the blues form until your comfortable with this movement.
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Next isolate the suspended triad fill over each of the 3 chords in the blues so that you can clearly visualise the movement.
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Once you are comfortable, combine both the melody and the suspended triad fill and cycle around the blues form.
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Remember to focus on accuracy, start slowly, and gradually increase the tempo.
