“Trouble In Mind” Tutorial
In this lesson we explore a slow blues in the key of G.
The tune is called “Trouble In Mind” and it was first recorded in 1924 by a jazz pianist named Richard Jones.
The 8 Bar Blues Form
You will immediately notice that this tune does not follow the standard 12 bar blues form that we have covered earlier in this course. Instead, this tune follows the 8 bar form which is less common than the 12 bar format.
However, there are many similarities with the 12 bar form. The chords are all dominant voicings and the entire 8 bars is comprised of the I7, IV7, and V7 chords.
Chord Chart, Melody, & Transcription
Below you can download the 8 bar blues chord chart, the melody of the tune, and also a full transcription of Steve’s improvisation.
Lesson Downloads
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“Trouble In Mind” Chord Changes File Type: pdf -
“Trouble In Mind” Transcription File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
This is part 2 of the tutorial on dominant chord voicings. Here we explore voicing options for the natural 4th, #11, 5th, #5, 13th and the b7.
This is part 2 of the tutorial on dominant chord voicings. Here we explore voicing options for the natural 4th, #11, 5th, #5, 13th and the b7.
Extended chords create a richer and more complex sound than triads and 7th chords and are used to create more interesting progressions.
Practice Tips
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Practice walking scalar bass lines and using chromatic passing tones to land on the root of the upcoming chord.
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Alternate scalar bass lines with arpeggio bass lines. This adds variety and interesting to your bass line contours.
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1-3-5-6 arpeggios are particularly useful for walking bass lines. We apply the examples that we covered in lesson 3 of this course.
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Experiment with different turnaround variations and memorise Steve's examples in this lesson.
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Memorise the melody of the tune and then fill in the primary chord tones underneath. To do this it's important to be able to visualise inversions for 7th chords.
