Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue | 10 Dominant Jazz Blues Licks For Beginners

"Chitlins con carne" is a twelve bar blues in the key of C mixing blues and bossa nova spirit. The following 10 jazz lines are based on the first degree (C7#9) of a C blues, it seems that you can try to replace this jazz lines in your guitar solo over the first degree of a blues. Take a look below and you will see that unlike a basic blues progression the dominant 7th chords are replaced by ninth chords except the first degree that is replaced by a C dominant seventh sharp ninth chord (C7#9).

Classic blues progression /

C7 | % | % | % |

F7 | % | C7 | % | 

G7 | F7 | C7 | % | 

Chitlins con carne chord progression /

C7#9 | % | % | % |

F9 | % | C7#9 | % | 

G9 | F9 | C7#9 | % | 

C7#9 chord

This chord is built with :

• Root (C)
• Major third (E)
• Fifth (G)
• Minor seventh (Bb)
• Sharp ninth (D#)

Here are three common C7#9 guitar positions. The last one (on the right) is used by Kenny Burrell in "Chitlins con carne", it has no root (C) and no major third (E).

C minor pentatonic scale

As its name implies the minor pentatonic scale contains five notes, it is mainly played by Kenny Burrell in Chitlins con carne over C7#9 :

• Root
• minor third
• perfect fourth (eleventh)
• perfect fifth
• minor seventh. 

That gives the following notes in the key of C : C-Eb-F-G-Bb.

What we can deduce is that the C minor pentatonic scale contains notes that belongs to the C7#9 chord : C is the root, Eb is the #9, F is the fifth and Bb the minor seventh of C7#9.

C minor blues scale

The minor blues scale contains the same notes as the minor pentatonic scale, including a passing tone (Flat fifth) also called "Blue note". It is made up with six notes : 

• Root 
• minor third  
• perfect fourth (or eleventh)  
• Flat fifth (blue note) 
• perfect fifth 
• minor seventh

We get this in the key of C :

C-Eb-F-Gb-G-Bb

Please note that there are three types of minor blues scales as explained in this lesson

Here are 10 jazz blues guitar lines for beginners transcribed from the "Chitlins con carne" guitar solo. The aim of this lesson is to understand Kenny Burrell soloing approach over dominant 7th chords. Try to memorize these short lines, transpose them in twelve keys and feel free to develop them by adding notes.

10 easy Kenny Burrell jazz guitar licks | Chitlins con carne | Lesson with tabs

In this first lick Kenny Burell played the C minor pentatonic scale over the C7#9. Notice that the C minor pentatonic scale is made up of the following notes : C-Eb-F-G-Bb. It starts with the fifth (G) and goes on with a triplet and two 1/4 bends on beats 3 & 4. You can hear a C7#9 in the second bar (b7-#9-5, root and major third are not strummed).

C minor pentatonic again in this lick starting with the fifth (G).

Descending C minor pentatonic scale starting with the major third.

This one starts with with the flat fifth (Gb) also known as "blue note" which, is present in the C minor blues scale. C-Eb-F-Gb-G-Bb.

Pretty easy...C minor pentatonic scale again

2 triplets in this one on beat 3 and 4. Be sure to slide from below to approach the G (beat 2, bar 1).

You have to play the major third (E) approached with a slide or a hammer-on. Adding the major third to the minor pentatonic scale is common trick to improvise over dominant 7th chords in jazz and blues music.

C minor pentatonic scale.

As we saw in lick #7, you can add the major third (E) to the minor pentatonic scale. You can also add another note that belongs to the major scale, this is the major sixth (A). It can bring an interesting color to your jazz blues improvisations. The chord in bar 2 is named C13, you can play it instead of the C7(#9).

C minor pentatonic scale, C13 chord and major third.

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