Free Strings Project Lesson 7 Swinging the Blues

Huckleberry Rag, like a lot of songs, is a big blend of many cultures. We talk about how this tune comes from the blues and uses a lot of blues like elements in the melody. Blues notes are generally lowered 3rd and 7th degrees of the scale. Here, we are in the key of D so we invite you to try out some lowered 3rds (f naturals) and 7ths (c naturals)…see how bluesy you can make it with these new notes. Sometimes, we just start a solo on one to see if we can figure out our way back to the melody!