Here’s another solo transcription I just finished this week. This is another solo from one of my favorite tenor sax players, Bob Mintzer and is from a youtube clip of Bob soloing on a blues in all 12 keys. I love Bob’s playing because it is so melodic and thematic. He always plays ideas that you can grasp on to and that are catchy, yet he mixes in some pretty hip and advanced harmonic concepts into his lines. In this youtube clip he is playing with Russell Ferrante on piano. Each chorus of the solo modulates up a half step until they have traveled through all 12 keys. There are a lot of great ideas in this solo to learn from and you can see and hear how easily Bob navigates through all the keys. This is a great solo to study and work on!
If you have any other thoughts about this solo please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Thanks again to Bob Mintzer for his great playing and all he does on a daily basis to promote jazz music and education. Now I have to pick another solo to start for next week………….
Original Mintzer Blues Solo Transcription in 12 Keys
Below I have included the same solo in each of the 12 keys without any modulations in case any of you want to really delve into one specific key while you are practicing this great Bob Mintzer blues solo.
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to C
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to Db
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to D
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to Eb
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to E
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to F
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to F#
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to G
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to Ab
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to A
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to Bb
Mintzer 12 Key Blues Solo transposed to B
If you like the lines in this solo or love other tenor players like Michael Brecker or Bob Berg, check out my book “Devastating Minor Lines for Jazz and Funk Soloing”. It contains 100 killer modern 16th note lines in the styles of these players in all 12 keys………You can hear samples and read reviews by clicking on the link below. Thanks, Steve
Devastating Minor Lines for Jazz and Funk Soloing
I also have a number of great audio and video lessons on a variety of modern improvisation topics.
Modern Improv
- Altered Dominant Substitutions-Lesson 1
- Altered Dominant Substitutions-Lesson 2
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- Chord Substitution Lesson 2-The Tritone Lesson
- Chord Substitutions-Lesson 1
- Devastating Minor Lines Lesson 1
- Devastating Minor Lines Lesson 2
- Devastating Minor Lines Lesson 3
- Devastating Minor Lines Lesson 4
- II-V-I Altered Scale Mastery-Lesson 1
- Minor Chord Substitution Lines Lesson
- Minor ii-7b5-V7b9 Substitution Lesson 1
- Modern Minor 6th Pentatonic Lines Lesson
- Playing Outside-3 Tonic Chromaticism Lesson
- Playing Outside-4 Note Pentatonic Cells Lesson
- Playing Outside-Altered Pentatonics Lesson 1
- Playing Outside-Chromaticism 1 Lesson
- Playing Outside-Random Note Lesson
- Playing Outside-Shifting Pentatonics Lesson
- Playing Outside-The Major Minor Blues Scale Lesson 1
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Steve: Thank you very much for putting these Mintzer solos out there. This one reminds me of something Steve Wilkerson did when I attended the Stan Kenton Jazz Workshop back in ’74 or ’75. He played a blues solo through all the keys but he also changed styles and sounds at every key change. So for 1 chorus he sounded like Paul Desmond, than Charlie Parker, Cannonball, Art Pepper etc, etc. Anyway, thanks again.
Thanks !
And,let’s hear it for Adolphe Sax!
I think it’s (mildy) interesting that he modulates each key by going up a half step. There’s a video of Dick Oatts playing a bird blues in all 12 keys and he cycles keys following the circle of fourths. I’m not saying one way is easier/harder than the other, but I’ll bet it’d be a great brain exercise to play this while cycling in different patterns. Coltrane changes anyone?
Hey Steve Thank you for the transcriptions that you put up here.
Great stuff, much appreciation for your generosity.
Would you be able to offer a concert transposition for us concert key people?
I know….we would get more out of it if we did the transposing ourselves.
But is it possible with the tech solutions you have available to you to do it?
Anyway, best wishes and keep up the good work.
Milton,
I can certainly do that. When I get the time I will post those up for everyone. Those are easier to do than trying to put them in Eb as that involves changing many of the lines to fit in the alto range………
That’d be brilliant Steve,
Look forward to seeing those when you can get to it.
Здравствуйте, Стив! Большое спасибо за возможность познакомиться с блюзовыми концепциями Боба Минтзера в 12 тональностях. Для учебных заведений это огромная помощь! Воспитание молодых саксофонистов на таком материале может дать хорошие результаты. Спасибо за Вашу щедрость и помощь. С наилучшими пожеланиями Виктор Чуриков.
Translation:
Hello Steve! Thank you very much for the opportunity to get acquainted with Bob Mintzer’s blues concepts in 12 keys. This is a great help for educational institutions! Educating young saxophonists on such material can give good results. Thank you for your generosity and help. Best wishes, Victor Churikov.