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Thin Lizzy - My Sarah

Jazz uses a more theoretical approach. You’ll find Bebop Scales, Chord Tone soloing, Pentatonics, but on a different level, Triadic/Intervallic playing, and more. Melodic Minor is a scale used often in jazz that you probably won’t hear in bluegrass music much at all. Overall, the choices and approach are more exotic and deeper. 

The length of jazz solos tends to be longer. Hence, why they need more tools in their toolbox. They might take one solo with chord tones, the next with the bebop scale, or one with it all mixed up. Overall, I’d say the variations on a theme approach is less prevalent in jazz.

The topic and theme of bluegrass songs is much different than jazz. They focus on songs about the old home, cabins, rural living, etc. There are songs about mom & dad, trains, and gospel songs. Of course, there are the usual songs about losing a woman, or fights between a woman and a man. 

With jazz, a lot of the songs are about city living. A lot of jazz’s repertoire are Tin Pan Alley songs. However, it too has songs about relationships, love, etc. While there are certainly famous jazz vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and Mel Torme, I’d say that jazz is usually focused on instrumental music. Whereas, with bluegrass, I think a greater percentage of the music is vocal based.


Thin Lizzy - My Sarah
  • Written by: Phil Lynott
  • Released on: April 13, 1979
  • Released on: Jailbreak album

"Thin Lizzy spans from their beginnings in 1969, in Dublin when childhood friends Phil Lynott and Brian Downey were approached by two former members of Van Morrison's band, Eric Wrixon and Eric Bell. Their first album Thin Lizzy was released in 1971."

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