Earth, Wind & Fire - Wiggle

When creating an improvised accompaniment, it is worth making sure you know the common extensions and harmonic trends of blues music. For example, there is a lot of use of minor chords and dominant 7ths, meaning the flat 7, a whole tone below the root. We also sometimes come across the diminished chord, which uses both the flat 3 and the b5. Make sure you understand these chord symbols, how to play them correctly on your instrument, and the chord scale relationship. A common accompaniment technique used in many blues songs for guitar and keyboards is the shuffle accompaniment. It’s worth checking out how this works and applying it to all twelve keys.

In terms of basic stylistic traits, blues music tends to be quite simple, with the aim of conveying a tale of sorrow, hardship or regret as clearly as possible. The style generally has quite a laid back feel, although more up beat variations occur in sub genres such as boogie woogie. Use of techniques such as slides, slurs, note bends and breathy, softer tones can create an effective blues sound.

Source: Improvising In A Blues Style by JJ Wheeler

Earth, Wind & Fire - Wiggle

• Released on: May 20, 2003
• Produced by: Maurice White
• Genre: R&B, funk, neo soul

"Earth Wind and Fire has won six Grammys out of 17 nominations and four American Music Awards out of 12 nominations. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

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