Now that you're moving your hands around the keyboard and experimenting with blues scales, try creating some call and response phrases. In FIGURE 10-2, you will see one possibility. This is a four-bar phrase divided into two equal mini-phrases. In this case, the “call” occurs in the treble clef while the “response” occurs in the bass. Call and response is very common among musicians who sing while they play. For example, a pianist might sing a couplet and then respond with a run down the keyboard. Among others, Ray Charles was fond of doing this. Call and response can also be used between two or more musicians; this is usually referred to as trading licks. In FIGURE 10-2, you will play a call and response phrase between your two hands.

FIGURE 10-2: Call and Response Phrase

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Musicians — blues and otherwise — have long used the analogy of storytelling to explain the process of making music. In order to tell an interesting and convincing story, you will need to communicate clear, easy-to-understand musical sentences. This is why phrasing is so important. Phrases are your most important building blocks. Only through careful phrasing can you transform notes and riffs into a musical story. In the end, the quality of your story depends, in large part, on the quality of your phrases.