By Jackie Don Loe
~ Vamp Blues ~
The musical definition of a vamp is a repeating musical figure or accompaniment, a variation on a riff or an improvised series of chords. Vamps can be used at the beginning of a song to establish the tune’s groove, also in the middle to break it down, or as a tag at the end of a song. Many performers use a vamp to set up solos, introduce the band or to give a “shout out” to the audience. It is a great way to add dynamics to your show and help create a
groovin’ atmosphere. I have included three different possibilities of two chord vamps in the key of D major and then a standard ii - V - I in the same key, respectively.
The first example, D to G7 is a I - IV and is common in many R&B tunes. The second example D to B minor is a I - vi and has a real soulful feel, a la Johnnie Taylor, while the third example D Maj 9 to E min 9 is a I - ii and sounds super jazzy. The first two chords of example four produce a Latin groove in the spirit of Santana and resolves perfectly to the D Maj 7. Experiment with these examples, have fun and keep it on the backbeat.
D Major Chord Scale = D - em - f#m - G - A 7 - bm - c# dim - D
Roman Numeral
I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - vii
Examples of Vamp Chords in the key of D Major
1) D / / / | G7 / / / ||
2) D / / / | B min / / / ||
3) D Maj 9 / / / | E min 9 / / / ||
4) E min 7 / / / | A7 / / / | D Maj 7 / / / | |
" Vamp Chords "
