# AI Wiki - Music - Blues Scale ## Overview "The blues scale" usually means the **[[AI Wiki - Music - Minor Blues and Jazz Blues|minor blues]] scale**: the minor pentatonic ([[AI Wiki - Music - Pentatonic Scale]]) plus one extra note, the flat 5th. Six notes: - **Minor blues:** 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7. In A: A C D E♭ E G. In E: E G A B♭ B D. Its counterpart is the **major blues scale**, the major pentatonic plus a flat 3rd: - **Major blues:** 1 2 b3 3 5 6. In A: A B C C# E F#. In C: C D E♭ E G A. Like the pentatonics, the two are relatives: A major blues has the same notes as F# minor blues, and C major blues the same as A minor blues. What changes is the home note and therefore the sound ([[AI Wiki - Music - Relative and Parallel Keys]]). ```keyboard range: A3-A4 columns: 2 labels: intervals --- A blues title: A minor blues --- A major blues ``` ## Blue notes Blue notes are the pitches that give the blues its bittersweet sound: traditionally the flat 3rd, flat 5th and flat 7th. They're rooted in African-American vocal traditions, where these notes are sung "in the cracks" rather than exactly on a piano key. The lowering ranges from a fraction of a semitone to a full semitone; measured blue thirds tend to sit slightly above the minor third (around 316 cents, against 300 for a minor third and 400 for a major third). The glide into or out of them matters as much as the pitch itself. Three consequences for a player: - **The b3 over a major chord is the point.** A blues in A uses A7, D7 and E7, all dominant (major) chords. Playing C (b3) over A7, whose third is C#, creates a deliberate rub. Guitarists usually nudge that C slightly sharp with a small "curl" bend, landing between C and C#. - **The b5 is a passing note.** E♭ in A blues is a strong colour but an unstable landing spot. Slide or hammer through it on the way to E (the 5th) or D (the 4th) rather than ending a phrase on it. - **On piano, there are no cracks.** Keyboards can't bend, so pianists suggest blue notes with crushed notes: hit the b3 and immediately the 3 (E♭ to E in C), or play them together as a grace-note smear. ## On guitar **Position 1 in A.** Take box 1 of A minor pentatonic at fret 5 and add the two E♭s: fret 6 on the A string and fret 8 on the G string. The outlined notes are what the blues scale adds to the pentatonic. ```fretboard A blues position: 1 compare: A minor pentatonic labels: intervals title: A blues, position 1 ``` The E♭ on the G string (fret 8) sits right between D (fret 7) and E (fret 9, or the B string fret 5). The classic move is a chromatic run D–E♭–E, or its reverse; the same happens on the A string, D (fret 5)–E♭ (6)–E (7). **Open position in E.** E is the guitar's home key for blues. The open-position E blues adds B♭ at fret 1 of the A string and fret 3 of the G string to the open E minor pentatonic: ```fretboard E blues frets: 0-3 labels: intervals title: E blues, open position ``` **Major blues.** For the major blues in A, use the box shape at fret 2 (the F# minor shape) and add C. Every note of A major blues in frets 2–5: ```fretboard A major blues frets: 2-5 labels: intervals title: A major blues, frets 2-5 ``` The b3 → 3 hammer-on (C to C#) is the signature of the major blues and of countless [[AI Wiki - Music - Country Music|country]] and B.B. King-style licks. ## Over a 12-bar blues The [[AI Wiki - Music - Blues Music]] form is the natural home of the scale. The basic 12-bar in A uses three dominant 7th chords ([[AI Wiki - Music - Seventh Chords]]): ```chords {title: 12-bar blues in A} {key: A} {time: 4/4} | [A7] . . . | [A7] . . . | [A7] . . . | [A7] . . . | | [D7] . . . | [D7] . . . | [A7] . . . | [A7] . . . | | [E7] . . . | [D7] . . . | [A7] . . . | [E7] . . . | ``` The A minor blues scale works over all twelve bars; that's what makes it the first improvising scale for so many players. Once comfortable, mix in the major side: - **Over A7 (I):** major blues or major pentatonic fits the chord (C# is its third). The minor b3 still works as a blue note bent towards C#. - **Over D7 (IV):** switch to the minor side. D7 contains C natural, so A major pentatonic's C# would clash; the minor blues scale's C is a chord tone. - **Over E7 (V):** minor blues works; aiming at G# (the chord's third) adds sophistication later. Targeting each chord's 3rd and 7th this way is covered in [[AI Wiki - Music - Chord Tones and Improvisation]]. Mixing the two (sometimes called the "hybrid" blues scale) is how most blues players actually think. ## Where you hear it - **"Sunshine of Your Love" (Cream):** the riff in D uses the minor blues scale, including the b5 (A♭). - **"Smoke on the Water" (Deep Purple):** G minor pentatonic with the blue note D♭ in the second phrase. - **Most blues, blues-rock and soul [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Improvisation|guitar solos]]**, and jazz blues heads ([[AI Wiki - Music - Jazz Music]], [[AI Wiki - Music - Rock Music]]). ## On piano C blues (C E♭ F G♭ G B♭) and A blues sit well under the right hand. Over a left-hand [[AI Wiki - Music - Swing and Shuffle Feel|shuffle]] (root–5th, root–6th alternating, [[AI Wiki - Music - Left-Hand Accompaniment Patterns]]), play the scale in the right hand and use crushed b3–3 notes for blue-note colour. ## How to practise 1. **Know the pentatonic first.** Box 1 of A minor pentatonic should be comfortable before adding the b5. 2. **Add the b5 as a passing note**: play D–E♭–E on the A string and on the G string until it's automatic. 3. **Play over a 12-bar in A** (slow shuffle [[AI Wiki - Music - Playing with Backing Tracks|backing track]]): minor blues only, short phrases, resolve to A or E. 4. **Curl the b3**: on the G string, fret 5 in box 1 (C), push slightly sharp over A7. 5. **Add the major side** over the I chord: hammer C to C# (G string, frets 5 to 6 in box 1). 6. **Open E**: same exercises in E over E7–A7–B7. ## Common mistakes - **Ending phrases on the b5.** It's a passing tone; land on 1, 5 or b7. - **Playing the blues scale as a running exercise.** The b5 is spice; used on every pass, it stops sounding bluesy. - **Using major pentatonic's 3rd over the IV chord.** C# over D7 clashes; switch to the minor side. - **Forgetting the blue third is a pitch range, not a fret.** Small bends and slides are part of the scale. ## Key Points - Minor blues = minor pentatonic + b5: 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7 (A C D E♭ E G). - Major blues = major pentatonic + b3: 1 2 b3 3 5 6 (A B C C# E F#). - A major blues and F# minor blues share notes, like relative pentatonics. - Blue notes (b3, b5, b7) are inflections between minor and major; guitarists bend them, pianists crush them. - Over a 12-bar blues, minor blues works everywhere; add the major side over the I chord, avoid its 3rd over IV. - On guitar, A blues position 1 is box 1 of A minor pentatonic plus E♭ at A string fret 6 and G string fret 8. ## Open Questions - **Answered** ([[AI Wiki - Music - Blues Licks and Turnarounds|Blues Licks and Turnarounds]]): What are three or four starter blues licks in box 1 that use the b5 well? The chromatic climb D–E♭–E on the A string, the G-string hammer-pull D–E♭–D, the half-step bend from D to E♭, and a one-bar descent with E♭ passing between E and D, all tabbed there. - **Answered** ([[AI Wiki - Music - Blues Licks and Turnarounds|Blues Licks and Turnarounds]]): How much of the "hybrid" (major/minor) approach is worth learning before the shuffle rhythm is solid? One move only, the C to C♯ hammer-on over the I chord; the rest of the major side waits until the shuffle runs without thought, as JustinGuitar's course order (shuffle in the Beginner Course, hybrid scale in the Intermediate Method) also suggests. ## References - Blues scale — Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues_scale - Blue note — Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_note - Using The Blues Hybrid Scale — JustinGuitar: https://justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/using-the-blues-hybrid-scale-im-143 - Introducing The Blues Scale — JustinGuitar Community: https://community.justinguitar.com/t/introducing-the-blues-scale/2062 - Pentatonic scale — Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentatonic_scale ## Related - [[AI Wiki - Music - Pentatonic Scale]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Minor Scales]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Modes]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Relative and Parallel Keys]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Blues Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Seventh Chords]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Guitar Lead Techniques]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Rock Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Jazz Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Left-Hand Accompaniment Patterns]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Funk Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Piano Scales]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Chord Tones and Improvisation]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Metal Music]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Blues Licks and Turnarounds]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Modes of Melodic and Harmonic Minor]] - [[AI Wiki - Music - Piano Improvisation]]