June 22, 2021 How to Master the Blues Scale on Guitar Have you ever heard an amazing blues guitar solo and thought to yourself – how did they come up with that?
Have you ever heard an amazing blues guitar solo and thought to yourself – how did they come up with that? Now we’re not claiming to know the inner workings of the many incredible guitarists’ minds (although we do know of a few blues musicians who are sharing their secrets), but we are willing to bet that their solo is based on the blues scale.
You might recognise the blues scale from literally millions of famous songs, such as Roadhouse Blues by the Doors or Walk this Way by Aero Smith. And despite being named the blues scale, this scale also features in many other genres such as rock, jazz, pop and more.
Guitar Blues Scales Crash Course
In this article we’re going to teach you what the blues guitar scale is, why it’s important and, most importantly, how to play it.
The blues scale is a 6 note scale that comes from the minor or major pentatonic scale. What makes the blues scale different from a standard 5 note minor pentatonic scale, is the extra note - also known as the ‘blue note’, or the flat 5th in the case of the minor blues scale.
The blue note is what gives the blues scale its distinctive sound, as it doesn’t occur naturally within the scale. Its slight dissonance helps to create a memorable hook for the audience’s ears and makes it perfect for creating killer riffs and solos in almost any genre.
Introducing The Blues Scale
Any guitarist will tell you not to neglect your scales. They may not seem like the most exciting lesson or technique, but they’re the foundation you need to really get to know your guitar and what it sounds like. Once you’ve mastered this, you’ll be halfway there to writing your own blues guitar riffs and solos and ‘finding your own voice in the blues’.
At we help you get these foundations right. We offer high quality guitar lessons taught by professional musicians featuring HD video and sound, to help you take your skills to the next level.
Browse our lessons from Blues experts Ron Sayer, Marcus Bonfanti or Doug MacLeod to learn more about the blues scale on guitar, blues theory and how to improvise your own songs. We even have a full catalogue of Rockschool Guitar courses so that you can learn to play great tunes featuring the blues scale and improve your skills along the way.
How To Play Blues Guitar
There are two types of blues scales: the minor blues scale and the major blues scale. Both are based on the standard minor and major pentatonic scales.
To play the minor blues scale, you need to add a flat 5th to your standard minor pentatonic scale. To play the major blues scale, you need to add a flat 3rd to the major pentatonic scale. You can do this to any minor or major pentatonic scale once you’ve found the root note (the first note in the scale) but let’s look at some examples.
To turn this scale into the blues scale, we need to add the b5 between the 4 and the 5. So, the minor blues scale looks like this:
Minor Blues Scale
As an example, we can now look at how to turn a standard A minor scale into an A minor blues scale. An A minor scale looks like this:
To turn this into a major blues scale, we need to add the b3 in between the 2 and the 3 so that it looks like this:
Now, let’s look at an example for how to put this into practice. A standard C major pentatonic scale looks like this:
Scales You Can Use
Note that both the C major blues scale and the A minor blues scale have exactly the same notes. It is where we focus the attention of your solos or melodies that dictates the overall tonality. To test this, try playing phrases that start and end on the major root and then phrases that start and end on the minor root and hear the differences for yourself.
Want to learn more about the blues scale? Check out our blues guitar courses and take your skills to the next level today!
The Best Lissie Songs to Get You Through Any Mood Whether you're looking for a song to lift your spirits, set the mood for a romantic evening, or provide comfort during tough times, Lissie has a song for you. Subscription Royalties Information for artists and licensors Learn How to Play an Authentic Sounding 12 Bar Blues on PianoThe blues scale is a six-note progression that sounds right at home in blues, rock, and country music. This scale is essentially the pentatonic scale plus one chromatic note, often called the blue note. This extra step gives the blues scale that unmistakably bluesy sound.
Learning The Blues Scale: The Pentatonic Scale Box Exercise
Once you've tried the blues scale, download Play to learn essential blues riffs, techniques, and classic songs by legends like Robert Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan and more with the Blues Form Basics: I IV V Guitar Collection in Play!
Mastering the blues scale will give you the tools you need to improvise over a range of chord progressions, from a classic 12-bar blues to a driving rock and roll song. In addition to boosting your improvisational skills, practicing this scale will also help you train your ear so you can learn new bluesy licks to incorporate into your playing.
Just like pentatonic scales, the blues scale can be either major or minor. In this lesson, we’ll start by focusing on one of the most common blues scales: the A minor blues scale. We’ll look at how to play this blues scale in four different positions. Then, you’ll learn three moveable minor blues scale shapes that will allow you to play the minor blues scale in any key you want. Finally, you’ll learn to play a 12-bar blues in A, and work on some blues scale exercises.
A Beginner's Guide To The Blues Scale
The intervals that make up the minor blues scale are the same in any key. These intervals are: A whole step and a half step, a whole step, a half step, a half step, a whole step and a half step, and a whole step.
The fourth note in the scale, in this example D#, is the blue note. The half steps that take you from D to D# to E have that wonderful walking blues sound that really distinguishes this scale.
As with other scales, there are many positions on the neck of your guitar where you can play an A minor blues scale. For this lesson, we’ll look at four different positions.
What Are The Best Beginner Guitar Scales To Learn?
As you’re reading these guitar scale diagrams, remember the following rules. O stands for open string, and the numbers on the diagrams correspond to your fretting fingers in the following order:
To play the A minor blues scale in 1st position, use your index finger for notes on the 1st fret, your middle finger for notes on the 2nd, your ring finger for notes on the third, and your pinky for notes on the 4th fret.
To play the A minor blues scale in 5th position, use your index finger for notes on the 5th fret, your middle finger for the 6th, your ring finger for the 7th, and your pinkie for notes on the 8th fret. This scale starts on the 5th fret of the low E string. This version is also known as an E-shaped blues scale.
A Simple Blues Scale (not Just For The Blues)
The A minor blues scale in the 7th position starts with your index finger on the 7th fret of the D string. You will need to shift your hand position up one fret when you reach the B string so you can play notes on the 8th fret with your index finger. This scale is also known as the D-shaped blues scale.
To play the A minor blues scale in 12th position, start with your index finger on the 12th fret of the A string. This scale does require you to shift your hand position up one fret once you reach the B string so that your index finger is on the 13th fret. Then, you must shift your hand back to your starting position for the high E string. This scale is also known as the A-shaped blues scale.
In this Technique of the Week, Kirk Fletcher (Fabulous Thunder Birds and Mannish Boys) teaches the pentatonic blues guitar scale which is essential for beginner blues guitarists. Fletcher breaks down this versatile scale and plays his favorite phrases rooted in pentatonic blues.
Everything You Need To Know About The Blues Scale On Guitar
Now that you’ve looked at guitar scale diagrams for the E-shaped, A-shaped, and D-shaped blues scales, here are some tabs that will help you see how to play each of these scales in ascending and descending order.
Each of these scale shapes are moveable. This means that you can play these patterns anywhere on the neck of your guitar. Learning and memorizing the notes on the E, A, and D strings of your guitar will come in handy as you practice moving each of these scales up
0 Response to "Blues Scale Learn Guitar"
Posting Komentar