Blues scales guitar. The 12 bar chord progression and the minor pentatonic scale. Playing the blues scale on guitar. This note is responsible for giving the blues scale its signature bluesy sound.
This pdf contains the scale charts for the blues scale in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. Theoretically there are two basic pieces of information you need to understand to play the blues on the guitar. A minor blues scale.
Notes in the a minor blues scale. Tonic note minor 3rd perfect 4th diminished 5th also known as the flattened 5th flat five or blues note perfect 5th minor 7th. You cant talk about blues on the guitar without mentioning the so called blues scale which is really just a pentatonic scale with a chromatic passing tone.
The blues guitar scale is not just an ordinary guitar scale. A blues scale guitar tab notation fretboard pattern lesson. With its bluesy soulful sound the blues scale is a popular scale in blues rock jazz metal and pop music.
The blue note is the flat 5 b5 scale degree which sounds great in the blues especially when mixed in with the minor pentatonic scale. Minor key blues scales. 12 blues guitar scales beyond pentatonics basic blues guitar scales embellishing minor pentatonic.
Many people learn it as the blues scale and that is fine but i think its better to see it as a really cool note that you can add into the pentatonic to add some spice rather than think of it as a scale. Try mixing phrases using the above minor pentatonic variations with the following. When the pattern is applied as major the same note in the patterns becomes a f3rd.
How to play blues scales on guitar lesson. As i mentioned if you know your minor pentatonic scale the blues guitar scale shape will be easy because were only adding one note in each octave. Mastering the blues scale will give you the tools you need to improvise over.
Rhythmically its a very predictable style. At the beginning of the scale start with the lowest root note on the open e string and play that note. Blues music is a derivation of jazz and usually based around a 12 bard chord progression.
Countless musicians can point to the guitar blues scale on the way to fame and fortune. The intervals that make up the minor blues scale are the same in any key. On this page youll find some of the best and most widely used fingerings.
I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in order to memorize the blues scales in all. This scale has launched countless careers fortunes and amazing celebrity status. All this from a simple 5 note scale with a couple of extras thrown in for good measure.
You can get more charts in with custom tunings using my interactive scale generator here.