The first mode that you will explore in this lesson outside of the minor blues scale is the melodic minor scale. The mixodorian blues scale for blues soloing learn jazz. See appendix a for standard 12bar blues in all keys. The blue note as it is called, is used to create a heavier dissonance while playing over a blues. The blues scale may be the most common scale used in rock and blues. Various positions of the blues scale pattern 15 for guitars with fingerings on the guitar neck. They are written in treble and bass clef in all twelve keys. Not only does it sound cool, but many songs are also based off of it. A nice combination are the chords am7, dm7 and e7 together with the a pentatonic blues scale. You can either play one scale over all bars or change scale as the chord change.
The formula for this etude is always one bar of a shell voicing using the charleston rhythm followed by one bar of single line playing using the blues scale this type of call and response playing. And this can get pretty boring thats why today were going to show you one of the most powerful techniques for playing v7 chords like a pro the altered scale. T he dominant chord is one of the most versatile chords in the jazz repertoire, and its your best bet for adding harmonic tension and melodic interest to your lines. The scales are used often for composing melodies and for improvisation. Of course, ideally you dont need or want these written out do you. On this page youll find blues scale guitar tab, patterns and notation that will allow you to play blues scales all over the guitar neck. You should hear them, feel them, know them, eat them and whatever comes next with them.
Rhythm and blues players use this scale extensively. You should think of the following 5 scale forms as 5 pieces of a puzzle. It still is very prevelant in all forms of music today from rock solos to folk melodies. For a beginner trying to start improvising melodies and solos, it is the perfect place to begin because the scale is easy to learn and sounds good. Since the key of a appears on the circle of fifths diagram as both a major and minor key, the lesson steps explain both ways of constructing this blues scale for this key.
As well, major and minor blues scales are used in different ways in a lead guitar situation. Major and minor blues scales guitar tab and essential licks. There are plenty of arrangements, based on chord progressions, to use. Sep 26, 2016 the only problem is that many players approach this sound with the same old scales and licks every time. The 1st construction, using the major scale, starts at lesson 3. It had its roots in afroamerican music with the slaves and became being really used in blues, receiving the name of blues scale. Piano pentatonic blues scales overview with pictures. The blues scale on the guitar fretboard fingering, forms, intervals. This article contains 5 blues scale licks to help expand your jazz guitar vocabulary and soloing skills the blues scale licks are presented in a 12 bar blues etude in conjunction with chords.
Even though there is only a difference of one note, this flatted fifth gives the blues scale its signature bluesy sound due to its dissonant nature. Everyone loves to play the blues, but if you only know the minor pentatonic scale, your playingnot to mention your audiences attention spanmight suffer. Play the open b string and then the third fret with your third finger, followed by the same pattern on the high e string. What is the difference between a pentatonic scale and a blues. Read on for a complete blues scale guitar lesson the basic blues scale guitar pattern. What is the difference between a pentatonic scale and a.
Here to demonstrate three essential blues scales is tyler larson. Lets learn the blues scales on piano and keyboard in every key. Adjust the start fret option to further highlight a finger pattern for playing the selected scale in a different position on the fretboard. There are two pentatonic scales, major pentatonic and minor pentatonic. With these scales in your musical vocabulary, you have something to draw from when improvising. These are the four most common scales in pop and rock music. Click here to download a mp3 and printable pdf of this lessons notation. In the middle of the lick i hammeron from the 4 th to the minor 5 th the blue note, kiss the root note on the top estring, then return to the gstring, sliding the notes in reverse before pulling off to the minor 3 rd. Here is a pdf of the 36 important scales major, dorian, and. In this lesson, you learn how to build major and minor blues scales, apply them to soloing situations, and study classic blues scale licks.
Statistical analysis of harmony and melody in rock music. The last two strings, the b and the high e, are really easy because the pattern is the same for both. Recently i did a post about the 3 most important jazz scales for beginning improvisers. Though this scale is relatively easy, and often left behind in place of more complex scales, over time the blues scale becomes like an old friend. While the majority of pentatonic melodies in this box are expressed on the highest 4strings, this lick demonstrates how you can open up the lower end of the box position. The notes to the right in one form, will be the same as the notes to the left in the next highest form. It is the only difference between the blues scale and the minor pentatonic scale. Aug 12, 2019 on this page youll find blues scale guitar tab, patterns and notation that will allow you to play blues scales all over the guitar neck. There are a total of 430 finger exercises in this book. The blue note as it is called, is used to create a heavier dissonance while playing over a blues chord progression or static dominant chord. Almost all music genres being born in the last hundred years come from blues above all in notclassical music.
Three essential blues scales every guitarist should know. Here are pictures and notes of the major pentatonic blues scales. This scale is especially valuable if youre a blues, rock, jazz, funk. You can combine the blues scale with other scales for a richer assortment of tones. Okay, theres a few others, but these are the three most important. You can throw those two notes in as passing tones too, so you can effectively play any note you want over blues. I call this the mixodorian blues scale because it combines the three scales above into one scale. The solution below shows the a blues scale, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef. The solution below shows the a blues scale, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef since the key of a appears on the circle of fifths diagram as both a major and minor key, the lesson steps explain both ways of constructing this blues scale for this key the 1st construction, using the major scale, starts at lesson 3 the 2nd construction, using the minor. The blues scale is one the first scales that students of improvisation learn and generally it ends as being the only scale that they use besides the major and pentatonic scales.
Bass lessons blues scale and examples of it in popular music bass tab a blues scale this is a very common blues scale, and a handy little one to know. Try using each of the 4 different scales in turn picking out different notes each time. The solution below shows the d blues scale, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef since the key of d appears on the circle of fifths diagram as both a major and minor key, the lesson steps explain both ways of constructing this blues scale for this key the 1st construction, using the major scale, starts at lesson 3 the 2nd construction, using the minor. A blues scale is a six note scale with a numeric formula of 4.
Why learning more than one scale pattern is beneficial. The nice thing about learning the blues scale is that once you learn it, its easy to make it your own and create great sounding solos. Blues scale and examples of it in popular music bass. Tuba blues scale starter kit corcoran high school panther bands. Only one note different from a major scale it has a b3 interval, the melodic minor scale is effective when soloing over tonic minor chords, such as the im7 chord in a minor blues progression.
Many highly advanced blues guitarists make use of not one single scale, but combine many different scales to make their sound stand out more. Blues scale starter kit the blues scale is really nothing more than an altered minor scale. Javanese music that uses a scale with similarities to the minor mode yet. These are the only scales you need to be the complete blues guitarist, tyler says. A 12bar blues is performed, as the name implies, by playing twelve bars in a given arrangement that are repeated through a song. When moving from one chord to another, if its a dominant 7 moving up a 4th or down a 5th, we can alter that chordor pretend its altered. Since the key of d appears on the circle of fifths diagram as both a major and minor key, the lesson steps explain both ways of constructing this blues scale for this key. In music, the blues scale is similar to a pentatonic scale which is fundamental to music all around the world. The solution below shows the d blues scale, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef. As always, commit the pattern to memory because we will be using the pentatonic scale, the blues scale, and the mixolydian mode in the next.
And most importantly, have fun doing so in the next lesson we are going to look at the circle of fifths. Pdf microtonal analysis of blue notes and the blues scale. And this can get pretty boring thats why today were going to show you one of the most powerful. Experiment with the blues scales listed below and apply them to. Or, in the same way, the g blues scale with the chords g7, c7 and d7. The cool, swing, chicken picken, jump blues sound that this scale produces makes a solid addition to the repertoire of any modern guitarist.
When playing a twelve bar blues in the key of bb, use the bb blues scale anywhere in the chord progression. The blues scales are a fun group of scales used in blues and other types of music. Piano blues scale lesson how to play the blues on piano. A great example of this in a blues would be measure four moving to measure five. Play the open e and then the third fret with your third finger. To play the blues is a fascinating undertaking because it can be both simplistic and yet intangibly tricky to master. Get music lessons in your inbox be instantly notified when i release new free stuff. Blues scales are the most famous sounds of the xx century music. The blues scale for alto sax and eb instruments digital. The blues scale is used to convey a funky, downhome, earthy or bluesy soundfeel. Heres a nice middle register lick which can be used a quick flurry before going back to the bottom root note. To use the slapandpop technique, the low notes should be played with the ball of your. They are based off of the pentatonic minor scale but with an added flattened 4th scale degree. You can get more charts in with custom tunings using my interactive scale generator here.
I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in. Print and download in pdf or midi saxophone blues scales. Minors are written out in both major and minor keys. The main difference between the 2 scales is the addition of a flatted 5th note in the blues scale. Combining the blues scale with the major scale gives you the entire chromatic scale except for flat two and flat six. In later lessons, well go over how to start choosing your notes on the blues scale, but for this lesson just learn the shape and have fun. From that point of view blues is crazy and wrong playing dominant major 7th chords all over minor pentatonic scales, using chromatic scale pieces for intros and turnarounds, using a 5 tone scale instead of the accustomed 7 tone scales, adding notes that dont belong to any scale and these stupid chord progressions so its only an. In addition, it is a common method to put extra empathize on the tones of the involved chords when the actual chord is being played.
Gordon is he feels, one of his most important books because of the nature of the blues scale and how it is used to improvise in many styles of contemporary music. The blues scale for alto saxophone and eb instruments by andrew d. Below are listed the twelve minor dorian minor, major, and dominant 7th scales. It is also often the first scale a new born guitar player practice on the guitar.
Remember, being the bass player in a band is not being the worst guitar. Often new players are drawn to the instrument because of a desire to play the blues. Many highly advanced blues guitarists make use of not one single scale, but combine many different. To get the ball rolling, play around with these three licks in ex. The blues scale tones, intervals, blue notes blues guitar. I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in order to memorize the blues scales in all keys. Though it takes you longer to use this scale in your solos, the payoff is well worth it. The best way to get used to playing the blues is to have a go at improvising over the top of a 12 bar blues chord progression. Blues scales blues is an irresistible tonality for a guitar player. Here is the interval pattern for the melodic minor scale.
For details on the programs, refer to the owners manual. The exercises in this book use the major scale, pentatonic scale, blues scale, and chromatic scale. To summarize, the most important scales to learn first are the major, dorian, and mixolydian scales because they help you navigate major 7th, minor 7th, and dominant b7 chords, respectively. When we combine all three scales, we get a scale that looks like this. Get those two strings down, memorize where the notes are. A blues scale is simply a minor pentatonic scale with an additional. The 12bar is an extremely common structure when playing blues. The blues scale is derived from the minor pentatonic scale. The chromatic progression from the 5 th down to the minor 3 rd is a classic move. I will be posting a lot more on the subjects of both pentatonics and chromatic approach notes, so stay tuned. Eb saxophone blues scales sheet music for alto saxophone.
Pentatonics vs blues scales effective music practice. Jguitars scale calculator will draw scale diagrams showing the fretboard with notes in the selected scale highlighted. The only problem is that many players approach this sound with the same old scales and licks every time. The mixodorian blues scale for blues soloing learn. Pdf microtonal evaluation of blue notes in the early blues scale by empirical pitch measurement. Blues scales are used in many musical kinds for example in blues, jazz, rock and roll, funk, soul rhythm and blues, dance, pop. Mar 11, 2015 recently i did a post about the 3 most important jazz scales for beginning improvisers. A blues scale consists of 6 different notes, namely the root, flat 3rd, 4th, flat 5th, 5th and flat 7th of the major scale. A pdf download of all the blues scales in standard tuning for all keys is available by clicking the download link below. Language sitemap guitars scales blues fingerings blues scale pattern 15 fingerings in a blue note root.