The blues scale is your passport to soulful guitar playing, instantly unlocking the authentic sounds of blues, rock, and country music. This essential scale, a variation of the pentatonic scale with the addition of a crucial chromatic note – the blue note – is what gives blues music its distinctive and emotionally charged character.
If you’re eager to dive into the world of blues guitar, mastering the blues scale is the perfect starting point. Complement your learning journey by exploring resources like the Blues Form Basics: I IV V Guitar Collection on Fender Play, where you can discover foundational blues riffs, techniques, and songs from legendary blues artists such as Robert Johnson and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Lesson: Unleashing the Blues Scale on Your Guitar
Learning the blues scale equips you with the fundamental vocabulary for improvisation across a wide spectrum of chord progressions, from the classic 12-bar blues structure to high-energy rock and roll anthems. Beyond enhancing your improvisational abilities, practicing this scale sharpens your musical ear, enabling you to readily learn and incorporate new bluesy licks into your guitar playing.
Similar to pentatonic scales, the blues scale exists in both major and minor forms. In this guide, we will concentrate on the immensely popular minor blues scale, specifically the A minor blues scale. We will explore four distinct positions to play this scale on the guitar neck. Furthermore, you’ll learn three adaptable minor blues scale patterns that empower you to play the minor blues scale in any key. Finally, we will delve into playing a 12-bar blues in A and provide targeted exercises to solidify your blues scale proficiency.
Deciphering the Notes of the A Minor Blues Scale
The A minor blues scale comprises six notes that create its signature sound:
- A
- C
- D
- D# (Eb – Enharmonic equivalent)
- E
- G
These notes, when played in sequence, produce the quintessential bluesy flavor that is instantly recognizable.
The intervallic structure of the minor blues scale remains consistent across all keys. These intervals are arranged as follows: whole step and a half step, whole step, half step, half step, whole step and a half step, and a whole step.
In our A minor blues scale example, the fourth note, D#, is the celebrated “blue note.” The chromatic movement created by the half steps from D to D# and then to E is what imparts that evocative “walking blues” quality, a hallmark of this scale and blues music in general.
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Navigating A Minor Blues Scale Positions on the Guitar
Like other scales, the A minor blues scale can be played in numerous positions along the guitar fretboard. For this lesson, we will concentrate on four essential positions to provide a solid foundation.
When studying the following guitar scale diagrams, keep these notations in mind: “O” indicates an open string, and the numbered circles correspond to your fretting fingers:
- Index finger
- Middle finger
- Ring finger
- Pinky finger
1st Position (Open Position)
To play the A minor blues scale in the 1st or open position, use your index finger for notes on the 1st fret, your middle finger for the 2nd, your ring finger for the 3rd, and your pinky finger for the 4th fret. This position utilizes open strings and lower frets, making it a great starting point for learning the scale.
5th Position (E-Shaped)
To play the A minor blues scale in the 5th position, position your index finger at the 5th fret, middle finger at the 6th, ring finger at the 7th, and pinky finger at the 8th fret. This position begins on the 5th fret of the low E string. Due to its shape and starting point on the E string root note, this is commonly referred to as the “E-shaped blues scale.”
7th Position (D-Shaped)
The A minor blues scale in the 7th position commences with your index finger on the 7th fret of the D string. A slight hand shift is required as you ascend to the B string; move your hand up one fret so your index finger can access the notes on the 8th fret of the B string. This scale shape, starting on a D string root note, is known as the “D-shaped blues scale.”
12th Position (A-Shaped)
To play the A minor blues scale in the 12th position, begin with your index finger on the 12th fret of the A string. This position necessitates two hand shifts. As you reach the B string, shift your hand up one fret so your index finger is positioned at the 13th fret. Then, revert your hand back to the initial position to play the notes on the high E string. Starting on the A string root note, this is the “A-shaped blues scale.”
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Deep Dive: Blues Pentatonic Scale with Kirk Fletcher
In this insightful “Technique of the Week” segment, renowned blues guitarist Kirk Fletcher (known for his work with the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the Mannish Boys) delves into the pentatonic blues guitar scale. He highlights its essential role for beginner blues guitarists. Fletcher expertly breaks down this adaptable scale and demonstrates his signature phrases rooted in the pentatonic blues foundation.
Blues Scale Tabs: Putting Positions into Practice
Now that you have visually explored the guitar scale diagrams for the E-shaped, A-shaped, and D-shaped blues scales, the following tabs will provide a clear roadmap on how to play each of these scales in both ascending and descending directions.
Remember that each of these scale shapes is moveable. This crucial characteristic means you can transpose these patterns to any position along the guitar neck. Developing a strong familiarity with the notes on the E, A, and D strings of your guitar will be immensely beneficial as you practice shifting these scales across the fretboard.
E-Shaped Blues Scale Tab
This scale shape earns its “E-shaped” designation because it initiates on the low E string of your guitar. Begin with your index finger on the 5th fret of your low E string (A note), and follow the tab notation to play the scale ascending and then descending.
A-Shaped Blues Scale Tab
This scale is identified as the “A-shaped blues scale” due to its starting point on the A string of your guitar. Commence with your index finger on the 12th fret of the A string (A note), and follow the tab to play the scale in ascending and descending directions. Remember the hand shifts: move up one fret on the B string and then back to the starting position for the high E string!
D-Shaped Blues Scale Tab
This D-shaped blues scale in A minor originates on the seventh fret of the D string (A note). Position your index finger on the 7th fret to begin, and prepare to shift your hand up one fret as you ascend to the B string. When descending, shift your hand back to the starting position on the G string. However, another shift up one fret will be needed as you continue down to the low E string.
Playing the Blues Scale Over a 12-Bar Blues Progression
The blues scale harmonizes beautifully with a wide array of chords, but it truly shines when played over a 12-bar blues progression. The 12-bar blues is built upon three foundational chords: the I, IV, and V chords of a key. In the context of the A minor blues scale, these chords are A, D, and E. However, to capture the authentic blues shuffle feel, you won’t be strumming these chords in their full voicings. Instead, you’ll utilize simplified two-string versions of each chord.
When you play a 12-bar blues progression, its sound will likely resonate as instantly familiar. This iconic chord progression is deeply embedded in blues music, as well as early rock and roll and country genres.
To play the 12-bar blues with the right feel, use downstrokes and emphasize the first and third beats of each measure to achieve the characteristic rhythm. This 12-bar blues pattern is often referred to as a “blues shuffle” due to its distinctive rhythmic groove. Here is a guitar tab illustrating a standard 12-bar blues pattern.
Blues Scale Exercises to Enhance Your Skills
Consistent practice with the A minor blues scale is an invaluable way to train your fingers and refine your ear while internalizing this versatile scale. Begin by practicing the scales independently until you achieve comfortable fluency playing the A minor blues scale in each of the positions we’ve covered.
Next, using a looping 12-bar blues in A backing track, practice playing the A minor blues scale in each position, focusing on incorporating a syncopated rhythm. Listen attentively to the backing track and play the scale in segments, treating the notes on each string as a distinct musical phrase. Once this becomes comfortable, experiment by dividing the scale into smaller sections of three or four notes that span across strings.
Practicing your scales in this manner is a powerful technique for developing your improvisational skills. It can even spark creative inspiration, potentially leading you to discover your own unique blues licks and riffs.
Another highly effective blues scale practice method is to systematically play each scale shape both up and down the entire neck of your guitar. Starting with the E-shaped blues scale, play the scale ascending and descending, commencing at the first fret and incrementally moving up one fret for each repetition of the shape. Continue this pattern up to the thirteenth fret, and then reverse the process, moving down one fret with each cycle until you return to the first fret.
Traversing the scales across a 12-fret range on your guitar exposes you to the scale in every key, significantly aiding in ear training. You can also leverage this exercise to reinforce your memorization of the notes on the E, A, and D strings by verbally naming the root note of each scale as you move up and down the neck.
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