The blues scale is your secret weapon for soulful guitar playing. Rooted in blues, rock, and country, this six-note scale injects raw emotion into your solos and riffs. Think of it as the pentatonic scale, but amplified with a crucial “blue note” – that extra flavor that instantly evokes the blues.
Ready to dive in? With the blues scale under your fingers, you’ll unlock improvisation across countless chord progressions, from classic 12-bar blues jams to electrifying rock anthems. Beyond improvisation, mastering this scale sharpens your ear, allowing you to absorb and integrate authentic blues licks into your own style.
Just like its pentatonic cousin, the blues scale comes in major and minor flavors. Here, we’ll focus on the essential A minor blues scale. We’ll explore four key positions to play it across the fretboard. Then, we’ll unveil movable shapes, empowering you to play the minor blues scale in any key. Finally, we’ll put it all together with a 12-bar blues in A and practical blues scale exercises.
Decoding the A Minor Blues Scale: Notes and Intervals
The A minor blues scale is built from six powerful notes:
- A
- C
- D
- D# (Eb) – The Blue Note
- E
- G
These notes, and the intervals between them, are consistent for any minor blues scale, regardless of the key. The interval pattern is: whole step and a half step, whole step, half step, half step, whole step and a half step, and a whole step.
Notice the D# (Eb), the fourth note – this is the iconic blue note. The chromatic movement from D to D# to E creates that signature bluesy “walk” that defines this scale’s unique sound.
A Minor Blues Scale: Four Essential Positions on the Guitar
Just like other scales, the A minor blues scale can be played in multiple positions across your guitar’s neck. We’ll focus on four fundamental positions to give you maximum fretboard coverage.
As you study the diagrams below, remember these finger notations: ‘O’ represents an open string, and numbers 1-4 indicate your fretting fingers:
- Index finger
- Middle finger
- Ring finger
- Pinkie
1. Open Position A Minor Blues Scale
The open position anchors the A minor blues scale near the guitar’s nut. Use your index finger for notes on the 1st fret, middle finger for the 2nd, ring finger for the 3rd, and pinkie for the 4th fret.
2. 5th Position A Minor Blues Scale
Moving up the neck, the 5th position starts at the 5th fret on the low E string. Use your index finger for the 5th fret, middle finger for the 6th, ring finger for the 7th, and pinkie for the 8th fret. This position, starting on the E string root, is also known as the E-shaped blues scale due to its visual pattern resemblance to the E chord shape.
3. 7th Position A Minor Blues Scale
The 7th position of the A minor blues scale begins with your index finger on the 7th fret of the D string. Be aware of a slight hand shift: when you reach the B string, shift your hand up one fret so your index finger can cover the 8th fret notes. This position, rooted on the D string, is also known as the D-shaped blues scale.
4. 12th Position A Minor Blues Scale
Ascending further up the neck, the 12th position starts with your index finger on the 12th fret of the A string. This position requires two hand shifts. First, shift up one fret when you reach the B string, positioning your index finger at the 13th fret. Then, shift your hand back down to the original position for the high E string. Starting on the A string root at the 12th fret, this is known as the A-shaped blues scale.
Guitar Tab Blues Scales: Moveable Shapes for Any Key
The beauty of these scale positions lies in their moveability. The E-shaped, A-shaped, and D-shaped patterns are not locked to A minor. You can shift these shapes up or down the fretboard to play the minor blues scale in any key.
To do this effectively, it’s crucial to learn the notes on your E, A, and D strings. This knowledge allows you to identify the root note of each shape and position it correctly for your desired key.
Let’s look at guitar tabs to visualize these moveable shapes and how to play them ascending and descending.
E-Shaped Blues Scale Tab
Starting on the low E string, the E-shaped blues scale, as we discussed, begins with your index finger on the 5th fret (A). Follow the tab below to play the scale ascending and descending.
A-Shaped Blues Scale Tab
The A-shaped blues scale originates on the A string. Begin with your index finger on the 12th fret of the A string (A) and use the tab to guide you through the ascending and descending patterns. Remember those hand shifts on the B and high E strings!
D-Shaped Blues Scale Tab
The D-shaped blues scale in A minor starts on the 7th fret of the D string (A). Position your index finger on the 7th fret and be ready to execute that hand shift up one fret as you ascend past the G string towards the B string. Descending requires a reverse shift back to the starting position on the G string, and another shift as you move to the low E string.
Blues Scale in Action: Playing the 12-Bar Blues
The blues scale truly comes alive when played over a 12-bar blues progression. This foundational blues structure typically uses three chords: the I, IV, and V chords of a key. In A minor blues, these chords are A, D, and E. However, in a blues shuffle, these chords are often simplified to two-string versions to create that characteristic rhythmic feel.
The 12-bar blues is instantly recognizable. Its structure permeates blues music, early rock and roll, and even country.
To capture the authentic shuffle rhythm, play the 12-bar blues with downstrokes, emphasizing beats one and three of each measure. This rhythmic emphasis is what often leads to the 12-bar blues being called a “blues shuffle”. Here’s a guitar tab illustrating a standard 12-bar blues pattern in A.
Blues Scale Exercises for Guitar Mastery
Practicing the A minor blues scale is essential for both finger dexterity and ear training. Start by playing each scale position individually until you can navigate them comfortably.
Next, play along with a looping 12-bar blues backing track in A. Practice improvising using the A minor blues scale in different positions. Experiment with rhythm. Initially, try playing the scale in sections, treating each string as a musical phrase. As you become more comfortable, break the scale into smaller, three- or four-note groupings across strings.
This type of practice fosters improvisation and can spark your own unique blues licks and riffs.
Another powerful exercise is to play each scale shape up and down the entire neck. Starting with the E-shaped scale at the first fret, play it ascending and descending. Then, move up one fret and repeat. Continue this pattern up to the 13th fret, and then descend fret by fret back to the first.
This exercise not only ingrains the scale shapes but also trains your ear to recognize the blues scale in every key. You can further enhance this exercise by naming the root note of each scale as you move up and down the neck, solidifying your fretboard knowledge.
By diligently practicing these Guitar Tab Blues Scales and exercises, you’ll unlock the language of the blues and gain the skills to express your own blues voice on the guitar.
