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Thread: Major and minor blues scale patterns

  1. #1

    Default Major and minor blues scale patterns

    apologies if this has been discussed before. it's not rocket science, but it has served me well. based upon the generally accepted 6 note blues scale 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7 and it's inversion the major blues scale 1 2 b3 3 5 6 as per this site (among others)

    https://www.google.ca/search?q=the+m...hrome&ie=UTF-8

    so talking about patterns, if you know the Amin blues scale pattern, you also know the C major blues scale pattern etc. of course, same idea as Amin pent = C maj pent.

    like I said, not rocket science, but for someone who thinks things out mostly in patterns as I do, works pretty good methinks.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    It is explained well here: The Blues Scales: Essential Tools for Jazz Improvising

    This is not a mandolin book, but it lays out the concept well, and also explains how to go beyond just the two scales.
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  4. #3

    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    I guess it depends on whether you want your jazz to be bluesy, your blues to be jazzy or your blues to be bluesy. an anecdote from a jazz violinist from England who went to one of the U.S. blues Capitals, either Kansas City or Chicago (I forget which) and went to one of the top blues venues, and was asked up to play. as is his wont he got jazzy, to what extent I don't know. The guy in charge politely complimented him on his playing and acknowledged the jazz influence and said...'but we don't do that here'.

  5. #4
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    Quote Originally Posted by bluesviolin View Post
    I guess it depends on whether you want your jazz to be bluesy, your blues to be jazzy or your blues to be bluesy. an anecdote from a jazz violinist from England who went to one of the U.S. blues Capitals, either Kansas City or Chicago (I forget which) and went to one of the top blues venues, and was asked up to play. as is his wont he got jazzy, to what extent I don't know. The guy in charge politely complimented him on his playing and acknowledged the jazz influence and said...'but we don't do that here'.
    That's odd, because jazz and blues violin have been intrinsically intertwined since the early days in New Orleans when the traditional jazz bands - which played a lot of early pre-or-contemporary-with-delta-guitar blues - were still led by the violin player.

    This is not my opinion, this is jazz/blues history.

    However, since the wide divergence in jazz (which has never stopped playing blues, of its own sort) and post WWII electric blues and the later revival of acoustic blues forms of many styles, the two camps have not seen fit to meet.

    Lonnie Johnson is a perfect example.

    But the blues world remembers Robert Johnson.

  6. #5

    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    the only thing I'm not 100% sure of is the two cities, but the guy in charge was talking about that particular venue, not the city or area in general.

    I you tubed some Lonnie Johnson. I guess Robert Johnson is that Crossroads thing.

    not too fond of Delta blues, but I do like playing along with ZZ Top

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  8. #6

    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    Duplicate.
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  9. #7

    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    To my ear, using these two scales on Blues tunes does not necessarily make them sound Jazzy. There are plenty of standard blues licks available in these note collections. It is just a way to add more variety and a sense of movement to your solos.

    Many Jazz tunes are Blusey, and these scales would give you that sound.
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  10. #8

    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    Here is a chart showing both Blues scales side by side in first position. At the bottom of the page are the chords that each will work over.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Mandolin Blues Scales 1st Position.pdf 
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  11. #9

    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    Quote Originally Posted by JonZ View Post
    To my ear, using these two scales on Blues tunes does not necessarily make them sound Jazzy. There are plenty of standard blues licks available in these note collections. It is just a way to add more variety and a sense of movement to your solos.

    Many Jazz tunes are Blusey, and these scales would give you that sound.
    Hello JonZ: I don't think these scales sound jazzy either. It's just that people in the violin world don't seem to talk about using the Major blues scale much (if at all) for that major-ish swing feel. I don't visualize the scales side by side as the chart shows. I visualize them as Amin blues scale = Cmaj blues scale etc. because the patterns are the same. Pattern thinking as opposed to interval thinking, I guess you could say.

  12. #10
    Registered User T.D.Nydn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    They don't sound to jazzy in themselves,to make them jazzy you might want to lower or raise them a half step,or raise the pattern up a third,or minor third or a fifth etc...

  13. #11

    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    Quote Originally Posted by bluesviolin View Post
    Hello JonZ: I don't think these scales sound jazzy either. It's just that people in the violin world don't seem to talk about using the Major blues scale much (if at all) for that major-ish swing feel. I don't visualize the scales side by side as the chart shows. I visualize them as Amin blues scale = Cmaj blues scale etc. because the patterns are the same. Pattern thinking as opposed to interval thinking, I guess you could say.
    I put them side by side in the chart as a learning tool, so you can easily go back and forth while you play them over a tune, until you have them memorized. But, yeah, it could have been one page, with each scale having a major and minor label.
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  14. #12
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    Scales and chords are in and of themselves not "jazzy".

    Jazz is a method of playing ANY tune, and it that requires improvisation and swing phrasing (mostly) and particular accenting and other particular features to make it "jazz"

    A plain major scale can be jazzy in the right hands.

    The manner in which these particular scales patterns are used makes them what style of music they are.

    I can take that scale and play it and sound like Chicago blues; play it another way, it's bebop. A third way and it could sound like Bartok.

    Jazz usage makes things jazzy, not the musical thing itself.

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  16. #13
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    See, and I thought you needed to be an alcoholic or have a raging cocaine addiction to play the blues. Its much easier to just learn some patterns.

    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
    funny....

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  18. #14

    Default Re: Major and minor blues scale patterns

    Quote Originally Posted by JonZ View Post
    >There are plenty of standard blues licks available in these note collections.<
    this is so true. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of these over the years. about 8 years ago I spent about 2 1/2 years doing the blues bar jams in town here. I stopped completely, but the past coupla years I've been going out again, although not as much. a coupla months ago I jammed with the host band 'Bill Dowey and the Blues Devils'. he's been a blues fixture here for many years and his tag line is "Straight Up Blues"

    so anyhoo, I've played with Bill a few times in the past but not for quite a few years. This time there weren't many jammers and Bill let me play his closing set. He said 'you must have practicing', and then he said 'er, I mean to say, I thought you were pretty good before, but you're really nailing some of those blues licks now' and mentioned Sugar Cane Harris.

    thing is, I'm using the same blues scales as I did before (along with some dorian and mixo) just getting better at it I guess...a lot of mileage.

    it's a pleasure to talk to you guys. I've never seen a chart like JonZ posted on fiddle sites.

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