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Thread: Blues Scale

  1. #1
    Registered User belbein's Avatar
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    Default Blues Scale

    Arrrgh, confused. I'm trying (again, FFS) to memorize the Blues Scale (major, first, then minor) on my fretboard.

    Is it correct that the major Blues Scale is
    1
    3b
    4
    5b
    5
    7b


    ... and minor is
    1
    2
    3b
    3
    5
    6

    This seems different than what I've learned before. Particularly the 4/5b/5 and 2/3b/3. Help? (I'm looking for bottom line "how do I play it." I'm a pattern learner. It's sufficient for me to know the patterns; I don't need to know the rocket science that goes into it.)
    belbein

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  2. #2
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blues Scale

    I hope I don't muddy the waters with my take on this, but ...

    What I play, generally, is a modified major pentatonic scale. Going up and down, it's, in 4/4 time: 1 3b3 5 6 | 8 7b6 5 3b2 | 1 The notes I've typed together are 8th notes played as a slur or hammer-on. I would hardly ever if ever include the 4 and about never the 5b. For a minor blues, I might stick close to the minor pentatonic scale, up and down: 1 3 4 5 7b 8 Most of the time, though, I'll use that first scale.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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  3. #3
    Registered User jefflester's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blues Scale

    Quote Originally Posted by belbein View Post
    Arrrgh, confused. I'm trying (again, FFS) to memorize the Blues Scale (major, first, then minor) on my fretboard.

    Is it correct that the major Blues Scale is
    1
    3b
    4
    5b
    5
    7b


    ... and minor is
    1
    2
    3b
    3
    5
    6

    This seems different than what I've learned before. Particularly the 4/5b/5 and 2/3b/3. Help? (I'm looking for bottom line "how do I play it." I'm a pattern learner. It's sufficient for me to know the patterns; I don't need to know the rocket science that goes into it.)
    You've got major and minor backwards, but otherwise they are correct.
    Minor blues is the same as minor pentatonic, just adding the b5 as the blue note: 1, 3b, 4, 5b, 5, 7b
    Major blues is the same as major pentatonic, just adding the b3 as the blue note: 1, 2, 3b, 3, 5, 6

  4. #4
    Registered User belbein's Avatar
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    Default Re: Blues Scale

    Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate the input. It appears that I learned this wrong back at the get-go.
    belbein

    The bad news is that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. The good news is that what kills us makes it no longer our problem

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