Pentatonic scales, with five notes each, are simplified versions of fuller seven note major and minor scales, making them useful when improvising over either major or minor chord progressions.
To achieve the distinctive blues sound, an extra flattened fifth is added to a pentatonic scale to form what’s known as the Blues Scale – creating tension and dissonance typical of blues music.
Major
The major pentatonic scale is an invaluable starting point for anyone interested in blues or rock music, providing the basis of many classic rock riffs and melodies. If you are just getting into either genre, starting here should be your starting point; knowing the available scales is only half of the battle; knowing when and how best to apply them creatively will take the real art out of playing blues and rock music!
Before using the major blues pentatonic scale creatively, you must become acquainted with it. The major blues scale is a variation on the minor pentatonic scale that incorporates one flattened fifth note known as a blue note into its character to more effectively fit blues music.
See how it works by looking at the fretboard diagram below. Fingerings for major blues pentatonic scale fingerings are similar to minor pentatonic scale with an added flattened fifth note.
This extra note adds a distinct blues flavor that many musicians find highly appealing – which explains why the major blues scale is widely utilized in blues songs.
Keep this in mind when playing blues music: the major blues scale contains only five notes compared to seven notes for regular major or minor scales, making it much simpler and flexible. Thanks to its straightforward structure, blues music players find the major blues scale an ideal way to express themselves musically.
Starting to use this scale as the basis of blues licks is simple, and you can immediately get started by trying the example shown here.
Here we use the major blues pentatonic scale over a Gmaj7 chord. As can be heard, its unique combination of blue note chromatic runs gives this lick its signature bluesy sound that appeals to listeners.
Once you are comfortable with this lick and its application to blues progressions, try shifting between minor and major blues pentatonic scales when improvising over them to keep your solos sounding fresh and engaging. Doing this will keep them sounding original!
Minor
As adding a minor blues scale to your fretboard can add some great bluesy tones to your playing, it is also wise to develop proficiency with both major and minor blues scales so they are both easily integrated into soloing. When you have both scales in your fingers, experiment with note duration and dynamics; these aspects have an enormous influence on overall sound.
The minor blues scale is an adaptation of a regular minor pentatonic scale with one extra note – typically known as “blue note”. When played over minor key chord progression, this note clashes with major third of root/tonic chord creating tension that’s characteristic of blues music and has come to symbolize it.
However, moving this note quickly to the major 3rd of the root/tonic chord as shown in the first example lick can significantly decrease chances of this clash occurring, because its flat 7th is closer to being the major 3rd of dominant 7th chord typically used for minor key blues progressions.
Care should be taken not to overuse blues notes when playing; they add an interesting edge, but if overdone they can lead to some very unbalanced-sounding soloing passages.
As with the major blues scale, there are various positions for which the minor blues scale can take on the fretboard. You’ll notice that its initial form echoes position one of the major blues scale (hence its nickname of “pentablues” scale). Once you’ve learned both these scales separately and together over some chord progressions reminiscent of blues music, try playing them together for real bluesy effect in your improvisations and soloing!
Blues
Pentatonic blues is the mainstay of blues and rock music. This scale consists of an altered minor pentatonic scale with one additional note known as the blue note added – creating that unique sound typical to blues music.
This scale is straightforward to learn and memorize as its building patterns closely resemble those of other pentatonic scales. Furthermore, it features a “hexatonic” form – with one additional note (called the blues note ) added onto a minor pentatonic scale that restricts it to six notes instead of seven per octave.
To play this scale effectively, focus on mastering its pattern and including its signature “blue” note into your playing. As you practice using it, experiment with playing each note duration at various lengths to see how this changes its tone and character; play “blue” sparingly so as to avoid harsh, grating sounds associated with it.
The blues scale’s unique feature lies in its signature note – known as the ‘blue’ note – which creates authentic tension and release in most modern blues music. This hallmark distinguishes it from other musical genres and styles. Another characteristic that sets it apart is that blues pentatonic scale contains additional chromatic notes which add depth and complexity of sound as well as creating runs up and down the fretboard with ease.
If you have already mastered major and minor pentatonic scales and want to take your guitar playing to the next level, mastering the blues scale should be your next goal. It is an invaluable asset and can provide a foundation for improvising and creating original music – especially blues, rock and metal genres. But keep in mind that this is just an introduction; further exploration may be required across other areas of fretboard to fully hone your playing.
Mixing
Pentatonic scales are highly adaptable and can be found across genres. To add an authentic blues sound, they can be mixed with minor and major scales for added contrast in blues progressions; additionally this creates tension within solo performances – and may even work effectively using minor thirds as tension-building devices.
The blues scale is a variation of the minor pentatonic scale with one additional note added – known as the ‘blue note” – making it a hexatonic scale (hexa meaning six notes per octave). This extra note gives the blues scale its unique sound and distinction from other pentatonic scales; its presence can be found both minor and major blues scales as well as any pentatonic scale if added for that distinct blues sound.
When playing blues, it is crucial that one understands how to effectively employ the “blue note”. Since the “blue note” does not fit easily into any pentatonic scale and may cause dissonance if played unintendedly, playing it as a passing note rather than staying on it for too long is advised in order to prevent dissonance from arising.
One way to practice is to play the blues scale with only its “blue note”. This will help you develop a feel for how it should sound, before gradually adding back in other notes until completing a full blues scale. Once this step has been accomplished, experiment with note duration and dynamics; they could have an impactful influence on its sound!
Experimenting with mixing the blues scale with other types of music is also worth exploring, as this can add a unique sound to a non-blues tune. But be warned: using pentatonic scales outside their designated genre may prove confusing for listeners due to clashing major and minor thirds that characterise blues music scales and major thirds used elsewhere in music composition.