Which scales to use in blues?
It's one of the most common questions that gets asked in blues lessons: Which scales to use when playing blues?
Firstly, the answer will depend upon on the chord progression we are playing over, and even though blues is a fairly narrow genre, the fact is that there are still various different blues chord progressions out there, and even if we focus on just the regular 12 bar blues, there's still the option to play different scales over the different chords in the progression:
| A7 | A7 | A7 | A7 |
| D7 | D7 | A7 | A7 |
| E7 | D7 | A7 | E7 |
So let's just think about what scales we can play over just a static A7 chord playing a blues vamp and see what possibilities we have.
Firstly, the answer will depend upon on the chord progression we are playing over, and even though blues is a fairly narrow genre, the fact is that there are still various different blues chord progressions out there, and even if we focus on just the regular 12 bar blues, there's still the option to play different scales over the different chords in the progression:
| A7 | A7 | A7 | A7 |
| D7 | D7 | A7 | A7 |
| E7 | D7 | A7 | E7 |
So let's just think about what scales we can play over just a static A7 chord playing a blues vamp and see what possibilities we have.
Scales
A minor Pentatonic
This is the obvious place to start, and where almost all of us start. The guitarists favourite scale!- Notes: A C D E G
- Formula: 1 b3 4 5 b7
- Sound: Dark and bluesy
- Thoughts: This scale is great to use because it sounds fantastic, and in fact it will work over all parts of a 12 bar blues so you don't need to worry about the underlying chord changes. The b3 and the b7 ensure that this has all the classic blues sounds. Being a pentatonic, it's really easy to play. Oh, and a great choice for rock music too.
A major pentatonic
- Notes: A B C# E F#
- Formula: 1 2 3 5 6
- Sound: Sweet, almost country
- Thoughts: Much sweeter sounding and far less bluesy sounding, in fact to my ear it sounds more country. This scale is great for double stops. My top tip is to use the Relative Minor theory, which means that the fingerings for F# Minor pentatonic double as the fingerings for the Major pentatonic. Oh, and if you are going to use this over a 12 bar, it only works over the A7 chord. Don't use it over the D7 chord, it will sound terrible, so you'll need to change scales when you get to the D7.
A blues scale
- Notes: A C D Eb E G
- Formula:1 b3 4 b5 5 b7
- Sound: Even more Dark and more bluesy
- Thoughts: This is the ultimate blues scale. Think of it as the regular A minor pentatonic, but with the extra b5 note. Just be very careful how you use that extra note; the easiest way to use it is simply as a passing tone between the 4 and the 5.
A Dorian
- Notes: A B C D E F# G
- Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7
- Sound: Somewhere between Major and Minor
- Thoughts: A really common scale in blues. With the natural 6th note included, it works well over A7, D7 and E7 meaning you can use it over all chords in a 12 bar blues. When moving on from pentatonic, this is a great place to start.
A Mixolydian
- Notes: A B C# D E F# G
- Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
- Sound: Sweet and sour!
- Thoughts: The scale has all the sweetness of the Major pentatonic, but that b7 adds just the right amount of bluesy darkness. Over a regular 12 bar, this works great over the A7 chord, but that C# (natural 3rd) is really going to jar over the D7 chord.
A Aeolian
- Notes: A B C D E F G
- Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
- Sound: Dark and miserable
- Thoughts: This is the natural minor scale. Careful how you use that b6 note.
E minor Pentatonic
- Notes: E G A B D
- Formula: 5 b7 1 2 4
- Sound: Dark and moody
- Thoughts: Careful how you use this one, but it can sound great, particularly over the A7 and E7 chords of a 12 bar blues. By using Em Pentatonic, you are essentially playing an Am pentatonic, but just swapping out the b3 for a 2 to imply more of a 9th sound. Oh, and as it's a pentatonic, then the notes just fall nicely under the fingers.
A 7 arpeggio
- Notes: A C# E G
- Formula: 1 3 5 b7
- Sound: Very bluesy
- Thoughts: Like anytime you play arpeggios rather than a pentatonic scale, it can be tough to make the lines sound like licks as they can easily just sound like technical exercises.
E m7 arpeggio
- Notes: E G B D
- Formula: 5 b7 2 4
- Sound: Dark and moody
- Thoughts: Again, it's an arpeggio so it'll be tricky to make is sound like anything other than a technical exercise. If you like the sound of this one, then I'd recommend going for the E minor pentatonic instead, as it's got a little more scope for it.
C major7 arpeggio
- Notes: C E G B
- Formula: b3 5 b7 2
- Sound: Very interesting and different. Quite jazzy
- Thoughts: Assuming your bass player is playing the A root note, then playing this arpeggio over the top which is going to give you the sound of an A minor 9th arpeggio. Again, it's an arpeggio so take care not to make it sound like a technical exercise. Also as far as the other chords in the 12 bar blues go, I'd recommend only using this over the A7 chord.
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