The Blues Scale

This week, let’s have a look at the Blues scale. The Blues scale is slightly different from the ones I’ve done in the past. Most of the others, pentatonics not included, have had 7 different degrees. So we always had a root, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on. The Blues scale has 6 degrees instead of the usual 7 or 5 degrees. Here we omit the 2nd and 6th degrees. The Blues scale also has the “devil’s note” or the tri tone. The b5 makes an appearance here and gives the Blues scale it’s feel.

Let’s have a look at E Blues scale.

Blues scale formula is : Root, b3, 4th, b5th, 5th, and b7th.

So using the root of E, we get E G A Bb B D and that looks like this:

|-E------G----A-Bb-B------D----E-|
|-B------D----E------G----A-Bb-B-|
|-G----A-Bb-B------D----E------G-|
|-D----E------G----A-Bb-B------D-|
|-A-Bb-B------D----E------G----A-|
|-E------G----A-Bb-B------D----E-|

|-0-----3---5-6-7-----10----12-------15----17-18-19-------22----24-|
|-0-----3---5-----8---10-11-12-------15----17-------20----22-23-24-|
|-0---2-3-4-----7---9-------12----14-15-16-------19----21-------24-|
|-0---2-----5---7-8-9-------12----14-------17----19-20-21-------24-|
|-0-1-2-----5---7-----10----12-13-14-------17----19-------22----24-|
|-0-----3---5-6-7-----10----12-------15----17-18-19-------22----24-|

Of course, having fewer notes to work with means fewer chords we have to use as well. Here are the chords you can pull from the notes you have with blues scale.

E       G       A       D
Em      Gadd9   Asus2   Dsus2
Em7     Gm      Asus4   Dsus4
Edim    Gsus2
Esus4

That’s really all you have to work with here. But if you remember in one of my past lessons, I hit on the idea of not having to have 3 or more notes in a chord. By doing this, we actually have a few more chords to look at. We could view A# and D as an Am dyad and the B and D as a Bm dyad. So that opens up two more we can throw in as well.

With limited chording, you might be thinking it’ll be harder to come up with a progression. In truth, it is. You don’t have as many options here. What I typically do here is use arpeggios and stretch out what notes I do have. Now, I’m pulling these chords out of this specific scale. There is no reason why you can’t throw others on top, but I’m sticking to just this scale for the purpose of my lesson.
I’m going to show you some arpeggios that can be derived from the E Blues scale.

|-12-------------------15-------------
|----8--------------------17----------
|------9---12-------14-------16-------
|--------9-------12-------------12-14-
|-------------13----------------------
|-------------------------------------
 Em        Gm    Dsus4 Em7

You could sweep pick in here if you want, but I stick to either down picking or alternate picking. To help fill out the sound, I doubled some of the degrees. With the chord changes, you’ll notice that the chords share a common note from one to the next. I find this is a great way to keep a fluid sound when playing arpeggios like this.

Riff writing in this scale provides you with the b5th degree to work with. Here is a blues riff using that b5th degree. These next two examples will stick to the E Blues scale.

|---------------------------0-
|---------------------------0-
|-------3-4-------3-4-3-2-0-0-
|-----2-----5-----2-2-------2-
|---1-0---------1-2---------2-
|-0-----------0---0---------0-

This makes use of that b5th degree, but doesn’t sound overly dissonant. The Em chord at the end is meant to be strummed rather lightly. This is one way to utilize the blues scale without getting too bluesy.

Now here is a blues riff that avoids that b5th

|-----------------------------
|---------3-----------------0-
|-9---4---2-------------7-0-2-
|-7-5---5---2p0-0-5-5h7-5-2-2-
|-----------------------5-2-0-
|-------------------------0---

This one doesn’t lean towards the darker tonality you would associate with this scale, nor does it lean to the bluesy side either. This is to show that you can use this scale and not have to lean either way. It’s all about note choice and order.

This scale presents me with an opportunity to show you a rather rare technique used by some to create a rather crazy harmonic cascade. I’m fairly sure it was in an issue of Guitar Player and they referred to it as a harmonic porcupine. Sounds neat, right? So what we do here is take the index finger of your picking hand and drape it over the 12th fret. Then you hammer on and pull off and get a bunch of harmonics that would fall in the Em territory. It would look a bit like this.

|-|12|---------------------7p5p0-|
|-|12|-----------------5p0-------|
|-|12|-------------7p0-----------|
|-|12|-------7p5p0---------------|
|-|12|-7p5p0---------------------|
|-|12|---------------------------|
   ^ this just notes the finger draped lightly over all the strings

Now, this is a rare technique. I’ve never seen it done before, but it’s something completely different from most other techniques. Seems to me that it could be used to build into a lead part or maybe as an ending to a song. I don’t think it’s something you’ll hear within a verse or chorus.

Let’s have a look at a string skipping exercise using B Blues Scale.

|------------------------------------------10-7-5-7-|
|-------------15-12-10------------------------------|
|-------14-16-------------------------10-9----------|
|----------------------12-9-7-----------------------|
|-12h14---------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------10-7-5---------------|

As with most things, it’s all about steady rhythm here. Work slow at first, then ramp up the speed as you feel comfortable. With things like these, it’s often a bit difficult at first to process the perceived big leaps. But with practice, those shifts will become second nature and more fluid to you.

Now, let’s try adding some taps into a string skipping run. I’m going to switch it over to D Blues scale here.

  T        T        T           T     T     T        T           T     T
|-17p10h13-15p13p10----------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------13b15r13p10-------------
|-------------------17/19\17p12----------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------15p10-17p10-15p10h12-------------15p12-17p12-
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  T     T     T
|-------------------
|-------------------
|-------------------
|-19p12-17p12-15p12-
|-------------------
|-------------------

Here I’ve added in a few different techniques when it comes to tapping. The first difference you’ll notice is the slide. To do this, simply tap that 17th fret C and slide up to the D and back down to C with the same finger you used to tap with. Then, simply execute a pull off with that same finger. Next, you’ll see the bend. The 13th fret C is bent with the tapping finger and returned, then pulled off. Those are two of the more common techniques you can intertwine into tapping. The bending feels a little odd at first using a finger on your picking hand, but you get used to it.

Coming up with leads using this scale has always been fun for me. It’s one of the few scales I can use without too much thought. It tends to flow pretty easy. I’m going to share a bit of a lead part I’m currently working on. I’m using E Blues for it.

|-12-15-12-------------------------------------17b19-17b19-17b19-17-17p15----
|----------15b17r15-15b17r15-----------8-11b12----------------------------17-
|----------------------------14-12-------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------14v---------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------

|--------------------------------------|
|-------------------15----15----10v-5v-|
|-16-15-------------14b16-14b16--------|
|-------17-14--------------------------|
|-------------17-14--------------------|
|--------------------------------------|

This is just the beginning of something I’m working on right now. I’ve made it end on that 5th fret E for this, but it’s not done. But you guys can see how you can construct a lead using this scale. It’s one of the few I can really get stuff flowing.

Here is one that is just improvised using the A Blues scale.

|-12-10------20b22-20b22----------------------------------------------------
|-------10p8-------------15h17----------------------------------------------
|------------------------------17h19p17-12-17h19p17-12----------------------
|------------------------------------------------------14h17p14----14h17p14-
|---------------------------------------------------------------15----------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------

|-------------------|
|-------15b17r15----|
|----------------17-|
|----17-------------|
|-15----------------|
|-------------------|

This one here isn’t really too complex in technique. You can play this one either a bit slower and give the notes some room to breathe. Or you can play it fairly fast. It still keeps the same type of sound it had. I think that is a key element in good music, it keeps that same type of feel and quality whether you play it fast or take it slow.

To end this lesson, I’m going to show you a few patterns here. There will be one and two octave runs as well. All will use F Blues scale. 

One octave on E, A, and D strings

|---------------------------|
|---------------------------|
|---------------------------|
|-----------1-3-1-----------|
|-----1-2-3-------3-2-1-----|
|-1-4-------------------4-1-|

One octave on G, B, and E strings

|----------------11-13----------------
|-------11-12-13-------13-12-11-------
|-10-13-------------------------13-10-
|-------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------

Two octave

|-------------------------1-------------------------
|---------------------1-4---4-1---------------------
|---------------1-3-4-----------4-3-1---------------
|-----------1-3-----------------------3-1-----------
|-----1-2-3-------------------------------3-2-1-----
|-1-4-------------------------------------------4-1-

Now for one that just goes all over the neck. No real reason behind this one, I just feel like doing it.

|-----------------------------------------------20p19p18/16/13~-
|-----------------------4-6-9/11-------16h18p16-----------------
|-----------------3-4-5----------16-17--------------------------
|-----------1-3/6-----------------------------------------------
|-----1-2-3-----------------------------------------------------
|-1-4-----------------------------------------------------------

My way of remembering these scales and modes is probably a bit different. Or maybe it’s not at all. I know some people who sit down and memorize every note in the scales. Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad way. But by doing that you kind of miss a fundamental understanding of theory. Now my method is probably seen as wrong too, but what I’ve done is memorize the formula to each scale and mode. By memorizing the formula, I don’t need to sit down and learn just notes. By knowing the degrees, I can figure out any scale or mode I know. I’ve always thought in this way, you’re actually understanding the music and why it sounds that way. Instead of just knowing the notes.

That’s why I think a study of theory is important. It really will expand your abilities on the instrument. Next week I’ll be back with another lesson, hopefully Saturday. Maybe before. So I’ll be seeing you all next week. Unless time stops. Or the universe collapses.