Scales and modes
Blues scale
The blues scale is the minor pentatonic plus the flat fifth, or blue note: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7, which gives A C D E♭ E G in the key of A.
What is the blues scale?
The blues scale has six notes: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7. It is the minor pentatonic (1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7) with the ♭5 added, the so-called blue note.
In A: A C D E♭ E G. The ♭5 sits a tritone above the root, the most unstable interval there is. Wedged between the 4 and the 5, it creates a short chromatic run, D, E♭, E, that gives the blues its gritty edge.
How do you play the blues scale on guitar?
Start from the A minor pentatonic box at the 5th fret and add E♭ in two places:
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 5, 8 | A C |
| 5 | 5, 6, 7 | D E♭ E |
| 4 | 5, 7 | G A |
| 3 | 5, 7, 8 | C D E♭ |
| 2 | 5, 8 | E G |
| 1 | 5, 8 | A C |
The blue note falls under your middle finger (A string 6th fret) and your little finger (G string 8th fret). To find it in all five positions, show the blues scale on the fretboard with the guitar scales tool in interval mode: the ♭5s jump right out.
A blues lick to play right now
Play in triplet eighths with a swing feel:
- G string 7th fret (D), hammer-on to the 8th fret (E♭), pull-off back to the 7th (D).
- G string 5th fret (C).
- Resolve to A, D string 7th fret.
Low variation: A string frets 5, 6, 7 (D E♭ E), then D string 7th fret (A). That chromatic climb is one of the most played moves in all of blues.
Which chords do you use the blues scale over?
The A blues scale works across a whole 12-bar blues in A: A7, D7 and E7. All three are dominant seventh chords, and their built-in tension happily absorbs the rub of the ♭3 and ♭5.
Golden rule: the ♭5 is a passing note. Slide through it on the way to the 5 or the 4, but do not stop on it at the end of a phrase unless you want deliberate tension.
It also works in rock and funk over a minor riff (Am7, Am G), where E♭ adds bite without changing the key.
Key takeaways
- Formula: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7, six notes.
- In A: A C D E♭ E G, the minor pentatonic plus E♭.
- Play the ♭5 as a passing note, mostly between the 4 and the 5.
- Ideal over A7, D7, E7 and minor rock riffs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the blue note in the blues scale?
The flat fifth (♭5), E♭ in A. The term is also used for the ♭3 and ♭7 played over a major chord, and for notes bent slightly between the ♭3 and the 3.
Is there a major blues scale?
Yes: 1 2 ♭3 3 5 6, which is A B C C# E F# in A. It is the major pentatonic with the ♭3 as a passing note into the major third, common in country and upbeat blues.
Why does the ♭5 sound wrong if I stop on it?
Because it forms a tritone with the root, a very unstable interval that wants to resolve. In motion it sounds bluesy; held on a strong beat it sounds like a mistake.
Related terms
Practise in the workshop
Take it from theory to the fretboard
Open the workshop tools and see this idea across the whole neck. Free account, no card needed.