The Blues Scale & Cool Stuff You Can Do With It
Most of us who took piano lessons as kids are all too familiar With scales, and most of us hated practicing them with a passion. But understanding scales and what they do is critical to the process of improvisation as well as key orientation and just a general understanding of what’s happening in the song we are playing.
The word “scale” comes from the Latin word “la scala” which means “the ladder”. So a scale is a ladder of notes that starts at the bottom — called the root note — and proceeds upwards to the top of the ladder — called the octave note.
There are several kinds of scales, the most common being the major scale, followed by three different types of minor scales. After that there are several specialty scales, including the Blues scale used widely in jazz, R&B, blues, and quite a bit in pop music.
The “blues scale” is really a combination of the major diatonic scale (the “regular” scale we all grew up with) plus three additional notes:
The flatted 3rd;
The flatted 5th (or sharp 4th — same thing);
The flatted 7th
As a result the blues scale really contains 11 notes — the 8 of the normal diatonic scale — and the 3 “blue notes”. These are used in various combinations, as we shall see, to create a “bluesy sound”.
The blues started not as a piano style, but as a vocal style, and of course the human voice can sing “in the cracks” between the notes on the keyboard. So when we play blues on the keyboard, we try to imitate the human voice by playing BOTH the 3rd and the flat 3rd — BOTH the 5th and the flat 5th — BOTH the 7th and the flat 7th. We would play in the cracks if we could, but we can’t, so we do the best we can by combining the intervals to imitate the quarter steps that a human voice can sing. (Certain instruments can do that too — for example, the trombone. Since it has a slide, it can hit an infinite number of tones between any two keyboard notes.)
So in the key of C, for example, the blues scale would include:
C, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, A, Bb, B, and the octave C.
In the key of F the blues scale would include:
F, G, Ab, A, Bb, Cb, C, D, Eb, E, and the octave F.
In the key of G the blues scale would include:
G, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, E, F, F#, and the octave G.
So in improvising you can craft a melody out of any or all of these notes. Start by creating a motif out of just 3 or 4 notes, then repeat that motif as you change chords.
For example, if you were in the Key of C, you might create a motif such as C, C, G, Bb C and repeat it in various rhythms as you play the C7 chord in your left hand, then again as you move to the F7 chord, and so on.
With practice and experimentation you can play your own variety of the blues as you master the blues scale.
Duane Shinn
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/the-blues-scale-cool-stuff-you-can-do-with-it-95353.html
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3 Responses to “The Blues Scale & Cool Stuff You Can Do With It”
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Guitar Help………………..?
Hi,
I’m an 18 year old upcoming guitarist.
I don’t know much yet, and I’m slightly overwhelmed by how much there is to know about guitar.
But I’m eager to learn, and ready to be an excellent guitarist.
So far I know all the open chords, many barre chords, Pentatonic/Blues scale, Major scale, and I’m probably forgetting a few other things.
I’m starting to get the hang of the Dorian and Myxolydian modes, but I’m not quite comfortable with them yet.
But knowing that, What should I do to improve my playing? What types of things should I practice? How should I practice?
P.S.
I can’t read sheet music (but hope to in the future).
And I can no longer afford private lessons.
P.P.S.
I really like all types of music (except country), and I love to record cool chord progressions and then improvise over them (especially blues stuff).
P.P.P.S.
Many of my heroes are from the ’60s and ’70s like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton (and Cream), The Who, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, etc.
But I also enjoy music from every era. Strangely enough, many of the modern artists I like are more singer/songwriters rather than guitarists (like Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Justin Nozuka, Donavon Frankenreiter, G. Love, Eric Hutchinson, Colbie Callait, etc)
What kind of music would you recommend me to play??
*I also write my own songs and lyrics already (not the greatest, but it’s fun)* hahaha
Sorry it’s so long.
Basically, I just want tips on how to be a better musician.
I recommend you try some heavier stuff, which will improve your overall playing and make you a more versatile guitarist. Learn a few new scales to write in, and try buying some rockschool or rgt grade books and work from them until you get to a grade 8 standard
hope i helped
References :
Me, I play guitar
Here is a quote I remember from Dave Mustaine about his practicing that changed the way I viewed my practice time… loosely, "When I practice guitar, I play something I can’t play yet. There is no point in going over a song I can already play again and again. If someone walked past my studio and heard me, they would think I am terrible."
That totally changed the way I practiced. Its great to learn different songs, solos, etc, but when you sit down with something that is a real challenge to you, that is pushing your limits. Once you get good with it you will say "damn, I didn’t think I could do it", but you did. And then on to the next piece. In 2 years time I went from knowing one scale to being the lead guitarist in 3 bands and playing solos like Mr. Crowley, Sultans Of Swing, and doing arpeggiated sweeps etc. Sometimes I listen to my recordings and ask myself, did I do that?
Work on your rhythm, leads, fills, etc. Every once in a while, throw an improvised solo over a musical break. You will find that you are a far better player in almost no time, well, with a lot of practice!
Another tip is from George Lynch. He would play his scales normal, and then try them again without his pointer finger. Its a great way to get all your fingers nimble and think outside the box for practicing.
References :