Blues scale in general it can be used on every chord but above all on min7 th and dominant 7th chord. Essentially, the blues is a specific progression that uses the c7, f7, and g7 chords. The major blues scale is some less common than the minor blues scale, and therefore we start with minor and you will find the major by scrolling down. Learn how to play the b blues piano scale piano lessons.
Usually its the next scale learned after the major and minor scales. This scale is much used above all in blues,pop,jazz,soul,funk,rhythm and blues,rock. Alongside the minor pentatonic scale, minor blues is often the first scale guitarists learn. They are written in treble and bass clef in all twelve keys. The blues scales are really fun to learn, because if you are playing a blues song it sounds really good to just throw in a blues scale walk here and there. Answers on page 7 a closer look at the major and minor pentatonic scales in the traditional ionian major and aeolian natural minor scales, there exists a tritone augmented 4 th diminished 5 th between the 4 th and 7 th. Lets learn the blues scales on piano and keyboard in every key. Because of this, many players learn this important melodic device and then move onto other scales and modes. Aug 12, 2019 on this page youll find blues scale guitar tab, patterns and notation that will allow you to play blues scales all over the guitar neck. How to play the blues on the piano or keyboard dummies.
In addition, it is a common method to put extra empathize on the tones of the involved chords when the actual chord is being played. The cool, swing, chicken picken, jump blues sound that this scale produces makes a solid addition to the repertoire of any modern guitarist. While its a good idea to familiarize yourself with the blues scale for each key, you can usually fall back on the root blues scale at just about any point in a jazz solo. The blues chord progression lasts 12 bars thus the phrase 12bar blues that move in a familiar pattern using those three chords. The minor blues scale is a staple concept for any lead guitarist to have under your fingers. This pdf contains the scale charts for the blues scale in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. Switch out the regular twooctave majorminor scales for a minor pentatonic blues scale. For instance, in the c blues scale the notes are c eb f gb g. They think that learning the blues scale will help them to write and perform blues style music and they are correct. There is slight variations in how you use this scale depending on the harmony behind it. Learn how to play the a blues scale on piano free video.
Learn how to play the b blues piano scale piano scale. To play the blues is a fascinating undertaking because it can be both simplistic and yet intangibly tricky to master. Move up the scale finger by finger until you hit the e sharp with your fourth finger. The major blues scale is some less common than the minor blues scale, and therefore we start with minor and you will find the major by.
Often new players are drawn to the instrument because of a desire to play the blues. What is the difference between a pentatonic scale and a blues. The 12bar is an extremely common structure when playing blues. What others are saying ive got the blues handouts for elementary group piano class. The eb blues scale is exceptionally easy to play on piano just play the black keys and add the note a. A combination of the mixolydian mode and the blues scale, the mixolydianblues hybrid scale reigns supreme as the chief source for carving those majorminor bluesbased licks that sound so good over dominant 7th chords.
Just the blues scale can be considered a basis for a particular key blues. Since the key of d appears on the circle of fifths diagram as both a major and minor key, the lesson steps explain both ways of constructing this blues scale for this key. Scales are the sources of both melodic lines like licks, runs, riffs, etc and harmonic materials like chords, patterns, progressions, etc. I remember being introduced to the blues scale in jazz band when i was a sixth grader. Heres a little something that ive been working with in the studio this week. Tim wrote the well known exploring jazz piano and improvising blues piano books and has several others to his name. Join pianogroove pro to access all downloads and learning resources. For many students, when starting out with blues improvisation, its very easy to get locked inside the notes of the blues scale and never deviate away from 6 tones. You can get more charts in with custom tunings using my interactive scale generator here. For instance, in the c blues scale the notes are c eb f gb g bb c.
Blues scales blues is an irresistible tonality for a guitar player. There are a total of 430 finger exercises in this book. For more information and licks using the blues scales check out my two books on mastering the blues scales. The pentatonic scale is a major scale excluding the 4th and 7th degrees. Before learning how to build these scales here is a reminder of tones and semitones.
Major and minor blues scales guitar tab and essential licks. At this point in our study of the blues, now its time to introduce the blues scale. Blues piano scales, chords, and chord progressions for. When playing a twelve bar blues in the key of bb, use the bb blues scale anywhere in the chord progression. On this page youll find blues scale guitar tab, patterns and notation that will allow you to play blues scales all over the guitar neck. I have quite a few students who are fans of playing the blues. Firstly a clear and precise representation of the two basic blues scales major and minor. To summarize, the most important scales to learn first are the major, dorian, and mixolydian scales because they help you navigate major 7th, minor 7th, and dominant b7 chords, respectively. In the world of guitar, one of the most popular and useful of these scales is the mixolydianblues hybrid. How to improvise on piano using the blues scale youtube. When this happens, the blues scale is often the first jazz scale that the student is taught. The scale is used in many different styles of music, such as rock, blues, and jazz. I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in order to memorize the blues scales in all keys.
All 12 major scales share the same pattern of whole and half steps between the notes. Blues scales are the most famous sounds of the xx century music. Blues scales for piano adding a blue note to the regular pentatonic scale gives the pentatonic blues scale. Oct 24, 2019 the most common types of scale are major scales, minor scales and the blues scale. Pentatonic scales are killer scales to play over blues and over iivv changes. Download our free pdf versions of each scale with fingering. In western music theory terms, the blues scale is practically inexplicable. Free minor pentatonic blues scale chart saras music studio. Leaning blues scales on piano will prove to be an exciting adventure. Label the scale degrees of the major pentatonic scales.
Here is a pdf of the 36 important scales major, dorian, and. These make great handouts for piano teachers to use with students. These scales are for obvious reason perfect when playing blues on the piano. Suffice it to say that the scales for blues piano cannot be exhausted in this particular lesson because there are a variety of them. Blues scales a topic that usually takes a maximum of 2 pages a regular book of jazz theory, here extends to 80 pages. For more advanced students, have them play a 12 or 16bar blues form underneath. This set of label stickers is for a 61 key piano or keyboard, labels are in order ready to be placed on the keys with middle c highlighted for easy reference. For right hand fingering, start on the a with your thumb. The notes that make up the blues scale are b, d, e, f.
Music educational books and sheet music downloads for blues, jazz, funk, latin, gospel, rock, celtic styles for instruments including piano, keyboards, sax. Jan 31, 2014 free minor pentatonic blues scale chart. Almost all music genres being born in the last hundred years come from blues above all in notclassical music. The most common types of scale are major scales, minor scales and the blues scale. Read on for a complete blues scale guitar lesson the basic blues scale guitar pattern. This scale is a real rebel, practically throwing the rules of scale building out the window. Blues scale formula, piano with images blues scale, piano scales. The most common scales when playing the piano, are major and minor scales. A blues scale practice this over an a minor and a c major chord. A blues scale consists of 6 different notes, namely the root, flat 3rd, 4th, flat 5th, 5th and flat 7th of the major scale. As well, major and minor blues scales are used in different ways in a lead guitar situation. I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in.
The solution below shows the d blues scale, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef. Since our weather has been so blue up here, i thought it might be fun to work on our improv skills with minor pentatonic blues scales. The scale is made up of the notes a, c, d, e sharp, e, g, and a. Piano pentatonic blues scales overview with pictures. No matter what type of music you favor when you play the piano, youre likely to play the blues scale at some point. Each scale is provided as a separate pdf download with finger numbers above each note.
The only 3 chords you need to master the blues on piano. Why learning more than one scale pattern is beneficial. The 1st construction, using the major scale, starts at lesson 3. There are plenty of arrangements, based on chord progressions, to use. They just ooze that minor bluesy vibe or sweet major vibe. The mixolydian blues scalethe most useful scale of all. For the sake of brevity, ill only look at playing blues in the key of c. Then notate its relative minor scale and its scale degrees.
Move up the scale finger by finger until you hit the e. The blues scale for each key consists of the minor seventh chord in this case, cm7, plus the fourth and flat fifth f and gb. The exercises in this book use the major scale, pentatonic scale, blues scale, and chromatic scale. Learn to play this easy and incredibly versatile scale. Below are listed the twelve minor dorian minor, major, and dominant 7th scales. Gordon is he feels, one of his most important books because of the nature of the blues scale and how it is used to improvise in many styles of contemporary music. This division is clearly and systematically preserved in all musical examples till the end of the book. The eflat in the c blues scale makes it sound minor, but the scale is customarily played on top of major chords. You can hear it in rock, country, jazz, and of course.
From each key on the piano you can start either a major or a minor scale. Blues scales are vital in understanding blues music, but other genres have also borrowed its composition in order to create unique sounds. The scales are used often for composing melodies and for improvisation. Though it takes you longer to use this scale in your solos, the payoff is well worth it. Mar 11, 2015 recently i did a post about the 3 most important jazz scales for beginning improvisers. Recently i did a post about the 3 most important jazz scales for beginning improvisers. We provide downloads for common scales including major, the three minor scales natural, harmonic, and melodic, the blues scale, and others. To play your own 12bar blues, just follow these easy instructions, playing with either hand or both hands.
What is the difference between a pentatonic scale and a. The solution below shows the d blues scale, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef since the key of d appears on the circle of fifths diagram as both a major and minor key, the lesson steps explain both ways of constructing this blues scale for this key the 1st construction, using the major scale, starts at lesson 3 the 2nd construction, using the minor. Download theory supplements, midi files, chord changes and full notefornote transcriptions of every lesson. When you have the chord progression memorized, try playing the chords with the left hand while your right hand plays a simple melody, riff, or blues scale. Playing scales over the 12bar blues you can either play one scale over all bars or change scale as the chord change. Blues scales are used in many musical kinds for example in blues, jazz, rock and roll, funk, soul rhythm and blues, dance, pop. In some respects, teaching the this scale as the first jazz scale makes sense. The major blues scale is some less common than the minor blues scale and therefore we start with minor and you find the major by scrolling down. A blues scale consists of 6 different notes, namely the. A 12bar blues is performed, as the name implies, by playing twelve bars in a given arrangement that are repeated through a song. Blues scale fingerings for piano leave a comment the blues scale is a staple of jazz musicians the world over, but i realised while teaching a student of mine the other day that i have never worked out a thorough system of fingerings for the blues scale in all the keys. Pentatonic scales have found their home in the hearts of jazz, blues, and rock musicians everywhere. The blues scale is one of the first guitar scales we explore on the guitar when learning how to solo.