A Blues Scale

72 scales in every key on a map of the whole neck: positions, patterns, and every note played as it lights up.

The A blues scale has 6 notes: A – C – D – E♭ – E – G. The blues scale is the minor pentatonic plus one note, the ♭5 or “blue note”. That note is a passing tone: slide or bend through it and the line sounds instantly bluesy. It works over all three chords of a 12-bar blues.

Compared with the A major scale it has ♭3 (C instead of C♯), ♭5 (E♭ instead of E), ♭7 (G instead of G♯).

The explorer above is set to A blues: the whole neck is mapped, and you can zoom into any of its 6 positions, change the labels to degrees or fingers, and hear it up, down and in patterns.

A blues scale notes

Degree	Note	Interval from A	Frets above the root	Sargam
1	A	R	0	S
♭3	C	m3	3	g
4	D	P4	5	M
♭5	E♭	d5	6	M'
5	E	P5	7	P
♭7	G	m7	10	n

Steps between the notes: W+H W H H W+H W (W = two frets, H = one fret). Start on any A and follow those steps up one string to play the scale.

A blues scale positions on the guitar

A blues splits into 6 hand positions, each within five frets. Position 1 starts on A on the low E string at fret 5; each next position starts on the next note of the scale. In standard tuning, high string first:

Position	E (1st)	B	G	D	A	E (6th)
Position 1 frets 5–8	5 8	5 8	5 7 8	5 7	5 6 7	5 8
Position 2 frets 8–12	8 10 11 12	8 10	8 9	10 12	10 12	8 10 11 12
Position 3 frets 10–14	10 11 12	10 13	12	10 12 13 14	10 12	10 11 12
Position 4 frets 11–15	11 12 15	13 15	12 14	12 13 14	12 15	11 12 15
Position 5 frets 12–16	12 15	13 15 16	12 14	12 13 14	12 15	12 15
Position 6 frets 15–19	15 17	15 16 17	17	17 19	15 17 18 19	15 17

What A blues fits over

With 6 notes it is not used to build a whole key of chords; instead it sits over every chord of a 12-bar blues (I7, IV7 and V7), minor chords and power chords. With A as the root: A7, Am7, A5.

Where you hear it

A blues is used in blues, rock, jazz and funk. It sounds best over every chord of a 12-bar blues (I7, IV7 and V7), minor chords and power chords.

Backing tracks to practise A blues

A minor blues A minor rock A minor funk Am metal Am Bollywood

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 5–8) slowly, up and down, saying the note names.
Play it with the pattern set to In 3s, then In 4s, at a tempo where every note is clean.
Learn position 2 and how it joins position 1: the notes they share are where your hand moves.
Switch the labels to degrees and find every A (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on A.