Matt Warnock Guitar: How To Play Blues Scales On Guitar

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How to Play Blues Scales on Guitar

The blues scale, whether it’s major or minor,
is one of the most widely used scales in
modern music.
As well, they’re usually the first scales that

most guitarists learn when you begin to
explore soloing.
Because they’re the first scales you’ll often

learn, you might study them for a bit, get the
shapes under your fingers, and then move
on.
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But.
These two scales can provide years of study if you dig deep into their various fingerings,
applications, and melodic variations.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to build the major and minor blues scales, apply them to
different soloing situations, and study classic blues scale licks that you can add to your
solos.
If you’re new to the blues scale, welcome aboard!
Though this scale is relatively easy to learn, and sometimes left behind in place of more
complex scales and modes, over time the blues scale will become like an old friend.
You’ll have a love-hate relationship with these scales, but they’ll always be there for you
when you need them.
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Blues Scale Lessons (Click to Jump to Each Scale)
Minor Blues Scales
Major Blues Scales
Minor Blues Scales
The minor blues scale is a staple concept for any lead guitarist to have under your
fingers.
Alongside the minor pentatonic scale, the minor blues scale is often the first scale
guitarists learn when they pick up the instrument.
Because of this, many players learn this important melodic device and then move onto
other scales and modes.
But.
The minor blues scale has a lot more to offer when you dig deeper into this scale on the
fretboard.
To help open some new minor blues scale doors for you, or start you off on your blues
scale journey, this section will tackle this important scale from a new angles.
In this section, you’ll learn how to build and apply the minor blues scale, how to play it on
the fretboard, and give you three sample licks to get you kickstarted when applying this
scale to a soloing situation.
What Are Minor Blues Scales
The first item on your list when learning how to play and solo with the minor blues scale
is to understand the theory behind the construction of this important six-note scale.
The minor blues scale is built with the following interval pattern:
R-b3-4-#4-5-b7
Because this 6-note scale contains a b7 interval, it can be used to solo over dominant
and minor family chords.
You can even use it over major family chords if you’re careful, which makes the minor
blues scale one of the most versatile melodic devices at your disposal.
As well, the b3 and b5 intervals provide the bluesy sound when applying this scale to
minor, major, and dominant family chords.
The list of chords that you can solo over with the minor blues scale is long, and includes:
Major
Minor
Maj7
Maj9
Maj6
13
m9
m11
m6
As you can see, this scale can be used to solo over just about any chord, making it
essential learning for any lead guitarist.
Now that you know how to build the minor blues scale, and how to apply it to chords, it’s
time to take that knowledge to the fretboard.
Minor Blues Scales – Box Patterns
To begin, here are the five minor blues scale box patterns.
These are the most commonly learned shapes for the minor blues scale on guitar.
If you only study one fingering system for the minor blues scale, then this is it.
It’s worth learning all five box-patterns when first studying the minor blues scale on the
fretboard.
Though over time you’ll find that some boxes will stay in your playing, and others you
won’t use as much.
This is perfectly fine, explore them all, and then decide which shapes are best for you
and your musical tastes.
Here are those minor blues scale box patterns for you to learn in all 12 keys on the
fretboard.
The note in red is the root note, it tells you the key for any minor blues scale shape that
you’re playing.
After you’ve learned any or all of these minor blues scale box patterns, put on a few
different backing tracks and begin to use these scales to solo over chords and chord
progressions in your studies.
Minor Blues Scales – One Octave Shapes
Beyond studying the common minor blues scale box patterns, you can also work on one-
octave minor blues scales to open up the fretboard even more.
These smaller scales will help you navigate fast-moving chord changes, where playing a
two-octave minor blues scale would be too bulky to play smoothly in your solos.
Here are four one-octave minor blues scale shapes that you can work in every key in
your guitar practice routine.
After you’ve worked out these shapes from a technical standpoint, make sure that you
put on a backing track or two and apply these shapes to your improvisational studies as
well.
Minor Blues Scales – Two Octave Shapes
After you’ve checked out the four different one-octave minor blues scales, you can now
connect them to form two-octave shapes on the fretboard.
When doing so, you’ll connect the 6th and 4th-string minor blues scales to form a longer
scale shape.
As well, you’ll connect the 5th and 3rd-string minor blues scales to form a second longer
shape on the fretboard.
Here are those shapes on the neck so that you can learn them in 12 keys as you further
your study of minor blues scales.
Once you have these longer minor blues scales under your fingers, put on a variety of
backing tracks and solo over those chords in your studies.
3 Minor Blues Scale Licks
To help you take the minor blues scale into your lead guitar studies, here are three
sample licks that use this scale over a few different chords and chord progressions.
This first lick features the minor blues scale applied to an A7 chord, a common
application of this scale.
Click to hear Vm P
You’ll now learn a minor blues scale lick where the scale is applied to the iim7 chord in a
short ii-V-I progression in G major.
Click to hear Vm P
Finally, here’s a lick where the minor blues scale is applied to both the iim7 and V7
chords in a long ii-V-I progression in G major.
Click to hear Vm P
The minor blues scale may be the first scale you learn, but your exploration of this scale
shouldn’t stop there.
By working on two-octave shapes, even smaller one-octave shapes, and using this scale
to solo over a wide variety of chords, you’ll always have that cool, bluesy sound at your
fingertips.
Major Blues Scales
Now that you’ve explored the minor Blues scale in your studies, you’re ready to move on
to the major Blues scale.
Though they share the same last name, these two scales sound completely different.
As well, major and minor Blues scales are used in different ways when applied to a
lead guitar situation.
Though it will take you more time to use this scale in your solos, the payoff is well worth
it.
The cool, Swing, Chicken Picken’, Jump sound that this scale produces will make a solid
addition to the soloing repertoire of any modern guitarist.
What Are Major Blues Scales
Before you begin taking the major blues scale onto the fretboard, you’ll learn how to
build and apply this cool-sounding melodic device to your solos.
The major blues scale is built with the following interval pattern:
R-2-b3-3-5-6
Because this 6-note scale contains a major 3rd interval, it can be used to solo over
dominant and major family chords.
These chords include:
Major
Maj6
Maj9
7th
9th
13th
As well, the major 3rd means that it’s less versatile than the minor blues scale, especially
in the case of the 12-bar blues form.
For example, in an A blues, you could play the A minor blues scale over the entire song
and it’d sound great.
But.
If you want to use the major blues scale over a blues song, it’s a whole different story.
Here, you’d have to play A blues over the A7 chord, then play D blues over D7, and E
blues over E7.
Each 7th chords in a blues song gets it’s own major blues scale.
Tough right?
Because of this, you’ll want to work slowly when applying the major blues scale to your
solos.
Start by soloing over a blues song and target only one chord with the major blues scale
at a time.
Start by play A major blues over A7, then the A minor blues scale over the other chords
in the song.
Move on to the other chords when you’re comfortable with A7.
It can be tough to get this scale into your lead playing, but it’s worth the work as it’ll give
you a new sound to use in your solos.
Now that you know how to build the major blues scale, apply it to the correct chords, it’s
time to learn how to play the major blues scale.
Major Blues Scales – Box Patterns
To begin taking this scale onto the fretboard, here are the 5 major blues scale box
patterns.
As was the case with the minor blues scale box patterns, you’ll end up learning all 5
major blues shapes, and then settle on 2 or 3 of your favorites.
Again, the red note is the root, so it’ll tell you which key you’re in as you move this scale
around the fretboard.
After you’ve learned any or all of these major blues scale box patterns, put on a 12-bar
blues backing track and apply this scale to one, then two, then finally all three chords in
that song.
Major Blues Scales – One Octave Shapes
After working on the box patterns, which are essential for any guitarist to study, you can
practice one-octave major blues scales.
These smaller shapes are great for songs that are played at fast tempos, when you
have to move from one chord to the next in your solos.
In those kinds of songs, larger scales will only hold you back, whereas these smaller
shapes will be perfect to hit those chords in your lead guitar lines.
Here are four major blues scale one-octave shapes that you can learn and use in your
guitar solos.
After you’ve worked out these shapes from a technical standpoint, make sure that you
put on a backing track or two and apply these shapes to your improvisational studies as
well.
Major Blues Scales – Two Octave Shapes
After you’ve checked out one-octave major blues scales, you can now connect them to
form two-octave shapes.
When you build these shapes on the fretboard, you’ll combine two one-octave shapes to
form longer major blues scale fingerings.
Here are those shapes so that you can learn them in 12 keys as you further your study
of the major blues scale.
Again, make sure to learn these shapes in your technical studies, and take them to your
lead guitar practice routine as you work these longer major Blues scale fingerings from a
few angles in your routine.
3 Major Blues Scale Licks
To help you take the major blues scale into your solos, here are three licks that use this
scale in a variety of ways over a few different chord progressions.
This first lick is a classic major blues line played over an A7 chord.
Click to Vm P .
In this next lick, you’re bringing a few chromatic notes into the blues scale in this must
know bebop line.
Click to Vm P
A repetitive lick, this line works well at the end of any blues chord progression.
Click to Vm P .
This fourth lick features the major blues scale applied to a Cmaj7 chord so that you
practice using this scale outside of 7th chords.
Click to hear Vm P
You’ll now learn a lick where the major blues scale is applied to the Imaj7 chord in a
short ii-V-I progression in G major.
Click to hear Vm P
Finally, here’s a lick where the major blues scale is applied to both the V7 and Imaj7
chords in a long ii-V-I progression in G.
Click to hear Vm P
As you can see, both the major and minor blues scale run deeper than box pattern
number 1.
They can be used in a plethora of soloing situations, and both bring a different melodic
sound to your lead guitar playing.
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MATT WARNOCK GUITAR

How to Play Blues Scales on Guitar

As well, they’re usually the first scales that

Because they’re the first scales you’ll often

If you’re new to the blues scale, welcome aboard!

Minor Blues Scales

Major Blues Scales

Minor Blues Scales

What Are Minor Blues Scales

Minor Blues Scales – Box Patterns

Minor Blues Scales – One Octave Shapes

Minor Blues Scales – Two Octave Shapes

3 Minor Blues Scale Licks

Major Blues Scales

What Are Major Blues Scales

These chords include:

Move on to the other chords when you’re comfortable with A7.

Major Blues Scales – Box Patterns

Major Blues Scales – One Octave Shapes

Major Blues Scales – Two Octave Shapes

3 Major Blues Scale Licks

Print this article

"Matt's site is an amazing resource when studying Jazz

Send Me Free Lessons

100% privacy. Your email will never be shared

JAZZ GUITAR - BEGINNERS

JAZZ GUITAR - IMPROVERS

How To Play The Mixolydian Scale For Guitar

How To Play The Melodic Minor Scale On Guitar

Copyright ©2015 - Matt Warnock Guitar - All rights reserved

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