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Blues Scales


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Posted

I picked up a neat alternative to playing the basic pentatonic scale off of an Arlen Roth Blues instructional video. It gives you a couple of slide options that you can work into the scale (and thus your leads). Say you're on the 5th position playing the A minor pentatonic scale. Start as usual on the 5th fret of the low E string to play your root (A), BUT - fret it with your 3rd finger (not the first). Then for the 2nd note (the C) instead of playing the 8th fret on the E string, play it on the 3rd fret of the A string with your FIRST finger (your first finger should already be right above it since you're playing the low A with your 3rd finger). THEN, for the 3rd note of the scale use your 3rd finger on the 5th fret of the A string. The "cool" part is for the fourth note, where you SLIDE that 3rd finger up to the 7th fret. That puts you right in the position you'd normally be in. So then you can finish out the scale as usual. But you've got that little slide that gives you a bit of "mojo". That's a lot of verbage for 4 quick notes, but without tab or being in person, it's hard to lay out otherwise. But it does work very nice. And you can incorporate that slide in some leads. I apoligize for the length of this, especially if you already know this technique, as I know it's probably not a real advanced technique.

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Posted

These may be obvious but mixing the minor and major penatonics is a great trick, like in 12 bar blues when the chord changes, change from minor to major penatonic etc, also walking 6ths intervals(I think trhats what they are called) are a great trick.

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Posted

Go to http://lessons.mikedodge.com and follow the links to the Advanced Pentatonics Tutorial.

 

I will explain how to deal with the Major/Minor chord/scale thing.

 

I'll walk you through over 50 lessons on combining the Major and Minor Pentatonics to create one big scale "of sounds" that can be used heavily in blues, rock, country, jazz, etc...

 

There tab. audio, fretboards, and explanation for just about everything.

 

But the big thing is I'll show YOU how you can come up with an endless bucket of ideas...at the end you be looking at thing as 12 notes instead of this scale, and that scale.

 

Definitely check them out, you'll never look at the fretboard the same.

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Posted

Originally posted by BluesRock

I picked up a neat alternative to playing the basic pentatonic scale off of an Arlen Roth Blues instructional video. It gives you a couple of slide options that you can work into the scale (and thus your leads). Say you're on the 5th position playing the A minor pentatonic scale. Start as usual on the 5th fret of the low E string to play your root (A), BUT - fret it with your 3rd finger (not the first). Then for the 2nd note (the C) instead of playing the 8th fret on the E string, play it on the 3rd fret of the A string with your FIRST finger (your first finger should already be right above it since you're playing the low A with your 3rd finger). THEN, for the 3rd note of the scale use your 3rd finger on the 5th fret of the A string. The "cool" part is for the fourth note, where you SLIDE that 3rd finger up to the 7th fret. That puts you right in the position you'd normally be in. So then you can finish out the scale as usual. But you've got that little slide that gives you a bit of "mojo". That's a lot of verbage for 4 quick notes, but without tab or being in person, it's hard to lay out otherwise. But it does work very nice. And you can incorporate that slide in some leads. I apoligize for the length of this, especially if you already know this technique, as I know it's probably not a real advanced technique.

 

You are simply playing the expanded A blues scale

 

 

-E----------------------------------------------------8--10--11--12---

-B--------------------------------------------8--10----------------------

-G------------------------------5--7--8--9------------------------

-D-----------------------5--7--------------------------------------

-A---------3--5--6--7-------------

-E---3--5-------------------------

 

You can do this with any scale, and helps you to connect the different positions.

 

Check out Gennations site, you'll be

:eek::cool:

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Posted

A very cool scale to use over a traditional blues with dominant chords is the Dominant pentatonic scale.

In A it is spelled A, C#, D, E, and G. Notice you are just replacing the b3 found in the minor pent with a natural 3rd. Try it out over an A7 chord.

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Posted

Originally posted by 335clone



You are simply playing the expanded A blues scale



-E----------------------------------------------------8--10--11--12---

-B--------------------------------------------8--10----------------------

-G------------------------------5--7--8--9------------------------

-D-----------------------5--7--------------------------------------

-A---------3--5--6--7-------------

-E---3--5-------------------------


Check out Gennations site, you'll be

:eek::cool:

 

I guess I didn't do a very good job illustrating what I was trying to convey (my bad!). You're right that this is the basic Am penta scale (I actually didn't even include the "blue" notes). Maybe this tab will help. What I was trying to get at was that using this fingering you could incorporate a couple of slides into the scale, which sound a little cooler than just keeping your 1st finger at the 5th fret for all the notes of the scale. And these same slides fit into various licks nicely. The numbers above the E string are the left hand fingers to use on the first 9 notes (but I don't know if they'll line up right when I submit this(!!!).

 

3 1 3/3 1 3 1 3/3

-E---------------------------------------------8-------

-B-------------------------------------8--10----------

-G--------------------------5--7/9--------------------

-D-------------------5--7------------------------------

-A---------3---5/7------------------------------------

-E-----5-----------------------------------------------

 

Again, it's nothing great. Just a bit cooler than the old

 

-E-----------------------------------------5--8-----

-B----------------------------------5--8------------

-G--------------------------5--7--------------------

-D-------------------5--7---------------------------

-A-----------5--7------------------------------------

-E-----5--8------------------------------------------

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Posted

Originally posted by BluesRock



I guess I didn't do a very good job illustrating what I was trying to convey (my bad!). You're right that this is the basic Am penta scale (I actually didn't even include the "blue" notes). Maybe this tab will help. What I was trying to get at was that using this fingering you could incorporate a couple of slides into the scale, which sound a little cooler than just keeping your 1st finger at the 5th fret for all the notes of the scale. And these same slides fit into various licks nicely. The numbers above the E string are the left hand fingers to use on the first 9 notes (but I don't know if they'll line up right when I submit this(!!!).


3 1 3/3 1 3 1 3/3

-E---------------------------------------------8-------

-B-------------------------------------8--10----------

-G--------------------------5--7/9--------------------

-D-------------------5--7------------------------------

-A---------3---5/7------------------------------------

-E-----5-----------------------------------------------


Again, it's nothing great. Just a bit cooler than the old


-E-----------------------------------------5--8-----

-B----------------------------------5--8------------

-G--------------------------5--7--------------------

-D-------------------5--7---------------------------

-A-----------5--7------------------------------------

-E-----5--8------------------------------------------

 

Nah, I got you, and yes it is cool to slide up through the blue notes. I merely labeled the notes you were hitting and omited the slides for clarity. :cool:

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Posted

Originally posted by liamisfun

What scales would you recommend for blues lead work, other than the obvious blues / pentatonic scales...?


Cheers,


Liam
:)

 

Well for blues you really only have the blues scale which is an expanded version of the minor penatonic scale. That and feel is all you will ever need. I throw in the major penatonic quite a bit also (which really is a Country scale) and the dorian fits in nicely as well here and there. For more color I'd use the relative major (Ionian) but only for a couple of bars or so. Somebody mentioned the Dominant penatonic which is really a cool scale as well. Fits in quite nicely with fusion voicings.

 

In the end blues is all about feel and bends, not scales. Just take a look at the BB King Box and you'll see what I mean. :thu:

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Posted

Hey Dawn,

I like your quotes:thu:

 

I agree with your train of thought. Probably the best way to learn blues is to listen and copy some good blues players.

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