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intermediate
Blues Scale
The six-note blues scale and where to use the b5 "blue note".
Objective
Play the A blues scale in position, identify and use the b5 as a passing tone, and compose a blues phrase around it.
Concepts
- ▸Blues scale = minor pentatonic + one note: the b5 (diminished 5th, or "blue note").
- ▸A blues scale: A–C–D–Eb–E–G. The Eb sits between D (4th) and E (5th).
- ▸The b5 creates dissonance that wants to resolve — slide into it from below (D→Eb) then push to E.
- ▸Never rest on the b5 — use it as a chromatic passing tone between the 4th and 5th.
- ▸The b5 is what makes the blues sound "wrong in a right way" — it is the core tension note.
- ▸Position: in the box pattern (Position 1, key of A), the b5 appears on strings 2 and 5, one fret above the standard position.
Diagram / Notation
A Blues Scale (Position 1):
e |--5--8----------|
B |--5--6--8-------| ← 6 = Eb (blue note)
G |--5--7----------|
D |--5--6--7-------| ← 6 = Eb (blue note)
A |--5--7----------|
E |--5--8----------|
Comparison:
A minor pentatonic: A C D E G
A blues scale: A C D Eb E G
↑ addedExercises
1.Scale with blue note highlighted
- 1.Play A blues scale ascending, stopping on the Eb (fret 6 string 2).
- 2.Let the Eb ring for 2 beats, then slide/pull to E (fret 7).
- 3.Hear the tension and the resolution.
- 4.Repeat with the Eb on string 4 (fret 6).
2.Blue note approach lick
- 1.Play D (string 2 fret 5) → Eb (fret 6) → E (fret 7) → bend E up a whole step to F#.
- 2.This 4-note phrase is a classic blues gesture.
- 3.Repeat starting on the beat, then starting on the off-beat.
3.Compose a 2-bar phrase
- 1.Over an A7 chord vamp, construct a 2-bar phrase that includes the blue note exactly once.
- 2.Start on a chord tone (A, C, or E). End on a chord tone. The Eb passes through.
- 3.Record it. Listen back. Does the blue note create tension and resolve?
Tips
- 💡The b5 is powerful because it is rare — overusing it makes the "wrong-right" feeling disappear.
- 💡Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan both use the blue note surgically — listen for it.
- 💡The blue note is about emotion, not theory. Play it slowly, hold it, feel it.
- 💡In a major-key blues, the minor 3rd (C over A) also acts as a blue note — same principle.