JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Music Theory and Education Blues Scales

There is more than one "Blues" scale. Here's the one I believe is most popular.

In Solfeggio:
Do Mib Fa Solb Sol Tib Do

in C:
C Eb F Gb G Bb C

In G:
G Bb C Db D F G

In E (you gotta have E for blues):
E G A Bb B D E

in steps:
tone and a half; tone; semitone; semitone; Tone and a half; tone.

In shape notes...well, I guess we'll stop there.

There are other Blues scales, care to share any?

All the Best,
Mike



------------------
Mike Dunbar Music

There is also the double flatted seventh, better known as the sixth. In C, it means replacing the Bb with an A.

Best,

Paul

double post.. again ..

[This message has been edited by ccanderson (edited 01-30-2004).]

Mike,
I can't comprehend the do-re-mi's like that. Put it in the relative minor and I can play along:

la do re ri me so la (same notes, key of Eb)

I've a question for you guys (girls). My brain is wired to always "play" in the major keys (must be the southern gospel background). I played for a while with an excellant guitar player that had a rock background and had to play in the relative minor "key". So, when a song was in "G", I had to tell him it was in E minor. I know, same chords, same chord progression; but it's got me wondering:
1) do you think in the major or minor key? and what is your musical background?

I think in terms of numbers, like a generic key. So major is 1234567 and minor is 6712345.

There is an argument in Nashville that minor should be written as one minor (1-) rather than six minor (6-)

I'm with the six minor people. My example is always "House of the Rising Sun." The chords in six minor would be:

6- 1 2 4
6- 1 3 3
6- 1 2 4
6- 3 6-3

In one minor it would be:

1- 3b 4 6b
1- 3b 5 5
1- 3b 4 6b
1- 5 1- 5

Now I think the first is easier to read and think of. That's my opinion, anyway.

As to the Blues Scale, yes, it's based on a minor, but since the chords in a twelve bar blues are major, most people think of it as being in a major key. That's much of the charm. It's ambiguous as to major and minor. Anyway, that's why I chose major to represent it.

All the Best,
Mike

------------------
Mike Dunbar Music