The Blues Scales Explained. Take time to learn a bit of the language of music. Intensive Examination of Blues Scale Modes for Soloing & Improvisation We’ll be working out these modes over a blues in the key of A. Each scale has its own personality and sound. Every mode is a scale, but not every scale is a mode (the melodic minor scale or the blues scale for example are not modes). It is used in all types of music Blues, Rock, Jazz, Metal, Funk, Electronica, everything really! Modes, Pentatonic and Blues Scales. The Blues Scale might be the most widely used scale ever. Categories Scales … The Blues Scale can be thought of as whole step and a half step, whole step, half step, half step, whole step and a half step, whole step. Check out this fast 5 question music theory test. Guitar Modes; Guitar Scales & Arpeggios Book; Blues Backing Tracks; Late Night Blues Backing Tracks; For a guitar lesson on using blues scales, with an example guitar solo and a backing track for you to play your own blues solo over, see this page: How To Use Blues Scales. The Blues Scale is an extension of The Pentatonic Scale with the addition of one extra note, the Blues note A flat 5th in this key it's the G flat. Being able to play and use guitar modes is an important skill for any guitarist to have because each mode has a unique feel and sound that you can use to make your improvisation more colorful and interesting. For example, Dorian becomes minor with a raised 6th, Phrygian is minor with a flat 2, Lydian is major sharp 4, mixolydian is major flat 7, and locrian is minor flat 2 and flat 5. View this scale in: G-Tuning (DGBE) D-Tuning (ADF#B) Slack-key Tuning (gCEG) The blues minor scale is a six-note minor scale. Before we start on the modes I'd just like to say that there are really only two scales to learn on the guitar (or bass): the Major pentatonic scale and the blues scale. The Blues Scale is an extension of The Pentatonic Scale with the addition of one extra note, the Blues note A flat 5th in this key it's the G flat By Michael Pelletier. Download this Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that summarizes modes: Modes by FreeJamTracks.com. B. I also like using a short cut to modes like this: After you have the major and minor scale down the rest of the modes can be learned by altering a note. Why should you learn and use guitar modes? The Minor Blues Scale is the basis of the blues. Blues Backing Tracks by Guitar Command. It is built from the pentatonic minor scale, which has the diminished fifth, or the famous "blue note". Removing those dissonant intervals gives the pentatonic scale it’s “sing-songy” quality. This means for most of us that the primary scales to solo with are the A minor pentatonic scale and A blues scale. Essentially, the pentatonic scale is a condensed version of the major/minor scale. To see how a master uses blues scales, check out B. I am always getting asked by piano players, guitarists and solo instrumentalists to show them the blues scale.They think that learning the “blues scale” will help them to write and perform blues style music – and they are correct!