The Minor Blues Scale | Guitar Positions and Theory

The minor blues scale or "blues scale" or "pentatonic blues scale" contains the same notes as the minor pentatonic scale, including a flat fifth (b5) between the fourth and the sixth, referred to as the "blue note".

This is what we call a hexatonic scale (made up of six notes).

SUMMARY

Minor Blues Scale Formula

Guitar Shapes

Types of Minor Blues Scales

Minor Blues Scale Patterns

Minor Blues Scale And Dominant Chords

2 5 1 Licks

Jazz Blues Study

10 minor blues scale jazz licks for guitar

How To Build The Minor Blues Scale?

As previously discussed the minor blues scale contains an additional note in comparison with the minor pentatonic scale.

The minor pentatonic blues scale formula is : tonic (1), minor third (b3), fourth (4), flat fifth (b5), fifth (5) and minor seventh (b7).

Notice that the minor third (b3) can be considered as b10 or #9 just as the flat fifth (b5) can be thought as #4 or #11.

C minor blues scale	C	Eb	F	F#	G	Bb
C minor pentatonic scale	C	Eb	F	X	G	Bb
Formula	1	b3 (b10 or #9)	4 (11)	b5 (#11 or #4)	5	b7

Difference Between Major Blues And Minor Blues Scale

The major blues scale can be seen as the major pentatonic scale with an added note, a b3 between the second and the third.

The interval structure is tonic (1), second (2), minor third (b3), major third (3), fifth (5) and sixth (6) making the major blues scale entirely different from the minor blues scale.

Difference between minor blues and major blues scales

Guitar Shapes

The four guitar diagrams show how to play the minor blues scale starting from the sixth, fifth, fourth and third string.

Minor Blues Scale Guitar Positions

Here are five positions starting on each step of the minor blues scale.

Minor Blues Scale Types

There are three types of minor blues scales depending on the added note. Indeed, there are three blue notes, the major third (3), the flat fifth (b5) and the major seventh (7).

It means that you can add one of these three notes to the basic pentatonic scale, thus giving three different minor blues scales:

One with a major third between the b3 and the 4th.
One with a flat fifth between the 4th and th 5th.
One with a major seventh between the b7 and the root.

Minor blues scale with a major third	1	b3	3	4	5	b7
Minor blues scale with a flat fifth	1	b3	4	b5	5	b7
Minor blues scale with a major seventh	1	b3	4	5	b7	7

Minor Blues Scale Patterns

Here are four easy blues guitar patterns using the A minor blues scale (A - C - D - D# - E - G).

The principle is to practice the minor blues scale starting on each tones of the minor pentatonic scale that are : tonic (1), minor third (b3), fourth (4), fifth (5) and minor seventh (b7).

Keep playing the passing tone (b5) on the and of the beat.

The second line starts on the b3 of Am.

This third lick starts on the 4th of Am.

This fourth pattern starts on the fifth.

And to finish, this last lick starts on the b7 of Am.

Minor Blues Scale And Dominant 7 Chords

The next four minor pentatonic licks show how the minor blues scale sounds with a dom7 chord.

These lines can be applied to the first two bars of a classic blues progression in A7.

Minor Blues Scale over 2 5 1 Progression

In the next tabs you see the D minor blues scale applied to the iim chord of major II V I Sequence in C major.

Bb Jazz Blues Study

The following guitar study is a Bb jazz blues that demonstrates how to connect the minor blues scale with basic chords.

Two minor blues scales (with a b5) as a passing tone are used here :

Bb minor blues (Bb - Db - Eb - F - Ab)
C minor blues (C - Eb - F - G - Bb)

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