The Blues Scale You’ve Never Heard Of

I was in middle school when I learned the blues scale. You know, the one that goes 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7 or Bb Db Eb E F Ab.

I thought I was soooo cool improvising with those six notes during jazz band rehearsals.

But a few years later, I heard cats like Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, and Stanley Turrentine play, and my mind was completely blown.

Their solos were so much bluesier than mine, and they weren’t even playing the blues scale!

Or so I thought…

Finally, I realized that the traditional blues scale I’d learned in middle school was not the only blues scale.

In the words of Master Yoda: “There is another.”

You see, the blues scale written above is actually the minor blues scale.

Turns out, there is also a major blues scale.

Maybe you’ve heard of it. Maybe you haven’t.

But lemme tell ya, it’s the missing piece to completing that blues puzzle I was trying to figure out as a young jazz lad.

To be clear, the major blues scale is 1 2 b3 3 5 6 or Bb C Db D F G.

Still six notes – just like the minor blues scale but with such a different flavor profile. And much tastier in my opinion.

But please, don’t just run up and down these scales and expect to sound like an almighty blues god.

You’ve got to know how to arrange the notes such that they actually make sense.

Otherwise, you’re just learning an alphabet and calling out the letters ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP… expecting to spell a word.

That ain’t how it works.

You’ve got to build a vocabulary.

How?

The best method is by transcribing your favorite licks by Redman, Turrentine, or Hargrove and identifying the way in which they use the blues scales to get that tastiness.

Or, if you’re not that comfortable with transcribing yet, dig into my Sick Licks Blues collections, which include sheet music transposed in all twelve keys plus audio recordings of 200 of my most badass blues licks.

Both the Level 1 and Level 2 books include a ton of major and minor blues scale material, which will show you how to integrate the scales and help you take meaningful steps to sounding like your blues heroes.

Click here to learn more and order the Sick Licks Blues editions.

Happy Shedding!

Jeff