What is the Modern Blues Scale?

I've written about the minor blues scale and the major blues scale.

But what about the modern blues scale?

Spoiler alert: it doesn't exist.

But the good news is that it's possible to improvise with the regular blues scale and still sound incredibly hip and modern.

The secret is to first determine what makes something sound modern.

And the answer is inspired by yesterday's article on functional and intervallic ear training.

Here's a quick review: functional ear training has to do with how a note or notes relate to the key or chord at hand. Think of it as "vertical" or harmonic ear training.

Intervallic ear training is how individual notes relate to each other. Think of it as "horizontal" or melodic ear training.

So, should you lean on harmony or melody to sound more modern?

Let's look at two examples to figure this out.

First up is a lick on a C7 chord that includes two non-diatonic notes – the Eb and Gb.

You'd think these "outside" notes would make the line sound more modern, but, to me, it sounds bluesy more than anything else.

Now, here's another C7 line without any non-diatonic notes.

Even though harmonically this lick is pretty tame, the melodic content, i.e., the intervals, make it sound modern.

There are times when you can leverage harmony to sound more modern, but melody gets the job done just fine.

If you want the best of both worlds, you can apply a modern take on the blues scale by rearranging the notes such that your lines are more intervallic.

It sounds like a tall order, but there's a trick that makes it easy, and the results are so sick.

I cover it all and more in my course, Improvising with the Blues Scale (without sounding like an amateur). It's the perfect program for beginner and intermediate improvisers looking to build (or rebuild) a solid foundation for solos that are packed with soul.

The best part about working on improvisation via the blues scale is that it allows you to worry less about the myriad of jazz scales out there.

The blues scale has six notes. That's more than enough to play amazing solos – as long as you're focusing on the right stuff.

We've got our July live check-in call next week on Zoom. So, make sure to enroll now before the virtual doors close on Friday.

Click here to learn more about Improvising with the Blues Scale (without sounding like and amateur).

Happy shedding,

Jeff