Minor Blues Scale
Minor Blues Scale
The minor blues scale is simply the minor pentatonic scale with the flattened 5th “blue” note added.
Our normal naming notes rule cannot apply in some Keys because the flattened 5th note is between the 4th and 5th notes. However, because we are flattening the 5th note then we will use the naming conventions applied to the key signatures:
“Gb” in the C minor blues scale, and “D#” in the A minor blues scale.
You can use MusicWheels™ to discover all the other minor blues scales and their notes.
Relative Keys
Each major key has a relative minor key.
The 6th note of the major blues scale is
the root note of the relative minor blues scale.
For example, the notes of the C major blues scale are:
C D Eb E G A. The 6th note of the C major blues scale is A.
A is the root note of the A minor blues scale. The notes of the A minor blues scale are:
A C D Eb E G. These are the same notes as the C major blues scale.
The C major blues scale and A minor blues scale have the same relative keys, and they both have the same key signature.
The A minor blues scale is the relative minor of the C major blues scale, and the C major blues scale is the relative major of the A minor blues scale.
C major blues scale
A minor blues scale
Guitar Diagrams
Minor Blues Scale Patterns Across the Fretboard
The diagrams below show generic patterns for the minor blues scale.
The indigo note is the root note of the scale, for example:
– if you wish to play the A minor blues scale then the indigo root note will be the note of A
– if you wish to play the E minor blues scale then the indigo root note will be the note of E and so on.
Keyboard Diagrams
