This course is an in-depth examination of one of the most commonly-used scales – the blues scale. As you’ll learn from the course, the blues scale is simply the minor pentatonic scale, with an added ‘blue’ note. With that in mind, it would be a good idea to have worked through the Minor Pentatonic Scale video course before tackling this one.
The blues scale is important for all musicians as it has multiple applications: it works over many different chord types and fits perfectly in most styles of music. With that in mind, this course covers ways in which to learn the scale all over the fretboard (without relying on shapes or patterns) and then puts it to use in a series of ‘real world’ bass grooves. The first few exercises are based around an A blues scale (a logical key to start learning the scale with), after which there are lines written in other keys. By the end of this course you should be very familiar with the sound of the blues scale and you’ll find that it makes a valuable addition to your scale vocabulary.
As you work through this material, you might find the following courses useful (all included in the monthly subscription cost):
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This course is 1 HOUR & 7 MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:
This video covers the basic theory behind the blues scale. It also discusses the unique sound of the scale and the ways in which it is commonly used.
This lesson will get you playing the A blues scale all over the fingerboard. Here, the focus will be on the notes themselves, not on any restrictive fretboard patterns.
This exercise is a blues-rock riff that is played in unison with the guitar. You’ll hear that the ‘bluesy’ element of the line is due to the inclusion of the flattened fifth (Eb).
This line also uses the A blues scale (A-C-D-Bb-E-G-A). As you’ll hear, the blues scale is perfect for rock riffs. The fill in bar 4 is a descending two-octave blues scale.
This is a slap bass groove that uses the A blues scale. This line is played with a swung sixteenth note feel, which makes it a little harder to play accurately.
This is a funk groove based around an A dominant seventh chord. The minor pentatonic and blues scales work well over this chord, as you’ll hear in this exercise.
This exercise is another rock bassline that uses the A blues scale. This line sounds great if you can play it with a plectrum.
This exercise uses the G blues scale (G-Bb-C-Db-D-F-G). The blues scale is used as the basis for an ascending riff that is played by the whole band.
This exercise is a relatively simple rock bassline consisting of eighth notes. This one makes use of the D blues scale (D-F-G-Ab-A-C-D).
This exercise uses the E blues scale (E-G-A-Bb-B-D-E). This is another rock bassline that demonstrates how useful the blues scale is for rock riffs.
This line uses the G blues scale (G-Bb-C-Db-D-F-G). This is a funk line that features the scale used over a dominant seventh chord.
This is a slap bass line that uses the E blues scale (E-G-A-Bb-B-D-E). This line is played in a 12/8 time signature which means that it has a triplet feel.
This is an up-tempo rock bassline that uses the E blues scale (E-G-A-Bb-B-D-E). As usual, the blue note (Bb) plays an important role here.
This is a busy, sixteenth note-based fingerstyle funk groove that uses the E blues scale (E-G-A-Bb-B-D-E). Watch out for the grace notes in this one.
This is a funk-rock groove that uses the E blues scale (E-G-A-Bb-B-D-E). The lick in the fourth bar is simply a two-octave descending blues scale.