Blues Scale on Guitar
The blues scale is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7, steps W+H W H H W+H W (3 2 1 1 3 2 frets on one string). It is the minor pentatonic with one extra note, the ♭5, between the 4 and the 5.
Showing A blues: A C D E♭ E G
Scale on the fretboard
A blues: A C D E♭ E G · Box 1 · frets 5–8 · starts on the root (A) on the 6th string
Tap a dot to hear it. Drone holds the root. Brightest dot = root. High e on top. Swipe for higher frets.
Formula of the blues scale, in A
| Degree | Interval | Frets above root | Note in A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | root | 0 | A |
| ♭3 | minor 3rd | 3 | C |
| 4 | perfect 4th | 5 | D |
| ♭5 | diminished 5th | 6 | E♭ |
| 5 | perfect 5th | 7 | E |
| ♭7 | minor 7th | 10 | G |
Use the blues scale
- Blues scale on the fretboard mapfrets 0 to 15, any key and tuning
- Chords in E minoropen-string blues box
- Chords in A minorchords to jam over
How guitarists use the blues scale
The extra ♭5 is a passing note. Slide or hammer through it on the way to the 4 or the 5 rather than holding it; held over the chord it sounds tense.
It is the standard sound over a 12-bar blues. In a 12-bar blues in A the chords are A7, D7 and E7 (I, IV and V), and the same A blues boxes work over all three.
Because it is built on the minor pentatonic, the five boxes are the minor pentatonic boxes with the ♭5 added where it falls. In box 1 it sits on the 5th and 3rd strings.
The five boxes, in A blues
The blues boxes are the five minor pentatonic boxes with the ♭5 added. Where it falls one fret outside a box, reach for it with a stretch.
| Box | Frets | Starts on (6th string) |
|---|---|---|
| Box 1 | 5–8 | A (1) at fret 5 |
| Box 2 | 7–11 | C (♭3) at fret 8 |
| Box 3 | 9–13 | D (4) at fret 10 |
| Box 4 | 12–16 | E (5) at fret 12 |
| Box 5 | 13–17 | G (♭7) at fret 15 |
Where the E♭ falls in each A blues box: box 1: 5th string fret 6 and 3rd string fret 8; box 2: 6th string fret 11 and 3rd string fret 8; box 3: 6th string fret 11, 4th string fret 13 and 1st string fret 11; box 4: 4th string fret 13 and 2nd string fret 16; box 5: 4th string fret 13 and 2nd string fret 16.
Tap a number above the fretboard to show that box in any key. The five boxes line up with the CAGED chord shapes: CAGED system scales.
The blues scale in every key
| Root | Blues |
|---|---|
| C | C E♭ F G♭ G B♭ |
| C♯ | C♯ E F♯ G G♯ B |
| D | D F G A♭ A C |
| D♯ | D♯ F♯ G♯ A A♯ C♯ |
| E | E G A B♭ B D |
| F | F A♭ B♭ C♭ C E♭ |
| F♯ | F♯ A B C C♯ E |
| G | G B♭ C D♭ D F |
| G♯ | G♯ B C♯ D D♯ F♯ |
| A | A C D E♭ E G |
| B♭ | B♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ F A♭ |
| B | B D E F F♯ A |
Related scales
- Pentatonic scalerock, blues and country solos; the easiest scale to improvise with
- Natural minor scalemelodies and chords of minor keys
- ModesDorian, Mixolydian and the other five sounds of the major scale
Keep practising
- All guitar scalesevery scale in one fretboard tool
- Keyschords and progressions in every key
- Guitar tunertune up before you play along
FAQ: blues scale
What notes are in the A blues scale?
A, C, D, E♭, E and G: the A minor pentatonic plus E♭.
Is there a major blues scale?
Yes: the major pentatonic plus the ♭3, which gives 1 2 ♭3 3 5 6. This page shows the more common minor blues scale.
What is the blue note?
The ♭5 of the blues scale. The ♭3 and ♭7, often bent slightly sharp, are also called blue notes.