> Step by step

8. The minor blues scale – the one extra scale you need to learn

1 The easiest jump-off point for learning how to play keyboard solos is the minor blues scale. To build it, we just take a regular natural minor scale. Here’s E minor as an example – E, F#, G, A, B, C, D and E. The intervallic pattern for this scale, as described earlier, is T-S-T-T-S-T-T.

2 That’s far too many notes, so let’s convert it into a minor pentatonic scale. Pentatonic means ‘five notes’, and our scale currently has seven, so we need to lose two. To make a minor pentatonic, we just remove the second (F#) and sixth (C) degrees, leaving E, G, A, B and D.

3 Finally, to get our E minor blues scale, a sharpened fourth degree. The fourth degree of the E minor scale is A, so we need an A# in there. This gives us E, G, A, A#, B and D – the E minor blues scale. To apply it to any key, the formula is 1-3-4-4#5-7. Practise this a lot – it’ll serve you well!