The Blues Scale

TRY OUT SOME EASY RIFFING AND SOLOING WITH THIS TOP-NOTCH LESSON ON AN ESSENTIAL SCALE. WORDS AND LESSON BY CHRIS BIRD.

“I’m not really into blues. Why do I need to know the blues scale?”

Well, despite its name, the biting tones of the blues scale can be used in almost any style of music: obviously it sounds good in blues, but hard rock, metal, jazz, country and soul are all on the cards too. Basically, don’t be put off by the name. It’s an easy scale to jam with.

“Can you tell me some of the songs that use the blues scale?”

To name but a few: Cream’s “Sunshine Of Your Love”, Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” are classic blues scale riffs. The main riff in Pantera’s “Cowboys From Hell” puts a heavier slant on the scale. Lamb Of God’s “Redneck” is similarly weighty and includes a note from outside the scale too. “Psycho” from Muse’s Drones album uses a string bend to target one of the most important notes of the scale.

“Plenty to listen to, then! Tell me more.”

Just like any scale, the blues scale is a selection of notes; the relationships between these notes are at the heart of the scale’s signature sound. The easiest way to learn the scale is to play it from its lowest note to its highest. We’ve outlined the structure for you in the boxout on the right.

“So Bb is the most important note…”

In the E blues scale, yes! It’s that b5 interval, which, when played over the E root note, sounds so menacing and gives the scale its edgy sound. If you’re in another key, G blues scale for example, you can still target the b5 interval but it’ll be a different note (Db, as it happens). Check out “Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath (at 0:38-1:08) to hear Tony Iommi milking the b5 interval in the G blues scale. Remember, it can take a while to learn all the notes – so just move the scale shape around and target the b5ths.

“Useful tip! Shall we play some music?”

Sure. Take a look at our first tab example. It’s a simple riff played in open position. Every single note of the blues scale is used and there’s a slight string bend on the last note (known as a quarter-tone bend).

“How shall I tackle the second example?” Start by familiarising yourself with the scale in the 12th fret position then see which notes we’ve used. With the basics covered, try experimenting with your own ideas too.