Blues Scales

[Los7]

Hey guys
I'm in need of a little direction as to where to put my fingers. When ever i play along with a blues song, i always play along to it in a minor pentetonic scale, which sounds good as we all know. But its come to the time where i need to open my ears and give the fretboard a workout in another scale.
Whats the name of the scale where it still sounds "bluesy" but isnt the minor pentetonic. Like some of the peter green stuff i've heard. i hear a lot of this mystery scale, then all of a sudden its back into the Minor Pent, and it sounds great.
Can anyone make any sense of what i'm saying?
Thanks :)

[Mesotech]

Try looking at the Mixolydian scale.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixolydian_mode

You can think of it in the blues context as a combination of the major and minor pentatonic (as it has notes from both).

[pauln]

See if my post #25 in the "Blues for Dummies" thread is what you seek.

[cooltone]

I'm no "mode scholar", but I seem to remember from my lessons 30 years ago that you can incorporate most of the notes from certain major scales to fit in with your minor pentatonic blues scale.
For example, You can incorporate a G maj. scale (one whole step down) with your A blues scale (Dorian mode of A minor?)

Or you can use a C maj. scale (1 and a half steps up, or a 3rd up from A minor) against your A blues scale (Aeolian?)

The mixolydian mode is something Peter Frampton uses a lot, too.

each will give you a different 'flavor', but you can pick and choose notes to your liking.

Or, to get that country rock sound, use a harmonic minor pentatonic scale (? I'm not sure what's the harmonic of what, but it doesn't matter) For example, let's say your blues progression is in A, play an F# minor pentatonic scale.
If you want to get fancy, incorporate your Am pent. and your F#m pent. scales together. Like mesotech says.

Any time you play a pentatonic blues scale with the root note on your low E string, you can drop a step and a half and play pretty much the same scale and a lot of it will work.
And this is the way that I prefer to learn. What scale or scales can I play against an A blues progression? Nevermind what you call it!! I'll try to figure that out later (or not).!! I'll just transpose each one to whatever key I'm in.

This is the first time in 30 years I've tried to explain theory to anyone, so forgive me if I'm way off. (I have to go read that "Blues for Dummies" post now!!)

[refin]

Take a basic pentatonic minor....add the major 6th,a 2nd,and a major 3rd.
Example------"A" pentatonic minor (A-C-D-E-G)---add F#,B,and C#.
Season to taste,serves at least 100.

[Joobsauce]

I'm going to say aeolian minor, pentatonic with added blue notes, and and like cooltone said, C maj. scale (1 and a half steps up, or a 3rd up from A minor) against your A blues scale, which is aeolian. You can also use this for major to minor on a major backing track (but thats left for another thread). Works for all keys.

EDIT- thank you music theory lessons!

[Don]

I don't know squat about modes, but here's what I think you're talking about.

Say a song is in the key of A, use notes from the A major scale-

Play the 5th to 6th fret of third string, 5th to 7th on the second string, 5th to 7th on the first string, then slide up to the 10th fret on the 2nd string.

Also, play the 9th to 11th fret on the 3rd string, 10th to 12th on the second string and bend the 12th fret up to the 14th.

And so on...

Listen to some slower blues that use this stuff, like-

"Lucille" by BB King

"My Feeling of the Blues" by Freddie King

"If You Let Me Love You" and "Need Your Love So Bad" by Peter Green

"Stormy Monday" by ABB

These are just a few examples that come to mind quickly.

[dirtdog]

...and what about the different fingerings for different scale shapes?

I am definitely not one to talk about theory, but I've been dabbling in the CAGED system. Haven't fully grasped it, but it's helped me get out of that standard minor pentatonic box a little bit (one of the letters in CAGED, can't remember which one).

Chord inversions is one area where I'm developing too, realizing the links between chords, thier inversions, scales and riffs. For instance, now I know how Steve Cropper gets a lot of his stuff and now I can play passably in the R&B/Soul genres (circa 1960's Memphis soul, that is). I'm also figuring out how Jimmy Vaughan comes up with a lot of his stuff.

DD

[Los7]

Hello again
"Need Your Love So Bad" was exactly what i was talking about, and what i was thinking about when i wrote the post. I'm glad you people knew what i was talking about :) i should have asked this question years ago when i started getting bored of the same old guitar playing i was doing. This has given me a few more years to look forward to :)

So basically, i just drop down 3 steps (F#) and keep the same "scale shape" then when its time, go back to the original shape (A)
Is there a limit to where i can use this, or does it go into all the blues songs?
Please exuse my ignorance, i have no clue about theory. i dont know what progression is, or 12 bar blues, i've always just played. I'd really like to join you guys in the Jam Zone so i thought i'd get up to speed with it all.
Thanks for all your replys, its much appreciated :)

[Kap'n]

Is there a limit to where i can use this

Yes. When it sounds bad, stop doing it.

[Los7]

Yes. When it sounds bad, stop doing it.

lol, i'll keep that in mind :)
i am having fun at the minute with it. Thanks for all your help

[Don]

Also, in a song in the key of A, use the 5th string root F# pentatonic box, especially the upper end of it.
That's what I was describing in my previous post when I said-

Also, play the 9th to 11th fret on the 3rd string, 10th to 12th on the second string and bend the 12th fret up to the 14th.

It's actually the introduction to "Need Your Love So Bad" as well as where a lot of the BB King type sounds come from.

[dirtdog]

Good tutorial in Oct 2007 issue of "Guitar Techniques" magazine (from the UK) on the Myxolydian mode. Comes with a CD and discussed CAGED scale shapes.

OAN, this publication and it's sister - Guitarist - are two of my favorite guitar magazines - great quality reviews, interviews, excellent and usefule tuition articles, ads for gear in £UK, etc. Surpasses Guitar Player at the moment, for me. Wish they had a version for bassists.

DD

[Guitar_Mc]

I've been dabbling in the CAGED system. Haven't fully grasped it, but it's helped me get out of that standard minor pentatonic box a little bit.

Getting "CAGED" got you out of the "box"?
You sound married.

[dirtdog]

Getting "CAGED" got you out of the "box"?
You sound married.

LOL - that I am!!!

I'm thinking of joining the Army reserves in order to get a little more "time for myself" on the weekends....

DD

[clayville]

"My Feeling of the Blues" by Freddie King

Speaking of.... That's one of my absolute favorite tracks, but the only version I have is the 2:11 version on "Ultimate Freddie King". Please tell me there's another about 25 minutes (or days) long somewhere?


FWIW, as frequent visitors to the JamZone can attest, I get by with a pitifully small bag of licks -- the basic pentatonic box on the root/fret, slide that down three frets at the chord change, and back up again for the third chord. As refin says, anything else (blue notes, penta-box extensions, jumping up an octave) is just spice -- and feel, squeezing as much emotion as I can out of a slow blues.

[Don]

Speaking of.... That's one of my absolute favorite tracks, but the only version I have is the 2:11 version on "Ultimate Freddie King". Please tell me there's another about 25 minutes (or days) long somewhere?

I wish there was. He just gets that guitar smoking and it fades out!

It's a tease, isn't it?