The Minor and Major Blues Scales on Bass Guitar

The Minor and Major Blues Scales on Bass Guitar

A blues scale is really just a pentatonic scale with the addition of one note - the 'blues' note! One note added to our trusty pentatonic scale converts it into a really evocative sound. There are two blues scales: the minor and major blues scales.

The Minor Blues Scale

 

A Minor Blues Scale - Bass Guitar

 

The Major Blues Scale

A Major Blues Scale - Bass Guitar

A very famous example of the minor blues scale at work is in the Smoke On The Water riff.

The above shapes are one octave. Since the blues scale is only one note added to a pentatonic scale and seeing as the major and minor pentatonic scales are related, just learn your pentatonic shapes and know where to add the blues note. You will be richly rewarded for learning this inside out...

 

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  • Does this same shape then reset to the next set of frets not shown? For example, in the minor blues scale, would that same shape then be applicable starting on E string, 10th fret?

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