When soloing over a blues progression it is important to know which blues guitar scales will work and sound good. Essentially a blues progression is based on a I, IV, V chord progression and the most common is the 12 bar blues. In blues,these chords tend to be the same type of chords, ie ; major, minor or seventh chords. For example the most common 12 bar blues will be entirely seventh chords, a minor blues may contain only minor chords, and a major blues only major chords.
If we take the blues progression containing only seventh chords, we will find that one scale will not fit these chords perfectly, in a musical sense. If we try to match a scale with the chords, we could play the mixolydian mode over the I chord, in the same key of the I chord. We could take this approach to the other chords and play the mixolydian mode in the same key over the IV chord and V chord. This is one approach to solo over this type of progression.
When a blues progression is composed of entitely major chords, it is best to use the major scale, also known as the Ionian mode. The major pentatonic scale would also work well in this example. Both scales contain the notes which match these major chords perfectly.
If a blues progression is composed of entirely minor chords, it is best to use the natural minor scale or the minor pentatonic scale to solo with. These scales will work perfectly, as the notes contained within are the same notes used to construct the minor chords.
What I would like to do now is explain the most common blues guitar scale and when it is best suited. This scale is simply called the blues scale and it is the minor pentatonic scale with a flat 5 added to it - R, flat 3, 4, flat 5, 5 and flat 7. Now remember I mentioned that the most common blues progression is constructed entirely with seventh chords(R,3, 5,flat7). This is the scale of choice to play over this type of progression. So you might be wondering why this scale has a flat 3 or minor 3rd in it - it doesn't make musical sense using a minor 3rd over a major 3rd! Well, put simply this is what gives the blues such a distinctive sound - the flat 5 also gives this "bluesy" sound.
If you are looking to find a scale to solo over a typical blues progression, typically a I, IV, V chord progression, firstly look at the I chord. If it is a seventh chord, you could use the mixolydian mode over this chord and then use the corresponding mixolydian mode over the other chords. Maybe you could just use the blues scale over the entire progression, in the key of G, you would use the G blues scale. If it is a G major or G minor as the I chord you would use the G major and the G minor scale respectively. You could also just use the G blues scale over these two progressions as well, or a combination. As you can see, there are many options available to you when soloing over the blues. So have some fun, and enjoy these different sounding blues guitar scales.
If we take the blues progression containing only seventh chords, we will find that one scale will not fit these chords perfectly, in a musical sense. If we try to match a scale with the chords, we could play the mixolydian mode over the I chord, in the same key of the I chord. We could take this approach to the other chords and play the mixolydian mode in the same key over the IV chord and V chord. This is one approach to solo over this type of progression.
When a blues progression is composed of entitely major chords, it is best to use the major scale, also known as the Ionian mode. The major pentatonic scale would also work well in this example. Both scales contain the notes which match these major chords perfectly.
If a blues progression is composed of entirely minor chords, it is best to use the natural minor scale or the minor pentatonic scale to solo with. These scales will work perfectly, as the notes contained within are the same notes used to construct the minor chords.
What I would like to do now is explain the most common blues guitar scale and when it is best suited. This scale is simply called the blues scale and it is the minor pentatonic scale with a flat 5 added to it - R, flat 3, 4, flat 5, 5 and flat 7. Now remember I mentioned that the most common blues progression is constructed entirely with seventh chords(R,3, 5,flat7). This is the scale of choice to play over this type of progression. So you might be wondering why this scale has a flat 3 or minor 3rd in it - it doesn't make musical sense using a minor 3rd over a major 3rd! Well, put simply this is what gives the blues such a distinctive sound - the flat 5 also gives this "bluesy" sound.
If you are looking to find a scale to solo over a typical blues progression, typically a I, IV, V chord progression, firstly look at the I chord. If it is a seventh chord, you could use the mixolydian mode over this chord and then use the corresponding mixolydian mode over the other chords. Maybe you could just use the blues scale over the entire progression, in the key of G, you would use the G blues scale. If it is a G major or G minor as the I chord you would use the G major and the G minor scale respectively. You could also just use the G blues scale over these two progressions as well, or a combination. As you can see, there are many options available to you when soloing over the blues. So have some fun, and enjoy these different sounding blues guitar scales.
About the Author:
Clause N Dillon, a guitarist for over twenty years, has recently written an easy to follow and practical guide to guitar scales and soloing, and is available FREE for a limited time by clicking the blue text : Learn Guitar Scales or Blues Guitar Scales
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