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.
A twelve bar blues containing only seventh chords will not have a particular scale that will match it musically. One way to approach this is to play the mixolydian mode over the I chord in the key of the I chord. Over the IV chord we could also play the corresponding mixolydian mode and the same with the V chord. Matching different scales to the different chords is one approach to solo over this type of progression. It will give the solo a bright sound, by way of the major third coming through.
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.
A blues progression can be constructed with entirely minor chords. In this case use the natural minor scale to solo with. This scale will fit perfectly over this progression, because the chords contain the exact same notes as the corresponding scale.
What I would like to do now is introduce the most common blues guitar scale and explain when it is best suited. This scale is called the blues scale, and it is simply the minor pentatonic scale with a flat five added to the scale. Previously, I mentioned that the most common type of blues progression is composed of entirely seventh chords(R,3, 5,flat7). The blues scale is the most popular scale used to solo over this type of progression. You may have realised that this scale contains a minor third, however the chords use the major third. How could this sound good? Wouldn't they conflict? Well, put simply this is what gives the blues such a distinctive "bluesy" sound - the flat 5 also gives this "bluesy" sound.
So there you have it, to find the correct scale to play over a 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 mixolydain mode as described previously, or just use the blues scale. Using the key of A - you would use the A blues scale. If it is a A major or A minor as the I chord you would use the A major and the A minor scale respectively. You could also just use the A blues scale over these two progressions as well, or a combination. You have plenty of options available, so have some fun and experiment with these various blues guitar scales.
A twelve bar blues containing only seventh chords will not have a particular scale that will match it musically. One way to approach this is to play the mixolydian mode over the I chord in the key of the I chord. Over the IV chord we could also play the corresponding mixolydian mode and the same with the V chord. Matching different scales to the different chords is one approach to solo over this type of progression. It will give the solo a bright sound, by way of the major third coming through.
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.
A blues progression can be constructed with entirely minor chords. In this case use the natural minor scale to solo with. This scale will fit perfectly over this progression, because the chords contain the exact same notes as the corresponding scale.
What I would like to do now is introduce the most common blues guitar scale and explain when it is best suited. This scale is called the blues scale, and it is simply the minor pentatonic scale with a flat five added to the scale. Previously, I mentioned that the most common type of blues progression is composed of entirely seventh chords(R,3, 5,flat7). The blues scale is the most popular scale used to solo over this type of progression. You may have realised that this scale contains a minor third, however the chords use the major third. How could this sound good? Wouldn't they conflict? Well, put simply this is what gives the blues such a distinctive "bluesy" sound - the flat 5 also gives this "bluesy" sound.
So there you have it, to find the correct scale to play over a 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 mixolydain mode as described previously, or just use the blues scale. Using the key of A - you would use the A blues scale. If it is a A major or A minor as the I chord you would use the A major and the A minor scale respectively. You could also just use the A blues scale over these two progressions as well, or a combination. You have plenty of options available, so have some fun and experiment with these various blues guitar scales.
About the Author:
Clause N Dillon has been learning and playing music for over twenty years. He has just released an easy to follow guitar scales and soloing E Book which will help any guitar player to learn lead guitar and soloing. For a limited time we have arranged for subscribers to receive a free copy by clicking the blue text. Learn Guitar Scales, Blues Guitar Scales
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