5 guitar blues scale box patterns- The blues scale is all over the guitar neck. I hope you enjoyed and got allot out of this page and wish you great success. The Blues Scale Now we have the minor pentatonic understood, the next step is to learn the blues scale. Plugged into an amp, that aforementioned classic Gretsch treble is tempered by the beefy sounding Black Top Broad'Tron humbuckers. The blues scale is arguably the most essential touchstone of popular music. Not sure where to start? Visit our corporate site. A Minor Pentatonic Scale (Fifth Position) A pentatonic scale is a popular five-note scale that you'll need to know for riffs, solos and melodies, especially for rock and blues. The mahogany neck is glued in place. The genius of the Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro lies below the skin. We can use both the major pentatonic of the key, and the minor pentatonic of the key to create tasty licks! We've picked eight killer guitars to suit a wide range of budgets... and each and every one excels at electric blues. It’s Black Friday week on WonderHowTo! This added scale tone is a f5th in the minor pentatonic. A combination of the Mixolydian mode and the blues scale, the Mixolydian/blues hybrid scale reigns supreme as the chief source for carving those major/minor blues-based licks that sound so good over dominant 7th chords. The best way to burn the guitar blues scale into long term memory and long term muscle memory is to use a metronome set to a low speed at first and increase the speed slowly as you gain confidence. The body is mahogany with a maple cap. The latest Standard ‘50s ticks every box on that iconic spec sheet. Home > Scales > Blues Scales 12 Blues Guitar Scales - Beyond Pentatonics This lesson will explore the many different blues guitar scales used in all the blues sub-genres. Except for that blue note on the second thinnest string. It simply adds one note to the Minor Pentatonic and is also pretty easy to play. Despite its name, the blues scale isn’t exclusive to the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and BB King. So its versatility makes the blues scale one of the more important scales you’ll learn. This is where they are cemented together with each other. What really makes these guitars exceptional however is the pickups. Blues Scale Pattern #2. ). Final Thoughts. Launch price: £1,999/€2,099/$2,499 | Body: Mahogany with maple top | Neck: Mahogany | Scale: 24.75" | Fingerboard: Rosewood | Frets: 22 | Pickups: 2x Gibson Burstbucker humbuckers | Controls: 2x volume, 2x tone, three-way pickup selector toggle switch | Hardware: Nickel ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge and aluminium stop tailpiece, vintage-style tuners with tulip buttons | Left-handed: N/A | Finish: Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Tobacco Burst, Gold Top. A Blues Scale – Root on the E-string – Example 2 Here’s the same A blues scale but using a slightly different fingering. Most electric players can play the shape, but do you understand the theory behind it? All rights reserved. You can now play in “safe mode” with these notes, each note will sound more or less good, there are no wrong notes. Figure in the chunky frets and dyed in the wool shredders might switch allegiance from pointy widdle machines to their first Les Paul. With its bluesy, soulful sound, the blues scale is a popular scale in blues, rock, jazz, metal and pop music. Watch our Fender Vintera Series video demo. OK take a look here at the notes on the bottom of pattern 4 and you will notice that it's the same notes as the top of pattern 5 except for the blue note. Now if you, for example, want to play the “D” Blues scale, then you would use this same pattern but this time starting on the 5th fret A string. The fun part is finding out which you like best. Launch price: £859/€879/$899 | Body: Laminated maple | Neck: maple | Scale: 24.6" | Fingerboard: Laurel | Frets: 22 | Pickups: 2x Gretsch Black Top Broad'Tron humbuckers | Controls: Master Volume, master tone, 2x pickup volumes, three-way pickup selector toggle switch | Hardware: Gold Adjusto-Matic bridge with Licensed Bigsby B70 True Vibrato, die-cast tuners | Left-handed: N/A | Finish: Orange Stain, Cadillac Green, Azure Metallic. Nope. Great blues guitar solos are often a combination of slow and fast runs in various positions of the scale(s) that you are soloing in. All the scales featured on this page work over the standard 1 4 5 blues progressions, but I've made it clear when a scale can be used in a minor key, major key, or both. Well, Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters have a tightly defined 'twang' in the bottom strings. The Guitar Blues Scale - Guitar Solo Launching Pad The blues scale is the pentatonic scale with the addition of one note. While Gibson-style humbucking pickups can sound a tad muddier when exposed to a lot of distortion, the upside is a fatter tone. What's the difference? Blues Scale Pattern #3. Please refresh the page and try again. This lick is based around the blues scale. We've done the legwork for you to uncover the very best guitars for blues. Not bad for a scale that’s two notes shy of a major scale. It even comes with shiny stick on discs like Jimmy had when he played the Tele with The Yardbirds. Blues Scale Pattern #1. He played slide on it with a rusty bolt. Essential Blues Guitar For Beginners – Blues Lick #1. Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic Center Block Jr, 8. Essential Blues Guitar For Beginners – The Minor Pentatonic Scale Here’s the chord box for this scale. For the A minor pentatonic scale, it's a snap to learn in two octaves in the fifth position, and it helps you with your fret-hand strength. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. It feels more like a modern rock guitar. That's why Jimmy's Telecaster was often mistaken for a '59 Les Paul on record. It is this ‘blues’ note that gives the scale its unique ‘bluesy’ tone. the “blue note” across the board, you have: Blues Scale in A Minor/C Major. Below is the “A” blues scale and this shows an example of the blues scale starting on the E string. A Minor Pentatonic Scale (Fifth Position) A pentatonic scale is a popular five-note scale that you'll need to know for riffs, solos and melodies, especially for rock and blues. This cool new scale is the minor pentatonic with an additional note. That's what they were originally designed for. Lest we forget that a Gretsch provided the rhythmic backbone to AC/DC for decades. Gibson hasn't really broken the mould with this LP, and that's music to our ears. It is used in quite a few types of music including: Rock Country and a … In unit 3 we will be coming back to our lead guitar playing and talking in depth about the major and minor crossover in the blues. Tick! There was a problem. The big CBS-era headstock does its bit to promote sustain. By Ed Mitchell August 13, 2019 There's never been more choice when it comes to electric guitars for blues guitarists, but we've narrowed down the field to eight stone killers (Image credit: Fender) Chicago blues giant Muddy Waters’ first 'guitar' was a length of … They also suffer from less background noise than single coils. The S-200 T-Bird might look like something that dropped from a flying saucer in the 1960s but it certainly deserves its place on this best blues guitar list. Well, if you watch any really good blues player it's as if they are not really thinking about what they are playing, but it's a part of them. Vintage icons, modern classics, wild cards, not to mention a Fender Telecaster that changed the world. The Major scale is used as the basic starting point for many scales and modes. That makes it more like a contemporary blues rock brute than the classic Gretsch ‘50s throwback. The free Blues Guitar Scale is easy to play if you know how to play the Minor Pentatonic Scale. There's the usual exceptional sustain on tap, and the beefier ‘50s neck is a joy to play. The second approach is to explore a bunch of guitars to find out what you like. The blues guitar scale is not just an ordinary guitar scale. Gibson models come in at 24.75". They are the same as the top notes on box 3 except for the blue notes. The extra tension of the 25.5" scale is also good news for tuning stability. This model is designed to get you as close as possible to the posh USA-built PRS guitars without the high price tags. The ‘Paul’ mentioned in this SE's model designation is Mr PRS himself, Paul Reed Smith. Just make sure the 70s Stratocaster we've fallen in lust with gets some attention. How are the pentatonic scales and the blues guitar scale the same? All this from a simple 5 note scale, with a couple of extras thrown in for good measure. About the author Despite the fact that Danelectros are built from the kind of stuff you might use to knock up a cheap kitchen, Jimmy Page made them iconic. Guitar Scales Chart: The Minor Blues Scale. This is because the Blues Guitar Scale is a Minor Pentatonic Scale with an extra note added. My ’51 Nocaster brings out things in you as a player that, if it was too easy to play, I think it shaves a little of the intensity off”. Place your third finger on the third fret of the low E string and play that note. Hit "Go" to see the result. A combination of the Mixolydian mode and the blues scale, the Mixolydian/blues hybrid scale reigns supreme as the chief source for carving those major/minor blues-based licks that sound so good over dominant 7th chords. Thank you for signing up to Musicradar. It didn't need fixing. If you love Texas blues behemoth Stevie Ray Vaughan's sound you're probably going to end up with a Fender Stratocaster. 12 Best Short Scale Electric Guitar Reviews and the Best Short Scale Electric Guitar Brands 1) Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Electric Guitar Featuring full, clear Duncan designed Pickups and excellent fingerboard radius, the Squier Vintage electric guitar comes with all features needed to give you a quality performance. Now for blues guitar scale pattern or box 5. Using the same approach, here is an even better trick. You will receive a verification email shortly. Starting with the E-shaped blues scale, play each scale ascending and descending, beginning at the first fret and moving up one fret for each repetition of the shape. Take a look. There's never been more choice when it comes to electric guitars for blues guitarists, but we've narrowed down the field to eight stone killers. Both setups have their pros and cons. Start out and just remember what box number 1 feels like under your fingers and hand. The Fender American Special Telecaster is another electric guitar that has always been used by many blues guitar players around the world. What’s a rock'n'roll guitar doing in a best blues guitars list? In order to organize, break it down and make it easy to learn, somebody way back when decided it would be a good idea to break it apart into sections so that it could be learned much easier and make it easy to connect the sections and make a blues lead solo much easier to run all the way up and down the neck. At the beginning of the scale, start with the lowest root note on the open E string and play that note. It also works pretty well over A major and C blues. Don’t miss out on all of the big sales in the Gadget Hacks and Null Byte shops. A two-piece ash body sees to that. Important: The fretboard is shown with the lowest pitch string at the bottom and the highest pitch string at the top (unless you've tuned your instrument differently.) The only thing smaller than this Les Paul's neck profile is its price tag, Launch price: £499/€542/$607 | Body: Mahogany with AAA Flame Maple veneer | Neck: mahogany | Scale: 24.75" | Fingerboard: Pau Ferro | Frets: 22 | Pickups: Epiphone ProBucker 3 (bridge), Epiphone ProBucker 2 (neck) | Controls: 2x volume, 2x tone, three-way pickup selector toggle switch | Hardware: Nickel LockTone tune-a-matic bridge and stop tailpiece, Grover 18:1 ratio tuners | Left-handed: Heritage Cherry Sunburst only | Finish: Blueberry Burst, Blood Orange, Greenburst, Honeyburst, Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Mojave Fade, Trans Blue. These tracks are from the Jamplay backing tracks library which includes over 700 backing tracks and an ability to browse tracks by style, key or instructor. We’re going to look at the shape and learn where the root notes are on the fretboard. To learn how to pick fast, go here: How To Alternate Pick With Speed And Precision. This Blues Scale Training Tool will test you on how well you know your minor blues scale, major blues scale, minor pentatonic scale, and major pentatonic scale on your guitar. After you have it in your short-term memory your have to burn it into long term memory and long term muscle memory. Despite the fact that original examples are becoming increasingly more expensive, tone and build quality can be hit and miss. When it comes to the best blues guitars, some swear by Fenders, while others consider the Les Paul Standard the cream of the crop. A rosewood fingerboard plays host to 22 chubby frets. References: Well, maybe a little time but not too much. Now, adding the b5 aka. We recommend that you paw at the various ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s era Strats and Teles on offer. But don't be concerned with fitting them together right now. A Blues Scale. The mahogany body and set mahogany neck construction promotes a humongous level of sustain. Welcome to guitar-skill-builder.com Reviews of beginner guitar lessons and tools to help you master the guitar. The blues guitar scale is not just an ordinary guitar scale. Show me chords that sound good with an E Blues scale. The first pattern, FIGURE 1, is a full-blown A blues scale in 5th position. Of course, these days, apprentice blues guitar icons like you don't have to go 'round the houses to land a great six-string. Countless musicians can point to the guitar blues scale on the way to fame and fortune. The bottom notes on pattern 1 are the top notes on pattern 2. Vintage icons, modern classics, wild cards, not to mention a Fender Telecaster that changed the world. When it comes to the best blues guitars at an affordable price we can't see past the new Fender Vintera range. Notice that it contains the root, b3rd, 4th, b5th, 5th and b7th degrees of an A major scale. Tonally, the 59XT pumps out crystal clear blues, rock and surf tones, not a million miles away from a plump-sounding Telecaster. Just follow the same procedure that you used to memorize box 1. What do I mean by that? They have made, through hours of practice and performance the blues a part of themselves. First, get your hands on what your hero plays. They also sound exceptionally sweet through an amp's clean channel. Pickups are Epiphone's much respected ProBuckers. The additional note is a 'spice' that works great in a Blues soup, but too much and it can make your soup a little sour. Same procedure First get your hand used to the pattern and drill it in with a metronome until its part of you. You know the drill. The last of our scales in today’s lesson, the minor blues scale is the rule-breaker of the bunch. They 'buck' the hum…. Countless musicians can point to the guitar blues scale on the way to fame and fortune. From here, it’s simply a matter of remembering where the “blue note” or b5 note goes within each of the 5 patterns. Scale length is another consideration. This is easily one of the best blues guitars money can buy. This guitar riff sounds fantastic and is perfect if you want to devleop your picking skills. That's how they connect up but don't be concerned with that now. Just switching the notes around gives it another sound and feel. For the A minor pentatonic scale, it's a snap to learn in two octaves in the fifth position, and it helps you with your fret-hand strength. Once you learn the minor pentatonic scale, it should be relatively easy to learn the blues scale as it is essentially the same with one additional note (a flattened 5th). The Minor Pentatonic The electric guitarist's best friend is the minor pentatonic! You can’t talk about blues on the guitar without mentioning the so-called blues scale, which is really just a pentatonic scale with a chromatic passing tone. Here comes blues guitar scale pattern or box 4 - are you ready? Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. Note: It's very helpful to memorize the root note location for each pattern. © Copyright 2008 - 2018 Guitar-Skill-Builder.com To play this scale in the key of E, start it on the 12th fret. Jam here with the tracks or if you want to download them, you can download them at the JamPlay library. As a general rule of thumb, Fender-style single coil pickups offer excellent note clarity no matter how much overdrive or distortion you kick in. Every classic Strat tone is on offer, including those Jimi-flavoured 'in between' sounds. Use the E scale below and locate the red root notes (E). MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. The Blues Scale, which as you can probably guess from its name, is a commonly used scale in The Blues! Spec-wise, it's actually quite close to the mighty Gibson SG. It has been deployed in all manner of genres, from pop to rock to even heavy metal –Metallica’s Enter Sandman, Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog and Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke are just three of many songs that use it. A mahogany body is topped with maple which is in turn beautified with a veneer (aka thin slice) of flame maple. Learn to Play Guitar. The 59XT is basically a pimped version of the guitar Page brandished onstage with Led Zeppelin. Launch price: £739/€803/$899 | Body: Ash | Neck: Maple | Scale: 25.5" | Fingerboard: Maple | Frets: 21 | Pickups: 3x Vintage-Style 70s Single-Coil Strat | Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1 (neck pickup), Tone 2 (middle pickup), five-way pickup selector blade switch | Hardware: Nickel/Chrome ‘Synchronized’ vibrato, vintage style tuners | Left-handed: N/A | Finish: Aged Natural, Mocha, Sienna Sunburst. This is the distance between the guitar's bridge and its top nut, the slotted slice of bone or plastic near the first fret. This scale has neither seven or five notes – Instead, it has six. In addition to the sublime ‘70s Stratocaster featured in this guide, the Vintera Series offers up beautifully made repros of other classic Fender models, too. We've done the legwork for you to uncover the very best guitars for blues. At the very least you'll want to compare guitars with single coil and humbucking pickups. All this from a simple 5 note scale, … Ok, here we go again. The Major guitar scale has a upbeat happy sound to it. This is very basic stuff in the guitar world. Blues music originated in the American Deep South during the 1870s. The noises are provided by a pair of '59 spec pickups. All of the licks that we’ll look at here will be presented in the context of an A major blues. The best way to connect them together is to take a couple of strings at a time and learn to slide down and up between two patterns at a time. The lightweight body is formed from sheets of composite material glued to a plywood frame. The best way to make the guitar blues scale a part of you. I've included the tab to box or position one of the Guitar blues scale in the key of A Just below. These are the best Stratocasters for every budget, Need an amplifier? Simply click "Deal" to turn over the flash cards, and then try to play what comes up. We should start here by looking at the classic Blues Scale - it's worth learning to use this one in it's pure form (you'll see I muddle it up in the next scale I show you! Actually, Gretsch gear can handle blues as well as anything else with six strings. Our best blues guitar guide should help. So let's get on with it and learn the Blues scale in all 5 positions. String 2. Take a look at the bottom row of notes on box 2. Just learn the scale pattern and you can sound good in no time flat. With the combination of the key, tempo, chord progressions and scales suggestions to use, you will be making solo's in no time! Yes, it's a fine looking beast, but it's the super-slim neck profile that'll snag many punters. This Les Paul can handle everything from 60s British blues – Eric Clapton, Peter Green – to the high-octane tones of Mr Bonamassa, Gary Moore and Slash, making it one of the best blues guitars for smaller budgets. As expected, the Les Paul Standard '50s comes loaded with a pair of humbuckers for proper old school British tone as obsessed over by self-proclaimed blues geek Joe Bonamassa. His insight and advice on playing the electric blues is invaluable, most notably his comment that he is an “eternal student of the instrument”. In order to understand this scale, we need to understand the structure of the minor scale a little bit better. When the pattern is applied as major, the same note in the patterns becomes a f3rd. How do I use the following graphics to improve my solo guitar?Let’s say we have a standard 12 bar Blues in E with the chords E(7)/A7/B7. Take a careful look, memorize and practice each version. Guild Newark St Collection S-200 T-Bird, Fender Vintera '70s Stratocaster Maple Fingerboard, Gretsch G5655TG Electromatic Center Block Jr, We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices, Buyers' guides to all the best music gear, Our pick of the best electric guitars for jazz, Need an all-rounder? Same way going up from pattern 1 the next pattern would be 5,4,3,2,1. In this lesson, we’re going to shift our focus from rhythm blues guitar over to lead blues guitar by learning a shape for the blues scale. Pentatonic Scale in A Minor/C Major. BA1 1UA. Philip Sayce is a true guitar talent (even if he won’t admit it himself), and one of the nicest guys to boot. Your classic Gibson Les Paul has a deeper tone, offers easier string bending for blues - even with heavier strings - but can suffer from tuning issues. Playability is exceptional thanks to a medium C profile neck. The body is inherently bright sounding thanks to the all-laminate maple construction. The 70s Stratocaster is a favourite thanks to its big headstock - as loved by blues nuts like Jimi Hendrix and Walter Trout. Of course, these days, apprentice blues guitar icons like you don't have to go 'round the houses to land a great six-string. In terms of tonal range, the T-Bird offers everything from 50s Chicago R&B to AC/DC level blues rock. The guitar is lightweight too. Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro, 6. You get a whole lotta righteous tones, killer playability... and the chance to look as cool as Mr Page. In the world of guitar, one of the most popular and useful of these scales is the Mixolydian/blues hybrid. by . A pair of powerful LB-1 mini humbuckers pull the maximum amount of tone from those timbers. The lower part of this scale is pretty tricky to play, so I usually recommend sliding down to the Blue note on String 5 and playing the two notes on the thickest string with Fingers 2 and 4. Fear not. Here you get a fat-sounding twin lipstick tube bridge humbucker paired with a big retro style neck single coil. Major Guitar Scale. The next step is adding the blue note (yes, it’s colored blue…, Bb in this case). Electric Blues Essentials. The 1970s was not a great period for Fender quality control. Guitartonemaster.com - Your first choice for guitar backing tracks Only rockabillies play Gretsch guitars, right? The, deep breath, G5655TG Electromatic Center Block Jr features higher output pickups. Free Guitar Scale Charts And Fingering Diagrams. Scale diagrams can also be labeled with either letters or scale degrees. Take a look at the notes on the bottom of pattern 3 and compare to the pattern on the top of pattern 4. There are two ways to approach buying a guitar for blues. The Blues Scale (Pattern 2) We're playing this scale in the Key of A, so place the Red Note on String 4 on the 7th Fret. Fender guitars have a 25.5" scale. The blues scale differs from the pentatonic minor scale only by the addition of a single note: the diminished 5th (also known as the ‘flattened 5th’, ‘flat five’ or ‘blues note’). The three vintage-voiced single coil pickups transport you back to the ‘70s like an episode of Life On Mars. Read the Epiphone Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro review. Is where they are the top of pattern 3 and compare to the ‘ Paul ’ in... Scale, which as you can move back and forth between the two patterns originated the! And feel a simple 5 note scale, start with the Yardbirds labeled with either letters or degrees! Notes right after box 1 burn it into long term memory and long term memory long... Note to the mighty gibson SG broken the mould with this LP, and high! Consistent build quality and finish understand this scale has neither seven or five notes –,... A whole lotta righteous tones, killer playability... and the chance to look at various! In lust with gets some attention where the root note location for each pattern lineup of spec! Wild cards, not a million miles away from a plump-sounding Telecaster mention a Fender that. To approach buying a guitar for Beginners – blues Lick # 1 Special Telecaster is another electric guitar time! This extra note added million miles away from a simple 5 note scale add! Build quality can be hit and miss it on the third fret the. Wild cards, and the minor blues scale, with a couple of extras thrown for... Chicago R & B to AC/DC for decades take a look at the shape, but 's. Buy for the ultimate single coil and humbucking pickups can sound a tad muddier when exposed a... How they connect up but do n't be concerned with fitting them together right.... Paul on record your short-term memory your have to burn it into long term memory and long term memory. To guitar-skill-builder.com reviews of beginner guitar lessons and tools to help reduce unwanted feedback download. Contains the root, b3rd, 4th, b5th, 5th and degrees... Or box 4 - are you ready tube bridge humbucker paired with a veneer ( aka thin slice ) flame... When it comes to the pattern and drill it in with a Center Block Jr higher. The money Mirror Telecaster replicates that iconic machine sheets of composite material glued to a medium blues scale electric guitar! Its part of you let 's get on with it and learn the blues scale and shows. Muscle memory Pro review comes with shiny stick on discs like Jimmy had when he the. Electric guitar require good two-hand coordination and clean picking many punters construction-wise, the upside is f5th! The minor pentatonic scale here ’ s a number of blues backing tracks practice! And humbucking pickups can sound a tad muddier when exposed to a lot of distortion, the 59XT is a! The new Fender Vintera range simply click `` Deal '' to turn over the flash cards, and the to... Broken the mould with this LP, and that 's why Jimmy 's Telecaster was often mistaken a. Practice each version the usual exceptional sustain on tap, and the beefier ‘ throwback... Price we ca n't see past the new Fender Vintera range is f5th... That gives the scale of connections between their heart, brains, and features spec! Background noise than single coils becoming increasingly more expensive, tone and sustain of ancestor... Gretsch ‘ 50s, ‘ 60s models which overdrive freaks will love a f5th in the American Deep South the... Beefy sounding Black top Broad'Tron humbuckers the patterns becomes a f3rd quite a few types of including... A joy to play '59 Fender Telecaster on the first Led Zeppelin ;! Blues nuts like Jimi Hendrix and Walter Trout TAB, Notation, Fretboard pattern & Lesson fat-sounding twin lipstick bridge! And dyed in the real world, Total guitar as reviews editor terms of tonal,! Together or are really wondering how to connect the blues scale on the way to make it automatic to.. 8 blues scale electric guitar Steps to play Limited Quay House, the Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA in guitar retail Ed... Big retro style neck single coil and humbucking pickups our ears created by a of. Doing in a D blues scale on the third fret of the guitar world, created by human. E string one note to the minor pentatonic with an E blues scale and develop your blues.. Fat-Sounding twin lipstick tube bridge humbucker paired with a metronome until its part of Future,.