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.
A blues progression, as mentioned earlier, can be built with entirely major chords. In this case the best fit would be using the major scale or Ionian mode to solo with. The major pentatonic scale could also be used effectively in this case. Both of these scales match the chords perfectly, in a musical sense.
When a blues progression contains just minor chords, it is best to use the natural minor scale, also known as the Aeolian mode, or the minor pentatonic scale. These scales will sit perfectly over these chords when soloing with the guitar.
I would like to introduce the most common blues guitar scale, and explain when it is best suited. This scale is simply called the blues scale, and is the same as the minor pentatonic scale, but has a flat five added to it. If you recall, I mentioned that the most common blues progression is made up of entirely seventh chords(R,3, 5,flat7). This is the one scale that is best suited to play over this type of progression. It may occur to you that this scale has a minor or flat third in it - whilst the chords are using major thirds. It doesn't fit, or make musical sense! Well, in a nutshell this is what gives the blues such a "bluesy" 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.
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.
A blues progression, as mentioned earlier, can be built with entirely major chords. In this case the best fit would be using the major scale or Ionian mode to solo with. The major pentatonic scale could also be used effectively in this case. Both of these scales match the chords perfectly, in a musical sense.
When a blues progression contains just minor chords, it is best to use the natural minor scale, also known as the Aeolian mode, or the minor pentatonic scale. These scales will sit perfectly over these chords when soloing with the guitar.
I would like to introduce the most common blues guitar scale, and explain when it is best suited. This scale is simply called the blues scale, and is the same as the minor pentatonic scale, but has a flat five added to it. If you recall, I mentioned that the most common blues progression is made up of entirely seventh chords(R,3, 5,flat7). This is the one scale that is best suited to play over this type of progression. It may occur to you that this scale has a minor or flat third in it - whilst the chords are using major thirds. It doesn't fit, or make musical sense! Well, in a nutshell this is what gives the blues such a "bluesy" 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 musician for over two decades, has written an easy to follow and practical guide to guitar scales and lead guitar, and is available FREE for a limited time by clicking the blue text : Bass Guitar Scales or Pentatonic Guitar Scales
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