Another scale that is very common in guitar playing besides the minor pentatonic is the Blues scale. In this lesson, you'll learn how the blues scale can darken the mood of your guitar solos.
Adding the flat fifth note to the minor pentatonic scale gives you not only a darker moodier tone but also increases your knowledge of the fretboard and your knowledge of music theory.
The more you know about notes, scales, and how to put them together to enhance your guitar playing, the better guitar player you will become.
But to do this, you must take the time to learn the sacred knowledge of the fretboard. Many mysteries are held within the guitar fretboard, and it is our objective as guitar players to unlock them as we continue our journey of learning to play the instrument.
Master the fretboard
To unlock the mysteries of the fretboard, we must start by learning our notes. The notes on the guitar fretboard are laid out in a very specific way and once you learn them you begin to see the hidden treasures that lie within them. Notes to chords, scales, and how to use them to create anything you choose to do.
It is this sacred knowledge that is going to help you find and use the blues scale to create a darker mood in your guitar playing. Music is all about emotion. Especially when you play rhythm guitar and try to use it to move your audience.
The pentatonic scales
I recommend you start by learning the pentatonic scales. These become the foundation for the blues scale and a great place to start for learning how to play guitar solos in general. The only difference between the pentatonic scale and the blues scale is the flat fifth note that is added. It is this flat fifth note that gives the blues scale its character and tone quality.
That is what music is all about, creating emotion with your instrument. No matter if you are playing guitar or any other instrument, music is all about emotion. Our job as musicians, and guitar players, is to learn how to create and control this emotion.
Here is an example of the minor pentatonic scale:
As you can see, the notes line up in a certain pattern and are fairly easy to execute. This is why I recommend that you start here. It is the most popular scale and all the great guitar masters in rock play it. From Jimi Hendrix to Jimmy Page to Angus Young and so forth. They all play this scale so it would be highly recommended you learn to play it.
The blues scale
What is great about the blues scale is that is the same scale except for a note that is added. The flat fifth note. If you break it down to music theory terms you start with the major scale that has 8 notes (this goes with any major scale) and then you take out 5 of them to create the pentatonic scale. Penta means five, and tonic means notes. So basically a scale of five notes. Pentatonic.
Now the blues scale will just add a note to this formula. So let’s say we are playing the five-note minor pentatonic scale in A. These five notes would be A C D E G. Now if we want to play the blues scale, we need to add another note. The flat 5th. This note would be, Eb. Now we would have six notes on the scale. The A-C D E Eb & G. Learning basic music theory teaches this. All we need to do now is find this note on the fretboard & add it to the scale:
Here the blues scale is presented in both the fretboard diagram and tab style. If you look at the minor pentatonic scale you can easily see that the two scales are the same except for the addition of a note added in two places. It is the same note, it’s just added in two different locations within the scale.
This flat fifth note is added on the fifth-string 6th fret and added on the third-string 8th fret. If you play the minor pentatonic scale and then play the blues scale with this note added, you will hear how they sound slightly different. The blues scale will have a darker sound. And it is because of this one-note addition that makes all the difference.
Watch the video lesson below
Additional training about scales
When it comes to playing guitar solos, it is all about your knowledge of scales. Just like when you play rhythm guitar it is the knowledge of guitar chords that makes all the difference. And just like guitar chords, you can create a lot with just a few basic ones. Scales are the same way. Learn a few of the right ones and you can do wonders.
If you start with the pentatonic scales (there are five of them) and use them as a point of foundation building, they will help you to understand more complex scales later in the future. This and more can be accomplished through the book I authored and self-published Lead Guitar Wizardry Volume 1
Lead Guitar wizardry is a book of spells and incantations that leads to the sacred knowledge of playing guitar solos. In a simple step-by-step fashion, it teaches you the fundamental principles of playing lead guitar. On this journey, you will learn to understand musical concepts that relate to lead guitar playing and dive into the practical application of these techniques.
Learn the art and practice of lead guitar magic. Develop great skills in a particular area of activity. Become very impressive and ingenious in the line of lead guitar expertise by having the tools and know-how to do so. This book will teach you to understand how to play the blues as well as other styles of guitar solos.
End headaches and frustration
One thing that is frustrating with most guitar players who try to play guitar solos, is knowing where to play and how to sound good no matter where they choose to do a solo along the fretboard. Can you just play anywhere? well, yes and no.
Yes: if you know where the scales reside on the fretboard. This sacred knowledge allows you to play anywhere you like and still sound good because you know what notes will work within the music key that you’re playing.
No: If you don’t know where the scales reside within a music key. Without this knowledge, you will fumble around playing notes that don’t sound good. The reason why they don’t sound good is that they are not within the key you are trying to solo in.
You can learn to end headaches and frustration by learning what is needed in this book Lead Guitar Wizardry in a very simple step-by-step manner. With scale box pattern diagrams and lessons on how to read and understand them, you will be able to unlock the mysteries of the guitar fretboard. Once you do this, you will be able to play guitar solos like a guitar wizard.
Learn quicker by following a method
Learning to play guitar is not always easy and can sometimes be more frustrating than fun. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You will find that if you take it step-by-step, you will learn quicker by following a method. A system of learning will allow you to progress faster and have more fun in the process.
When you learn a little here and a little there, you do see results but what commonly happens when trying to learn guitar even with guitar lessons on video like YouTube, is that you miss parts of the system. This is not noticed until later down the line when you run into roadblocks and hurdles that you can’t get over. You can avoid this by becoming a better guitar player when you follow a method of learning.
Lesson conclusion
When it comes to playing the blues scale and using it to darken the mood of your guitar solos, it is just a matter of understanding the notes within the scale, where they are located, and how to use them to express your artistic creativity.
If more help is needed, don't forget that I also offer private one-on-one guitar instruction. Customized lesson plans that cater to your age, interests & skill level. Online throughout the world via Zoom, Google & FaceTime. As well as In-Person lessons throughout the Denver Colorado Metro Area. Just text me at your earliest convenience to set up a free consultation.
Thanks for reading and until our next lesson, take care.
Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins
