26: Blues To Bebop and Beyond
General Blues Scale Info
Most people like blues scales. They sound cool, are fun to play and easy
to learn. They also come in handy if you’re improvising in blues, rock
and roll, country, jazz, and many other styles of music.
Just like all the other scales, the blues scale can be made by altering notes
of the major scale.
These altered notes are called blue notes, and their use originated with
Africans who were brought to this country as slaves. A blue note was
originally a bending of the pitch with the voice.
It’s thought that the use of “the blues” as a term for feeling down came
from a Native American tribe in the south who would cover their bodies
with a blue dye when they were in mourning. Slaves in the area saw the
practice and invented the term “feeling blue.” Maybe it’s just legend, but
it’s a story I like.The Blues Scale
Standard Blues Scale
The standard blues scale is also called the minor blues scale.
As usual, we’ll start with the key of C to avoid the confusion of lots of
accidentals.
The 3rd, 5th and 7th degrees are lowered a half step, but the P5th is also
needed so we’ll have to slap a natural on the G to get that one in.Example 26.1 C blues scale.