Paying Your Dues

Blues Notes, Bends, Boogie-Woogie 5ths

Session 2: Paying Your Dues

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The Blues Notes

Certain tones within a key give it a “bluesy” sound. These are called the Blues Notes.

Blues notes are scale tones that are adjusted slightly from their normal major scale

position. The notes that are adjusted are the 3rd, the 5th, and the 7th steps of the

major scale. In order to get that bluesy sound, you need to lower each of these steps

by a half-step. So, the blues notes are the flatted 3rd, flatted 5th, and the flatted 7th.

Each of these three tones brings different colors to your sound.

Practical Rules for Using Blues Notes

THE FLATTED 3RD RULE: The flatted 3rd and the normal 3rd can be used

interchangeably in the blues depending on the sound you want to get. The flatted 3rd

scale step serves as a color tone to get a blues sound.

THE FLATTED 5TH RULE: Use the flatted 5th as much as you want, just be sure to

resolve it. The flatted 5th is a dissonant tone that wants to resolve. So, in most

situations, it needs to be resolved when used--either up to the 5th or down to the

4th.

THE FLATTED 7TH RULE: When playing the Blues never use the normal 7th--always

use the flatted 7th. The flatted 7th is one of the defining tones in blues and its use

really establishes the blues sound.

Example 1

In this example, the same lick is played using a major or unaltered 3rd and using a

flatted 3rd. Listen for how the usage of the different 3rds alters the sound.

“Hearing the blues saved my life.” Van Morrison

Objectives

• Learning the blues
  notes and
  understanding how to
  use them.


• Hearing the blues notes.


• Playing bends
  effectively.


• Learning the Boogie-
  Woogie 5ths Pattern.

Key Ideas

The blues notes are the

flatted 3rd, flatted 5th,

and the flatted 7th.

The flatted 3rd and the

normal 3rd can be used

interchangeably

depending on the sound

you want to get.

When playing the Blues

NEVER use the normal

7th--always use the flatted

7th.

Use the flatted 5th as

much as you want, just

make sure to resolve it.

Blues Guitar with Steve Krenz 21 http://www.learnandmaster.com/bluesresources