Blues scale

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The blues scale is a hexatonic scale consisting of the minor pentatonic scale plus the ♯4 or ♭5 degree[1][2][3], however, since blues notes (or blue notes) are alternate inflections, strictly speaking there can be no one blues scale[4]. As named in contemporary jazz theory its use will be based upon the key and not the immediate chord[2], unlike some chords used in jazz.

The "blues scale" may also be a diatonic scale with lowered third, fifth, and seventh degrees[5] and blues practice is derived from the "conjunction of 'African scales' and the diatonic western scales"[6]. Steven Smith argues that ""to assign blues notes to a 'blues scale' is a momentous mistake, then, after all, unless we alter the meaning of 'scale'" [7].

[edit] Sources

  1. ^ Ferguson, Jim (2000). All Blues Scale for Jazz Guitar, p.6. ISBN 0786652136.
  2. ^ a b Arnold, Bruce (2002). The Essentials: Chord Charts, Scales and Lead Patterns for Guitar, p.8. ISBN 1890944947.
  3. ^ Harrison, Mark (2003). Blues Piano: Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series, p.8. ISBN 0634061690.
  4. ^ J. Bradford Robinson/Barry Kernfeld. "Blue Note", The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, Second Edition, London (2002)
  5. ^ Smallwood, Richard (1980). "Gospel and Blues Improvisation" p.102, Music Educators Journal, Vol. 66, No. 5. (Jan., 1980), p.100-104.
  6. ^ Oliver, Paul. "That Certain Feeling: Blues and Jazz... in 1890?" p.13, Popular Music, Vol. 10, No. 1, The 1890s. (Jan., 1991), pp. 11-19. Cites Rudi Blesh.
  7. ^ Smith, Steven G. (1992). "Blues and Our Mind-Body Problem", Popular Music, Vol. 11, No. 1. (Jan., 1992), pp. 41-52.


Musical scales by edit
# | pentatonic | hexatonic | heptatonic | octatonic | chromatic
Types | Altered | Bebop | Diatonic scale | Enharmonic | Jazz scale | Minor scale
Name | Acoustic | Blues | Bohlen-Pierce | Diatonic | Double harmonic | Half diminished | Harmonic major | Lydian dominant | Major | Major locrian | Pelog | Phrygian dominant scale | Slendro
"Ethnic" name | Arabic | Gypsy | Jewish
Modes of the diatonic scale edit
Ionian (I) | Dorian (II) | Phrygian (III)
Lydian (IV) | Mixolydian (V) | Aeolian (VI) | Locrian (VII)
Modes of the melodic minor scale edit
Melodic minor (I) | Dorian b2 (II) | Lydian Augmented (III)
Lydian Dominant (IV) | Mixolydian b13(V) | Locrian #2 (VI) | | Altered (VII)



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