A Blues Scale on Guitar
A C D E♭ E G — the minor pentatonic plus one note that makes it the blues.
A blues scale
Tap any fret to hear it. Gold dots are the root. Positions start at each scale note on the low string, so position 1 is the lowest box.
Notes
Minor pentatonic plus the ♭5 "blue note". Use the ♭5 as a passing note on the way to the 4th or 5th rather than a note to land on.
Play it over
Try it over Am or A7, a progression in A minor, or a 12-bar blues in A. Or turn the drone on and improvise over that.
Want a backing track instead of a drone? Loop a progression in the same key.
Notes and Intervals
| Note | Interval | From the root |
|---|---|---|
| A | R | Root · 0 semitones |
| C | ♭3 | Minor 3rd · 3 semitones |
| D | 4 | Perfect 4th · 5 semitones |
| E♭ | ♭5 | Diminished 5th · 6 semitones |
| E | 5 | Perfect 5th · 7 semitones |
| G | ♭7 | Minor 7th · 10 semitones |
Positions in Standard Tuning
| Position | Frets | Low E string starts on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0–4 | E |
| 2 | 2–6 | G |
| 3 | 4–8 | A · root |
| 4 | 7–11 | C |
| 5 | 9–13 | D |
| 6 | 10–14 | E♭ |
Positions are numbered from the lowest box on the neck, as in the explorer above. Add 12 to any of them for the same shape an octave higher.
About the A Blues Scale
The A blues scale is A, C, D, E♭, E and G: the A minor pentatonic with one extra note, the flat fifth (E♭), often called the blue note. It sits between the 4th and 5th and creates a moment of tension that resolves as soon as you move off it.
Use the E♭ as a passing note, not a destination. Sliding or hammering through it — D to E♭ to E, or the reverse — is the sound. Landing and holding on it sounds like a mistake.
Finding It on the Fretboard
The scale has 6 notes, so it has 6 positions: five-fret windows that each start on a different scale note on the low E string. The one that starts on the root, A, covers frets 4 to 8. It is the shape most lessons teach first, and the easiest to keep your bearings in, because the root is under your hand on both E strings. Use the position buttons in the explorer to isolate each one, and switch the labels to intervals to see what every fret does in the scale.
How to Practise It
- Take the 5th-fret A minor pentatonic box and add the blue note: 6th fret on the 5th string, and 8th fret on the 3rd string.
- Play D–E♭–E on the 3rd string (frets 7, 8, 9) as a quick chromatic run, then reverse it.
- Bend the D on the 3rd string up a half step to E♭, then on up to E, in one motion.
- Loop a 12-bar blues in A in the chord progression builder and solo through all three chords with the scale.
A steady reference makes every one of these more useful: open the drone generator on A in another tab and play against it.
Playing It Over a 12-Bar Blues
A 12-bar blues in A uses A7, D7 and E7. The A blues scale works over all three — its minor third against the A7 chord's major third is the bittersweet blues sound. The blue note works best as a quick passing note over A7. Over D7 it is a flat ninth against the chord and clashes if held, so slide through it there or leave it out.
Many players also mix in the major third, C♯, sliding up from C. That combination of minor and major thirds over the same chord is central to blues phrasing.
Explore every scale in every key in the scale explorer, or print the free guitar charts to practise away from a screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the notes of the A blues scale?
A, C, D, E♭, E and G: root, minor third, perfect fourth, flat fifth, perfect fifth and minor seventh. E♭ is sometimes written D♯; it is the same pitch.
What is the difference between the blues scale and the minor pentatonic?
One note. The blues scale adds the flat fifth to the five notes of the minor pentatonic. Everything else — the shapes, the chords it fits — is the same.
Is there a major blues scale?
Yes: the major pentatonic with an added flat third. In A it is A B C C♯ E F♯. It is used for brighter, more country-flavoured blues, and many solos switch between the major and minor versions.