Re: [Harp-L] Re: Blues scale vs. Pentatonic scale

["Tom Muck" <tmuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There are a lot of variations on the blues scale in this thread. :-)  This is my understanding: a pentatonic scale has five notes (penta = five). The major pentatonic is based on the major scale, and the minor pentatonic is based on a minor scale (aeolian mode). The blues scale is based partly on the minor pentatonic, but contains "extra" notes. The minor third in the blues scale should be bent up slightly, but not quite halfway to the major third. For that reason, a blues scale is not a traditional western scale because it contains notes between semi-tones that are not among the 12 tones of a scale, and it cannot be played on piano. Also, the whole note between the fourth and fifth (a dimished fifth) can be used as a 6th note in the scale (the blue note). 

1 b3 4 (b5) 5 b7 8 

However, when playing licks, there are even more notes. A common lick over a I chord would be the 4th, minor 3rd, major 3rd.  If you play the 6th, it's actually more of a dorian mode than a blues scale, but it is frequently used too.

Tom

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Peloquin" <peloquinharp@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 2:09 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Blues scale vs. Pentatonic scale


George "Cooks" Brooks sez:

Using numbers to show how the scale is
>constructed (1 b3 3 5 6 1), Michael has the root, the flat 3 and the 3, 5, 
>6, and 1 (octave), but no 2 or 9.  The numbers do not seem to match the 
>scale as spelled with letters.  I would like to understand this better.  
>Where did I slip off the rails?
>
>GB

oops I missed one (I mean the 2!)

should be 1 2 b3 3 5 6

Michael Peloquin
http://www.harpsax.com
http://www.myspace.com/harpsax

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