Blues Scale: Notes, the Blue Note and How It Is Built

The blues scale is a six-note scale made by adding one expressive note, the famous blue note, to the pentatonic scale. It is the heart of blues, jazz, rock and soul.

What is the blue note?

The blue note is the flat fifth (♭5, a diminished 5th above the tonic), a passing note outside the pentatonic scale that gives the blues its characteristic "sad" or tense color. In the A minor blues scale, that note is E♭.

Minor blues scale

It is the minor pentatonic scale (1 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭7) with the blue note (♭5) inserted between the 4th degree and the perfect 5th. On A: A · C · D · E♭ · E · G.

Major blues scale

There is also a major version: the major pentatonic scale with a blue note (the ♭3) added. On C: C · D · E♭ · E · G · A. It sounds friendlier and is common in country blues and gospel.

Type	Notes (example)	Blue note
Minor blues	A C D E♭ E G	E♭ (♭5)
Major blues	C D E♭ E G A	E♭ (♭3)

How it is used

The blue note is usually played as a passing note or with a slight bend (on guitar) or glissando, not as a note to rest on. Improvising with this scale over a blues progression produces the instantly recognizable sound of the genre.

The minor blues scale in all keys

The minor blues scale written from each of the 15 starting notes, with its correct spelling and its staff. The solfège names used in Spanish-, French- and Italian-speaking countries (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si) correspond to C, D, E, F, G, A, B.

Key	1	♭3	4	♭5	5	♭7
A	A	C	D	E♭	E	G
E	E	G	A	B♭	B	D
B	B	D	E	F	F♯	A
F♯	F♯	A	B	C	C♯	E
C♯	C♯	E	F♯	G	G♯	B
G♯	G♯	B	C♯	D	D♯	F♯
D♯	D♯	F♯	G♯	A	A♯	C♯
A♯	A♯	C♯	D♯	E	E♯	G♯
D	D	F	G	A♭	A	C
G	G	B♭	C	D♭	D	F
C	C	E♭	F	G♭	G	B♭
F	F	A♭	B♭	C♭	C	E♭
B♭	B♭	D♭	E♭	F♭	F	A♭
E♭	E♭	G♭	A♭	B𝄫	B♭	D♭
A♭	A♭	C♭	D♭	E𝄫	E♭	G♭

Staff for each key

Minor blues scale on E, with the accidentals written next to each note: E, G, A, B flat, B, D, E. The blue note (flat 5) is B flat. — E

Minor blues scale on B, with the accidentals written next to each note: B, D, E, F, F sharp, A, B. The blue note (flat 5) is F. — B

Minor blues scale on F sharp, with the accidentals written next to each note: F sharp, A, B, C, C sharp, E, F sharp. The blue note (flat 5) is C. — F♯

Minor blues scale on C sharp, with the accidentals written next to each note: C sharp, E, F sharp, G, G sharp, B, C sharp. The blue note (flat 5) is G. — C♯

Minor blues scale on G sharp, with the accidentals written next to each note: G sharp, B, C sharp, D, D sharp, F sharp, G sharp. The blue note (flat 5) is D. — G♯

Minor blues scale on D sharp, with the accidentals written next to each note: D sharp, F sharp, G sharp, A, A sharp, C sharp, D sharp. The blue note (flat 5) is A. — D♯

Minor blues scale on A sharp, with the accidentals written next to each note: A sharp, C sharp, D sharp, E, E sharp, G sharp, A sharp. The blue note (flat 5) is E. — A♯

Minor blues scale on D, with the accidentals written next to each note: D, F, G, A flat, A, C, D. The blue note (flat 5) is A flat. — D

Minor blues scale on G, with the accidentals written next to each note: G, B flat, C, D flat, D, F, G. The blue note (flat 5) is D flat. — G

Minor blues scale on C, with the accidentals written next to each note: C, E flat, F, G flat, G, B flat, C. The blue note (flat 5) is G flat. — C

Minor blues scale on F, with the accidentals written next to each note: F, A flat, B flat, C flat, C, E flat, F. The blue note (flat 5) is C flat. — F

Minor blues scale on B flat, with the accidentals written next to each note: B flat, D flat, E flat, F flat, F, A flat, B flat. The blue note (flat 5) is F flat. — B♭

Minor blues scale on E flat, with the accidentals written next to each note: E flat, G flat, A flat, B double flat, B flat, D flat, E flat. The blue note (flat 5) is B double flat. — E♭

Minor blues scale on A flat, with the accidentals written next to each note: A flat, C flat, D flat, E double flat, E flat, G flat, A flat. The blue note (flat 5) is E double flat. — A♭

Frequently Asked Questions

How many notes does the blues scale have?

Six: the five notes of the pentatonic scale plus the blue note. The most used version is the minor blues scale (1, ♭3, 4, ♭5, 5, ♭7).

What is the blue note?

It is the characteristic note of the blues that is added to the pentatonic scale: the flat fifth (♭5) in the minor blues scale. It gives the genre its tense, expressive color and is usually played as a passing note or with a bend.

What is the difference between the minor and the major blues scale?

The minor blues scale starts from the minor pentatonic and adds the ♭5; the major blues scale starts from the major pentatonic and adds the ♭3. The minor one sounds more tense and the major one friendlier.

Where does the blues scale come from?

From the minor pentatonic scale, with one passing note added (the blue note). That is why learning the pentatonic scale first makes it much easier to master the blues.