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Major Blues Scale

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Usually one of the first two scales that any guitarist learns, along with the minor blues scale, when beginning their exploration of lead playing, the Major Blues Scale is both one of the easiest scales to learn, and one of the trickiest to make sound unique and original when applied to a soloing situation.

How to Build a Major Blues Scale

The Major Blues Scale is built from the following interval pattern.

Root – 2 – b3 – 3 – 5 -6

To apply this scale in a soloing situation, you can use the Major Blues Scale over any major based chords, that is major triads, maj7 or 7th chords and their derivatives, as long as you change the root of the scale to fit the root of the chord.

This means that if you are playing over a G blues, you play G major pent over G7, C major pent over C7 and D major pent over D7, so you change the scale to fit each chord in the progression.

2 Common Major Blues Scale Fingerings

To help get you started, here are two common fingerings for the C Major Blues Scale, one with a 6-string root, and one with a 5-string root.

Try memorizing these scales in the key of C first, then take them to the other 11 keys around the neck as you expand on these scale shapes in your guitar practice routine.

Major Blues Scale Practice Guide

1. Sing the root note, C for example, and play the corresponding Major Blues Scales over that root.
2. Play a root note on the guitar, C for example, and then sing the corresponding Major Blues Scale over that root note.
3. Say the note names, or interval numbers, such as C D Eb E G A or 1 2 b3 3 5 6, as you play and sing the notes in the above exercises.
4. Put on a static vamp, A7, A, A6 or Amaj7 for example, and practice soloing over those chords using the related Major Blues Scale as the basis for your solo.
6. Repeat any/all of the above exercises in all 12 keys.

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