All About Blues Scales

Name: All About Blues Scales
Rating: 4.8 (3 reviews)

Understand the Scales - Improve Your Solos!

Created byJosh Cook

Last updated 9/2024

English

What you'll learn

Learn how the major and minor blues scales are formed
Identify the differences between pentatonic scales and blues scales
Discover the function of "blue notes"
Learn tons of blues scales "tricks" to get you playing within these scales
Form solos and melodies using these scales with confidence
Superimpose various blues scales over different chord types

Course content

3 sections • 14 lectures • 1h 32m total length

About Major Blues Scales12:03
Let's break down the major blues scale in terms of it's construction and it's function/applciations.
About Minor Blues Scales13:14
Let's break down the minor blues scale in terms of it's construction and it's function/applciations.

b3 b74:13
Starting off very simple, let's stay close to home base and discuss the use of move to the b3 and b7, both notes beside the root of our minor blues scale.
Grace Notes and Open String Concept9:50
Since we can't bend notes like guitarists, or slide between frets, we are left using the "blue note" as a grace note. However, thinking the way guitarists think allows us to tap into a classic blues sound. We cover this by discussing something called the open string concept.
Slingshots6:44
This is my own terminology for a blues lick rhythmic approach that's timeless.
Phrasing 3's8:18
This rhythmic trick will get you syncopating your solo ideas in no time!
Fast and Flashy5:43
If you want to "rip" through your blues lines, you'll need to have an approach to playing quickly. That's what we cover in this class.
Top Note Down4:38
A simple but effective blues lick that is both easy to understand and execute.
Zig-zags4:10
As the title tells us, this is an approach to the pentatonic scale where you'll be zig-zagging through the notes and sounding like a pro in this scale!
Pentatonic Dyads4:59
Let's group pairs of two notes as a way of harmonizing our blues lines.
Superimposing Blues Scales10:35
Over a C chord, you're not stuck with playing C blues scales. Let's discuss some other common options.
The Riff4:22
A classic sounding descending blues line, "The Riff" will get you thinking about how to fuse chord tones and blues scales together.

Requirements

You should know the notes on the piano and have some basic experience on the instrument

Description

If you're interested in learning how to solo, whether it be in the context of blues, rock, pop, or even jazz, then the major and minor blues scales are here to help you!

It's important to know WHY they are constructed the way that they are, WHEN to use them, and HOW to best apply them. This course will cover all of these important points as well as provide plenty of tricks within these scales to get your blues scale vocabulary started on the right foot!

We will cover topics such as:

Grace notes & Open String Concept

Slingshots

Phrasing 3’s

Zig-zags

Pentatonic Dyads

Quartal Harmony

Superimposing Blues Scales

and so much more!

So whether you are a beginner looking to get started with using these scales, or a pro looking for a different perspective about these scales, or even if you're just looking for some fun blues scale "tricks", this course is the right place for you!

If soloing seems scary to you, then these scales are the perfect starting point. They eliminate "bad" sounding notes and add a "blue note" which provides an instant timeless sound within your solos. Think of this scale like bumper bowling. This is where in bowling alleys they put up side rails to avoid getting the ball in the gutter. No matter how bad you are at bowling, you'll always knock down some pins. Well in this case, these scales are forgiving in such a way that you almost can't make them sound bad!

Topics will be broken down bit by bit to make learning these scales as easy as possible. So get ready to heighten your ability to solo and improve your theoretical knowledge around these timeless scales.

Who this course is for:

Beginner blues pianists
Music producers/composers looking to explore blues scales deeply
Singers looking to improve their vocal runs
Jazz musicians looking to add a blues influence to their improvisations

All About Blues Scales

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

What are Blues Scales?2 lectures • 25min

Blues Scale Tricks10 lectures • 1hr 4min

Outro2 lectures • 3min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: