The major scale or Ionian mode is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth that duplicates the first an octave higher. The pattern of seven intervals separating the eight notes is T–T–S–T–T–T–S. Join Guitar Super System today: on Instagram: on Twitter: http://twitter.com/musiciswinFoll.
Learning a new scale means memorizing its interval pattern – its unique series of half-steps and whole-steps.
However it always surprises me when a student recites the set of 7 intervals for a scale or mode – ‘whole-step – half-step – WS – WS …’ etc.
I don’t think of scales scales this way, because memorizing 7 half-step / whole-steps in a row is a lot of work. Especially when you attempt to do this for every new scale.
The more scales you learn, the easier it becomes to memorize new scales – because you can mix and match the scales that you’ve already learnt – and you’re not learning new material. You’ve probably already encountered a scale with the same bottom half (root – 5th), and you’ve probably encountered a scale with the same top half. Scales help you understand music, how to solo, improvise, analyse chords, chord progressions and songs among many other aspects of music. Types of Scales. Based around the number of notes, scales can be: Octatonic (eight notes): used in jazz and modern classical music; Heptatonic (seven notes): the most common modern Western scale. If we take each of those scales and learn all of the different modes associated with each, we get 21 different modes, all with very different sounds (each scale has 7 notes, so there are 7 modes per parent scale. Parent scales being Major, Melodic Minor and Harmonic Minor). I would suggest tackling these one at a time.
So here’s how I think of scales instead:
MY SHORT CUT
I divide every scale into 2 halves – root – 5th, and 5th – root:
And I memorize both parts separately.
So for the major scale, I remember the interval pattern from the root– 5th, and then I remember the interval pattern from 5th up to root:
For the minor scale, I remember the interval pattern from the root – 5th, and then I remember the interval pattern from the 5th up to the root:
Side Note: Although scales are usually written up to their 7th note, it’s important to memorize the intervals right up to where the root repeats (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1). Since there’s still an interval between 7th and root which you’ll be playing and hearing.
OTHER SCALES
I do this for almost every type of scale – the modes, harmonic minor, blues scale, etc:
Here’s how I remember the blues scale:
Both halves start with the same interval pattern, so I just remember the bottom half of the blues scale – and then build that from the 5th, before cutting it off short at the root.
Here’s how I remember the harmonic minor scale:
Here’s how I remember the ‘octatonic’ / ‘diminished’ scale(same scale, different names):
And since almost all scales have a natural 5th, this works nearly every time.
HYBRID SCALES
The more scales you learn, the easier it becomes to memorize new scales – because you can mix and match the scales that you’ve already learnt – and you’re not learning new material.
You’ve probably already encountered a scale with the same bottom half(root – 5th), and you’ve probably encountered a scale with the same top half(5th – root). So just memorize the new scale as a mixture of the 2:
I remember the melodic minor scale as:
I remember the lydian scale as:
I remember the mixolydian scale as:
I remember the lydian-dominant scale as a combination of lydian + mixolydian scales (which is actually what ‘lydian-dominant’ refers to):
Joining 2 scales together is sometimes referred to as creating a ‘hybrid scale‘. But who’s to say which scales are a hybrid of which? You could argue that every scale is a hybrid of something else.
As far as learning goes, I memorize all scales as hybrids of other scales.
THE FEW EXCEPTIONS
What about the few exceptions that don’t have a natural 5th? The only 2 scales that I commonly play without natural 5ths are the whole-tone scale, and the altered scale.
The whole-tone scale is easy to remember – it’s all whole-tones. However I still find myself still thinking of this scale as a hybrid:
And for the altered scale, I still find a way to think of this in 2 halves – since I remember this scale as the ‘melodic minor scale built off the flat 2nd’(Db melodic minor – Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb C) – which is how most jazz players think of this scale.
CONCLUSION
Instead of learning each scale as a completely new set of 7 intervals – find ways to memorize it based on the scales you already know.
When you do this, learning new scales is quick and becomes easier with the more scales you learn.
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Despite what you might have heard, the blues scale isn’t your grandfather’s musical scale.
Whether you shred on guitar in a metal outfit or compose jazzy electronic pop from your bedroom, the blues scale is a powerful tool you can use to create with.
Making music can be tough when you don’t know how or where to begin, but luckily, musical staples like blues scales are here to help.
From catchy pentatonic blues scales to attention-grabbing blues notes, blues scales have the power to make music more memorable and engaging.
In this guide, we’re breaking down the world of blues scales. We’ll show you what they are and how to use them to liven up your music.
What is the blues scale?
A blues scale is a six note scale based on the major or minor pentatonic with added chromatic “blue” notes. The blue notes are ♯ 4/♭5 in the minor blues scale and ♭3 in the major blues scale. The more common minor blues scale has the semitone pattern 1-2-♭3-4-♭5-♭7, and the major blues scale has the pattern 1-2-♭3-3-5-6.
I’ll go through and unpack that to explain exactly how blues scales work—and how to use them in your music.
Major and minor scales have concrete, well-defined characters, but blues scales create entirely new characters by melding both major and minor sounds together into memorable scales.
Like all chords and scales, blues scales are fixed patterns of notes.
Like all chords and scales, blues scales are fixed patterns of notes.
This means that a blues scale on guitar is built with the same notes as the blues scale on bass or piano.
Blues notes and scales gave birth to an entire musical genre in the early 20th century, but blues scales are now used in basically every musical genre and style you can think of.
Pentatonic scales
Different blues scales can be built on both major and minor scales, but all blues scales are constructed with notes taken from simple 5-note pentatonic scales.
If you’re unfamiliar with how to play blues scales, starting by memorizing pentatonic scales first is your best bet.
On the keyboard, a major pentatonic scale can easily be played and recognized as the black keys starting with the F# note:
Blue notes
Blues notes are what transforms major and minor pentatonic scales into pentatonic blues scales (or just blues scales for short).
For example, let’s take a look at a basic E minor pentatonic scale:
New Notes - Scales Chart
By adding a single blues note we can change the tone and feel of this E minor pentatonic scale into something more compelling and memorable:
By adding a single blues note we can change the tone and feel of this E minor pentatonic scale into something more compelling and memorable.
Now, let’s build an E major blues scale starting with the E major pentatonic notes:
How you choose to play blues scales will entirely depend on your instrument and the key you’re playing in. Singing or playing the blues scale on an instrument is as simple as incorporating blues notes into what you’re performing.
How to use blues scales
Asking how to use blues scales in music is sort of like asking a chef how to cook an egg.
From making vocal melodies more interesting to unlocking new musical characters in any genre, blues scales have tons of great uses.
Asking how to use blues scales in music is sort of like asking a chef how to cook an egg.
Improvising
Blues scales are perfect jumping-off points for musical improvisation.
Despite only being six notes long, major and minor blues scales pack loads of character and endless musical possibilities.
By playing blues scales over repeating 12-bar blues chord progressions, you’ll have access to more musical directions and ideas than you can shake a stick at.
Writing melodies
A simple blues note has the power to transform an otherwise bland melody into something compelling and unforgettable.
Musicians can create vocal and instrumental melodies by experimenting with blues scales.
Music Notes On The Scale
Using the 12-bar blues chord progression is a great way to improvise with blues scales, but don’t stop there.
You can write blues melodies over any combination of chords, but to make something that works will take experimentation.
Exercises to build muscle memory and theory knowledge
Blues scales are great tools for building technical skills and music theory chops.
Memorizing major and minor blues scales vocally or on our instruments helps you use them later on in songwriting or during improvisation. For singers, this is a huge asset when it comes to writing vocal melodies.
Memorizing major and minor blues scales vocally or on our instruments helps you use them later on in songwriting or during improvisation.
New Notes - Scales Of Life
Keyboard, bass, and guitar players have an easier time writing new music and performing other artist’s songs when they take the time to memorize blues scales in different keys.
Learn the blues scale
Musicians thrive when they give themselves the resources they need to succeed.
Time, space for working in, and tools like blues scales can give you access to powerful new directions in music you might not have been able to find otherwise.
Basics like scales and chords might seem like boring music theory knowledge, but they’re actually massive benefits when it comes to creating music.
New Notes - Scales Pdf
No matter what your goals are in music, memorizing and using blues scales will be a big help.