Free Guitar Lesson: The Complete Blues Scale

Online Guitar Scale Instruction, Fingering Patterns and Blues Boxes

Apr 6, 2009

Suite 101 risks life, limb, and finger cramps to reveal the secret language of the Blues. Behold, the Complete Blues Scale

When looked at all at once, the Blues Scale can be hard to read and impossible to remember. The long string of fingering charts can intimidate the most stalwart of guitarists.

Music teachers get past this obstacle by breaking the scale down into “blues boxes” based on position. The author further breaks the scale down based on ease of fingering and tone.

Although a box can be found anywhere of the neck, the three boxes discussed here are most used by guitarists are discussed here: The Root Box, the IV Box, and the V Box.

The Blues Box in the Root Position

This is the most common position for melodic leads and soloing. It is also the most versatile. The fingering from this Blues Box allows you to use the most powerful of the fingers (the index and ring) to fret most of the notes. This improves speed and attack, and also allows the guitarist to use different tricks such as bending and sliding with the sure-handedness of these fingers.

The positioning of this Blues Box, as this article will soon show, also allows smooth transitions to other Blues Boxes.

This position is so important to soloing, that the author refers to it when teaching as “the House of Blues.”

The Root Blues Box (shown below) covers all six strings, which most of the boxes do not do (they could, but they become clumsy and awkward). Generally, the lower strings are used for riffs and the higher strings for melody, but feel free to experiment.

To move this (and all boxes) from key to key, simply match the root note with the key you want and go from there.

Blues Scale: Root Position Diagram (Numbers correspond to the note degree in the scale, 1= root, 2= second, 3b= flatted third)

E ----------:--1---:------:-----2-:---3b-----------------------------------------------

B ----------:--5--:-------:----6--:--7b------------------------------------------------

D ---------:-7b---:-------:--1---:-----------------------------------------------------

A ----------:-4----:-5b---:--5---:----------------------------------------------

E ----------:-1-----:------:---2--:--3b------------------------------------------

Expanding From the Root and The IV Blues Box

Although the Root Blues Box covers most of what the fledgling guitarist needs, it can be expanded on. The first step is to add “slide notes.” These notes are often used as part of a slide, either to slide up to the note above, or slide down to the note below.

E ----------:--1---:------:-----2-:---3b--:--------------------------------------------

B ----5b---:--5--:-------:----6--:--7b--:-----------------------------------------

D ------6--:-7b---:-------:--1---:-----------------------------------------------------

A ----------:-4----:-5b---:--5---:----------------------------------------------

E ----------:-1-----:------:---2--:--3b------------------------------------------

Next, we expand on the Root Blues Box by sliding up to a new box, called the IV (4) Box (The last note is the Fourth). If the first box is the House of Blues, this one would be the Garage of Blues.

This box is great because it is all index and ring finger, except for one note. It is very easy to play and memorize. Notice possible places to slide to, and licks waiting to happen just by taking a few notes from these boxes.

E ----------:--1---:------:-----2-:---3b--:----:--4---------------------------------------

B ----5b----:--5--:-------:----6--:--7b--:----:--1-------------------------------------

G -----2----:-3b--:-------:---4--:--------:--5-:----------------------------------

D ------6--:-7b---:-------:--1---:-----------------------------------------------------

A ----------:-4----:-5b---:--5---:----------------------------------------------

E ----------:-1-----:------:---2--:---3b------------------------------------------

Adding Some Country With the V (Five) Blues Box

The next box that you might use while soloing is a simple step up the fret board from the IV Box. Notice that this box has no 3b or 7b note. This takes away some of the bluesiness of the box and adds a bit of country flavor. As such, it is an excellent soloing box for country-blues or country rock songs.

To help remember its country flavor, the author refers to the V Box as “the Outhouse of Blues.”

E ----------:--1---:------:-----2-:---3b----:-------:-----4-:-----5b-:--5---:------

B ----5b----:--5--:-------:----6--:--7b----:-------:-----1-:---------:--2---:-----

G -----2----:-3b--:-------:---4--:----------:---5---:-------:-----6--:-------:------

Study these boxes well. Many guitarist never learn more than one or two of these boxes. Master guitarists know these three, the lesser known boxes, and also know how to create their own. With time and experimentation those other boxes will come, but for now, these boxes will get the student where he wants to go.

For Further Information on Guitar Instruction and the Blues

The copyright of the article Free Guitar Lesson: The Complete Blues Scale in Guitar is owned by Craig Sanders. Permission to republish Free Guitar Lesson: The Complete Blues Scale in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.