A blues scale
Pentatonic6 notes · E♭
Ablues
KeyboardRight hand · 1 = thumb
Fingering guideOne octave · both hands
| Hand | A | C | D | E♭ | E | G | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 | 2 | 1thumb under | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Left hand | 3 | 2 | 1 | 44 over | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Chords in the key
Chords are built by stacking every other note of a seven-note scale. Blues has 6, so try the natural minor scale for its chords.
How to read a scale
Steps, degrees, fingers.
The step pattern
Every scale is a pattern of whole and half steps. A blues goes W+H–W–H–H–W+H–W: the step and a halfs between A and C, and between E and G give it its colour.
The degrees
Number the notes from the root: 1 A, ♭3 C, 4 D, ♭5 E♭, 5 E, ♭7 G. The degrees stay the same in every key, so a pattern learned in A works in any other.
The fingering
Right hand: the thumb tucks under onto D. Left hand: finger 4 crosses over onto E♭. Practise the crossings slowly; once they're smooth, raise the tempo.
All 216 scales
Every scale and mode on every root, each with its own page.
C
D♭
D
E♭
E
F
G♭
G
A♭
A
B♭
Practise it on a real keyboard.
Plug in a MIDI keyboard: the Melodio app shows every scale with its fingering and chords, and names what you play. Free, offline.
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