Blues Scale – Brand New Invention – Super Blues in E
NEW BLUES SCALE BREAKTHROUGH
The standard blues scale has been around for quite some time, also the country blues scale, the one that is really a C# blues scale played over songs in the key of E.
I’m reasonably confident that I have invented a new scale that is highly useable, easy to play and is more flexible over a lot of songs.
When you play the standard blues scale, the second one on my TAB and music dots chart, it sometimes sounds too blues too strong. An alternative is what I personally call the Country Blues Scale, the third one on my TAB and music notation. The Country Blues Scale is fantastic, sounds great over some tunes but if you look and listen to it closely it is minus the 7th (really flattened 7th) .
I woke up about five this morning and had a brain wave, a moment of inspiration and I thought ‘ What if I take the Country Blues Scale, remove the 6th (the C sharp) and replace it with the 7th instead.
Why oh why have I never thought of it before and why on earth have I never seen it over 38 years of playing guitar?
Is it because we often miss the simple and obvious.
So the notes are E, F sharp , G natural, G sharp, B and D natural.
Yes we could create hybrids of this but this is a great starting point and I’ll be adding information in the near future on how to use it intelligenty, it comfortably sits over chord one of an E blues, the E7 chord.
I decided to call it the Super Blues Scale at this point, but may change it later.
To download this scale click: Super Blues Scale in E
That looks like a marriage between a chromatic scale and the starndard blues scale. You maybe able to get a more diverse application in terms of which styles it can be used for as the chromatic scale can be used pretty much anywhere over any key. I’ll give it a try next time I pick up my guitar.
Thanks Majik, that’s an interesting response and much appreciated.
I think that the chromatic scale is a little broader and less refined in it’s application because really, it includes the lot. But I guess yes, the use of the 3 notes one semi-tone apart some way implies a similarity but it’s really built on an E9th arpeggio with a secondary blue note, the G natural added to create tension.
The relationship would definetly be with the blues scale, or what I call the Country Blues Scale to avoid an misunderstanding, which is a C sharp Blues used over in, and all we a doing is substituting the 6th of E Country Blues Scale with the flat 7.
Majik, I’m interested whether you’ve ever seen it before???
Thanks Tony
Well actually it’s a marriage of the major and minor pentatonic scales. The chromatic notes are passing tones which provide extra flavor to soloing. This marriage has been done before but i like how you used the passing tones with the major/minor pentatonic mix.
-Alex-
Thanks Alex.
That’s very very close but look closely and I think you’ll see one note different
Tony
Alex
Make that 2 notes different
Tony
You’re right. The flat seven. I missed it, thats really cool. That would be really useful over some bluesy jazz stuff, especially with arpeggiations. Good job.
-Alex-
Thanks Alex. I’ve been running this past a lot of players and some say they have seen it, and no-one can find a reference to it. However, it would have been possible to play it accidentaly many times
Very interesting indeed! I like the sound. It’s a good alternative once you’ve gone around the blues a couple of times. it sounds fresh.
I like your site too. Keep adding to it.
Happy holidays,
Robert