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A blues scale on guitar

Every note of the scale on the neck, 5 positions with tab, and the chords to play it over. Tap a note on the fretboard to hear it.

A Blues: A (1) · C (♭3) · D (4) · E♭ (♭5) · E (5) · G (♭7)

E1
B2
G3
D4
A5
E6

Swipe the neck sideways to see frets up to 15.

Tap any fret to hear its note.

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About the A blues scale

A blues is the minor pentatonic with one extra note, the flat five (E♭). That passing note gives blues and rock licks their bite: slide or bend through it rather than resting on it.

Notes of the A blues scale

A blues has 6 notes: A, C, D, E♭, E, G. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7, and the steps between its notes are 3-2-1-1-3-2 frets.

  • A1
  • C♭3
  • D4
  • E♭♭5
  • E5
  • G♭7

A blues scale positions

The five blues boxes are the minor pentatonic boxes with the flat five added, shown in grey. Position 1 starts on the root, A, on the low E string.

  1. Position 1

    Frets 5–8
    EADGBe5678ACDE♭EGACDE♭EGAC
    e|-------------------------5-8-5-------------------------|
B|---------------------5-8-------8-5---------------------|
G|---------------5-7-8---------------8-7-5---------------|
D|-----------5-7---------------------------7-5-----------|
A|-----5-6-7-----------------------------------7-6-5-----|
E|-5-8-----------------------------------------------8-5-|

  2. Position 2

    Frets 7–10
    EADGBe78910CDEGACDE♭EGACD
    e|----------------------------------8--10-8-----------------------------------|
B|----------------------------8--10----------10-8-----------------------------|
G|-------------------7--8--9-----------------------9--8--7--------------------|
D|-------------7--10----------------------------------------10-7--------------|
A|-------7--10----------------------------------------------------10-7--------|
E|-8--10----------------------------------------------------------------10-8--|

  3. Position 3

    Frets 9–13
    EADGBe910111213DE♭EGACDE♭EGACDE♭E
    e|-------------------------------------10-11-12-11-10-------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------10-13----------------13-10-------------------------------|
G|-------------------------9--12----------------------------12-9--------------------------|
D|----------------10-12-13----------------------------------------13-12-10----------------|
A|----------10-12----------------------------------------------------------12-10----------|
E|-10-11-12----------------------------------------------------------------------12-11-10-|

  4. Position 4

    Frets 12–15
    EADGBe12131415EGACDE♭EGACDEG
    e|----------------------------------12-15-12----------------------------------|
B|----------------------------13-15----------15-13----------------------------|
G|----------------------12-14----------------------14-12----------------------|
D|-------------12-13-14----------------------------------14-13-12-------------|
A|-------12-15----------------------------------------------------15-12-------|
E|-12-15----------------------------------------------------------------15-12-|

  5. Position 5

    Frets 2–5
    EADGBe2345GACDEGACDE♭EGA
    e|-----------------------3-5-3-----------------------|
B|-----------------3-4-5-------5-4-3-----------------|
G|-------------2-5-------------------5-2-------------|
D|---------2-5---------------------------5-2---------|
A|-----3-5-----------------------------------5-3-----|
E|-3-5-------------------------------------------5-3-|

Filled notes are the root, A. The tab runs up the position and back down.

Chords that go with A blues

A twelve-bar blues in A uses three dominant seventh chords: A7, D7, E7. A blues works over all three.

  1. A7I7
  2. D7IV7
  3. E7V7

How to practise the A blues scale

  1. Learn position 1 first. Play it up and down slowly with a metronome until every note is even.
  2. Say or hear the root each time you pass it, so you always know where home is.
  3. Join two positions: slide from the top of one into the next until you can move across the neck.
  4. Improvise over the chords above with only three or four notes at first, then add more.

Hear A blues in a real song

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A blues scale FAQ

What notes are in the A blues scale?

A, C, D, E♭, E, G. The formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.

How many positions does the A blues scale have?

Five. The five boxes of A blues link up to cover the whole neck, and the pattern repeats from fret 12.

What chords go with the A blues scale?

A7, D7, E7.

What is the difference between A blues and A minor pentatonic?

A blues is A minor pentatonic with one extra note, the flat five (E♭). Leave that note out and you have A minor pentatonic. A minor pentatonic scale

More guitar scales

All guitar scales