Learn-by-doing lessons for quickly internalizing the Minor Blues Scale… by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle…
Table of Contents
Lesson Goal
To quickly internalize the letter names, scale degrees, solfege, notation, sounds, feelings, and visuospatial keyboard layouts for the Minor Blues Scale in all keys.
Prerequisites
Basic music reading skills… the LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
Minor Blues Scale Theory
As the name says, the Minor Blues Scale (the blues scale that most people are familiar with) has a minor, bluesy quality… and only six notes (yet another existence proof that scales are not made up of “half steps” and “whole steps”)…
- The Solfege Syllables for the Minor Blues Scale are Do-Me-Fa-Fi/Se-So-Te-Do (no matter what key you are in).
- The Scale Degrees for the Minor Blues Scale are 1-b3-4-#4/b5-5-b7-1 (no matter what key you are in).
- The notes for the Minor Blues Scale in the key of C are C-Eb-F#/Gb-G-Bb-C…
The notes Me, Fi/Se, and Te are called blue notes, which create that delicious “bluesy” sound you immediately hear and feel!
Don’t fuss over whether F#/Fi/Fa sharp should be called Gb/Se/So flat or vice versa. These are all just names that you will eventually abandon like training wheels. At the end of the day, it’s the the sound, feeling, function, and physical mapping on your instrument that matter!
back to… Table of Contents
Minor Blues Scale Compared to the Minor Pentatonic Scale
Notice that the C Minor Blues Scale uses all five notes from the C Minor Pentatonic Scale. The only difference is the additional blue note F#(Fi). This is a great example of how much certain scale types have in common, how learning one kind of scale helps you to learn others, and how the addition or subtraction of just one note can profoundly change the character of a scale and allows you to create a whole new kind of music!
Play and listen, first to the C Minor Pentatonic Scale, then to the C Minor Blues…
back to… Table of Contents
minor Blues Scale Solfege Ear Training
Reading, playing, and singing the Solfege Syllables out loud is an extremely effective way to tune up your ears and to internalize the unique sound-feeling of each note in the scale with respect to the key center Do.
Important Practice Tips: Use a tuning app as you play and sing slowly enough for the unique sound-feeling of each Solfege Syllable to make a meaningful impression on your mind’s ear.
Linear, Ascending…
Linear, Descending…
Do-X-Do, Ascending…
Do-X-Do, Descending…
Special Note about Ear Training in Context
We could sing a lot more musical patterns, but a more effective and efficient approach (80:20 Rule) is to get your ear training material directly from the music that YOU want to play!
back to… Table of Contents
Minor Blues Scale Theory & Ear Training, All Keys
Any interest? Frank will be happy to produce scores, keyboard layouts, and play along MP3s if someone asks.
The 80:20 Rule teaches us that learning the Minor Blues Scale in all keys comes with diminishing returns. A better used of your precious time and energy to study and practice it only in keys you expect to play in. Suggested keys: Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A, E.
back to… Table of Contents