A Minor Blues Scale for Guitar
The A minor blues scale contains the notes A, C, D, Eb, E and G. Below you can hear it, see it on the fretboard, and work through the box shapes.
Play the A minor blues scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the A minor blues scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | Root | 0 |
| C | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| D | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| Eb | b5 | Tritone | 6 |
| E | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| G | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
A minor blues scale notes:
How the minor blues scale is built:
The minor blues scale is built from the degrees 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7, which gives the step pattern W+H-W-H-H-W+H-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10. That makes it a 6-note scale.
It is also known as Blues Scale.
A Minor Blues Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (A)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
The minor blues scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
