A♯ blues scale
A♯ blues is A♯ C♯ D♯ E E♯ G♯. The blues scale: the minor pentatonic with a flat fifth added, six notes whose blue note adds the tension of blues and rock melody.
- Formula
- 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7
- Steps
- W+H W H H W+H W
- Notes
- 6
- Also written
- B♭ blues
Notes and degrees
The A♯ blues scale has six notes: A♯ C♯ D♯ E E♯ G♯. Each degree is named by its distance from the tonic, A♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval above A♯ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | P1 | ||
| 2 | m3 | ||
| 3 | P4 | ||
| 4 | d5 | ||
| 5 | P5 | ||
| 6 | m7 |
On the piano
Every key of the scale is lit in its own colour. Click one to hear it.
On the guitar
Every A♯ scale tone on the first twelve frets in standard tuning. The tonic is ringed. Click a dot to hear the note.
What it sounds like
The blues scale adds a flat fifth to the minor pentatonic. That note sits a half step below the fifth, so the scale contains two half steps in a row, from F to G♭ to G. Its intervals from the tonic are a minor third, a whole step, a half step, another half step, a minor third, and a whole step. Those semitones are the only place where the scale leans, which makes the flat fifth sound like a bent or slid pitch that moves toward or away from the fifth.
Where you hear it
The blues scale is the foundation of blues melody and of the styles that grew from it, including rock and roll, rock, country, and soul. Players use it over twelve-bar blues and over the dominant seventh chords in those progressions. Jazz musicians use it over blues heads and in bebop-related playing. Gospel and soul singers bend the flat fifth and flat third, which is why the written scale is only a guide to the sound.
How it is built
The blues scale is the minor pentatonic with a flat fifth added, so it has six notes and no parent mode in the major-scale family. On C, it is C E♭ F G♭ G B♭. The flat third and flat seventh give it a minor color, while the flat fifth and natural fifth sit a half step apart, creating the tension. Over a dominant seventh chord, the flat seventh fits the chord, and the flat third and flat fifth create the expected blues clash.
Scales with the same notes
These scales use the same six pitches as A♯ blues, starting from a different note.
Other A♯ scales
- A♯ natural minor
- A♯ harmonic minor
- A♯ Dorian
- A♯ Phrygian
- A♯ Locrian
- A♯ minor pentatonic
- A♯ Phrygian dominant
- A♯ altered
How to practise it
Play the C blues scale ascending and descending, and sing each note before playing it, aiming for a slide into the flat fifth. Play a twelve-bar blues in C and use only the six notes for one chorus. Then practice the blue note as a passing tone: play G♭ briefly on a weak beat, then move to G on the strong beat.
Enharmonic spelling
A♯ and B♭ are the same pitch, so this scale can also be written as B♭ blues: B♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ F A♭. The spelling that needs fewer accidentals is the one you will usually meet.
Further reading
- Pentatonic and Blues Scales: Patterns With a PurposeFundamentals · 6 min
- The Twelve-Bar Blues: Form, Chord Plan and VariationsForm · 8 min
Questions
What are the notes of the A♯ blues scale?
The A♯ blues scale is A♯, C♯, D♯, E, E♯, G♯. Written ascending it returns to A♯ an octave higher.
What is the formula for the A♯ blues scale?
The formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 measured from the major scale. As steps that is W+H, W, H, H, W+H, W (W is a whole step, H a half step).
What notes are in the blues scale?
On C, the blues scale is C E♭ F G♭ G B♭. It equals the minor pentatonic with the flat fifth added. In A, it is A C D E♭ E G. Its six notes include two half steps in a row, F to G♭ to G, which create the blues sound. The flat fifth is the most distinctive note.
Can the blues scale be used over a major chord?
It can, but the flat third and flat fifth clash with a major triad. Blues players accept those clashes as part of the sound and often resolve them quickly. Over a dominant seventh chord, the blues scale fits better, because the flat seventh belongs to the chord and the clashes are expected.
Is the blues scale a mode?
No. Modes are rotations of a seven-note collection, and the blues scale has six notes that do not belong to the major-scale family. It is best understood as a minor pentatonic with a blue note added. Its flat fifth is a passing color rather than a stable chord tone, so it is taught as a separate type.