Table of Contents

The Blues Scale in A Minor 3

Position 1 4
Position 2 5
Position 3 6
Position 4 7
Position 5 8
21-Must Know Chords 9

2
The Blues Scale in A Minor
The Blues Scale in A Minor
If you want to be able to play the Blues as well as related music genres like Rock and Jazz, you have to know
the Blues
If you want Scale. ThetoBlues
to be able scale
play the Bluesisasawell
pentatonic
as related minor scale like
music genres with theand
Rock addition
Jazz, youof a “blue”
have to knownote. This “blue”
the Blues Scale.
note is actually
The Blues scale is athe flattened
pentatonic fifth
minor ofwith
scale the the
scale. In the
addition of akey of Anote.
“blue” minor,
Thisthe fifth
“blue” is E,
note and so the
is actually theflattened
“blue” note is
fifth of
always
the scale.EInflat.
theThis
key ofsingle
A minor,note
the is what
fifth gives
is E, and so the Bluesnote
the “blue” its distinct
is always sound that
E flat. This hasnote
single a certain
is whatvocal quality.
gives the Blues its
distinct sound that has a certain vocal quality.
In this booklet, we have outlined all five positions of the Blues Scale in A minor in fretboard diagrams. You
In this booklet, we have outlined all five positions of the Blues Scale in A minor in fretboard diagrams. You would read these
would read these diagrams as if you were looking at your fretboard while you are playing. We also have la-
diagrams as if you were looking at your fretboard while you are playing. We also have labeled the fretboard diagrams with fret
beled
numbers the fretboard
(from 0 to 22, diagrams
“0” meaningwith
openfret numbers
string) (from
as well as 0 toof22,
the notes “0”open
each meaning open
string in string)
standard as well
tuning as itthe
to make notes
easier to
of each open string in standard tuning to make it easier to read.
read.

Presented below
Presented below is the
is the legend
legend for thefor the symbols
symbols we have
we have used in theused in the
fretboard fretboard diagrams:
diagrams:

R =
= Root Root
note ofnote of the(A)
the scale scale (A)

b =
= Blue Blue(Eb)
note note (Eb)

= Other
= notes
Otherofnotes
the scale.
of the These have numbers
scale. These in theindiagrams
have numbers for suggested
the diagrams fingering
for suggested i.e.i.e.
fingering 1, 2,
1, 3,
2,4.
3, 4.

3
Position 1

E RR 4

B 1 4

G 1 3 b

D 1 R

A 1 b 3

E R 4

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

In playing each position, remember to play one note per finger. You can practice each position either in
itsIn entirety
playing each
or position, remember
in a so-called to play one note
“three-string per finger.
boxed” You can
positions practice
e.g. eachscale
play the position
in either
eitherintop
its entirety
three or in
strings
a so-called “three-string boxed” positions e.g. play the scale in either top three strings or bottom three strings at a
or bottom three strings at a time.
time.

4
Position 2

E 1 3 b

B 1 R

G 1 b 3

D R 4

1 4
A
E 1 3 b

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

The fingering presented here is different from how you would play pentatonic minor in position 2. This
The fingering presented here is different from how you would play pentatonic minor in position 2. This is because the sug-
isgested
because the for
fingering suggested
position 2fingering forplay
allows you to position
one note 2 per
allows you
finger. to play
If, for oneyou
example, note peruse
would finger. If, forfingering
the typical example,
you wouldfingers
i.e. using use the
2 andtypical fingering
4 for C (8th i.e.
fret) and D using fingers
(10th fret) in the26th
and
and41stforstrings,
C (8thyou
fret) andhave
would D (10th
to slidefret)
yourin4ththe
fin-6th
and 1stplay
ger to strings, you
the blue would have to slide your 4th finger to play the blue notes.
notes.

5
Position 3

E 1 b 3

B R 4

G 1 4

D 1 3 b

1 R
A
E 1 b 3

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

You may have observed that the suggested fingering for each position shifts reference i.e. finger 1 on
You10th
the may have
fret observed
4th stringthatand
the then
suggested fingering
finger 1 on for
theeach
9thposition shifts
fret 3rd reference
string. This i.e.
is tofinger 1 on the 10th the
accommodate fret 4th
blue
string and then finger 1 on the 9th fret 3rd string. This is to accommodate the blue notes for a one-finger-per-note ap-
notes for a one-finger-per-note approach rather than having to slide the 4th finger towards the blue
proach rather than having to slide the 4th finger towards the blue note.
note.

6
Position 4

E 3 1 4

B 1 3 b 1 3 b

G R 1 R

D B 2 1 b 3

RA 3 R 4

E 3 1 4

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

We have presented position 4 in two different locations in the fretboard. The first one utilizes open
We have presented position 4 in two different locations in the fretboard. The first one utilizes open strings while the
strings while the second one is played an octave higher.
second one is played an octave higher.

7
Position 5

2 R
E

B 2 b 4

G R 4

D 1 4

A 1 3 b

E 1 R

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

You may have observed that the suggested fingering for each position shifts reference i.e. finger 1 on
You3rd
the mayfret
have2nd
observed
stringthat
andthethen
suggested
fingerfingering for each
1 on the 2ndposition
fret 3rdshifts reference
string. i.e.to
This is finger 1 on the 3rd fret
accommodate the2nd
blue
string and then finger 1 on the 2nd fret 3rd string. This is to accommodate the blue notes for a one-finger-per-note
notes for a one-finger-per-note approach rather than having to slide the 4th finger towards the blue
approach rather than having to slide the 4th finger towards the blue note.
note.

8
 3 4

21 Must-Know Blues Chords

(Tracks 32-53)
Download Tracks Here: http://guitarzoom.com/gmembers/essential-blues-scales-chords/
Download Tracks Here: http://guitarzoom.com/gmembers/essential-blues-scales-chords/
Page 33 Page 33
(Tracks 32-53) Chords Chords
B7 B7 (short) C7 C7#9
C9 Track
C9Track
35 36 C13 Track
C7#9C7#9 37 36 E7
C13 Track 38 37
B7 Track 32
B7 B7 (short)
B7Track
B7 32 Track 33
(short) C7 B7Track 34 Track 33
(short)
C7 C9 Track
Track34
C7
C9 35
C7#9 C13 Track Track
E7
C13
X X X X X X X
X X XX X X
11 1 1 1
1 1

2 3 4 22 33 4 2 2 3 21 11 11 2 1

3 4 32 43 3 3 22 33 3 3 22 33 3 2 3 3

4 4

4 4 4 4

(Optional note) (Optional note)

C7#9C7#9
Track 36 C7#9
C13 C7#9Track
Track 37 36 C13
E7 Track
Track
C13 3837 E7
E7 Track
E7(alt) E7 38 39
Track E7
E7(alt)
(short)Track 39 40
Track
(2nd(short)
E7 version)) G7(short)
E7 Track 41
Track 40 G7
G7(short)
G7Track Track 42
41
C13 E7 (2nd version)) E7G7 (short) (short)
G7
X X X X X X X X X X X XX X XX XX
1 11 5fr 1 2fr
5fr

1 11 2 1 22 2 1 1

2 3 22 33 3 2 3 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 1
2 3 1 2 3

4 4 4 2 4

4 4 4 4 4

9
7 Beaty
(Optional note)
© 2011 GuitarZoom.com
(Optional note)
© 2011 GuitarZoom.com
©2011 Eric
E7 G7(short) G7 G9
©2011
E7 (short) Track 40
E7 (short) G7(short)
E7Track Track
41
(short)
G7 40 G7 G7Track
G7 41
Track 42
(short) G9 (short)
G7Track 43 Track 42
(short)
G9 Track 43
G9
 2 3 3 4

21 Must-Know Blues Chords

4 4

Download Tracks Here: http://guitarzoom.com/gmembers/essential-blues-scales-chords/

Download Tracks Here: http://guitarzoom.com/gmembers/essential-blues-scales-chords/ Page 3
(Optional note) Page 34
Bm7 Bm7 (SRV version)
G7 Track 41 G7 (short) Track 42 G9
G13 Track 43
Track 44 G13
Bm7 Track 44
Track 45 Bm7 (SRV version)
Track 45
E9-5
Track 46 Trackversion)
47 E9-5 Track 47
Track 46
G7 G7 (short) G9
G13 G13
Bm7 Bm7 Bm7 (SRV version) Bm7 (SRV
E9-5 E9-5
X X X X X X XX X X X X XX X XX XX X X
2fr 2fr 1 2 1 2

1 1 1 11 21 31 1 2 33 3

1 2 3 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 42 44 4

4 2 2 3 3 3 3 3

4 44 4
tial-blues-scales-chords/
Page 34
Bm7 (SRV version) 7 Beaty Em7 (SRV version) Em7 (SRV version)
A9-5 Gm7Gm7 Am7
©2011 Eric
Track 49 Track 50 Track 51
Track 46
Bm7 (SRV version) E9-5 Track 47
E9-5 Track 48
Em7 (SRV version) A9-5
Track 48
Em7 Track
(SRV
A9-5 49
version) Gm7Gm7 Track 50
A9-5 Am7 Track 51
Am7 Am7
X X X X X X X
X X
X X X X X
1 2 5fr 5fr 1 1
5fr 5fr

1 2 3 3 1 2 1 2 2 2

4 4 1 2 3 1 2 33 1 1 1 1 13 1 1 1 1 1

4 44 4

3
10
3

Gm7Gm7
Track 50 Am7 Track 51 A7 Track 52
Am7 A7 Track 52 A7
 1 2 2

1 2 3 3 1 1 1 1 1

21 Must-Know Blues Chords

4 4

A7 Track 52
A7 Remember, these are but a few of the many
X chords you can implement into your playing.

Remember,
I encourage youthese are abut
to purchase basicabook
fewof of the many chords you can
2 3
implement into your playing. I encourage you to purchase a
chords to keep in your guitar case which will aid

basic book of chords to keep in your guitar case which will aid
you in learning new chords.

you
Also, in learning
don’t forget tonew
look chords. Also,
for repeating don’t forget to look for repeating
patterns
patterns within chord shapes as well.
within chord shapes as well.
-Eric

©2011 Eric Beaty

8 © 2011 GuitarZoom.com

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