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12 Blues Scales Sheet

July 16, 2007 By 5 Comments

Here’s a free sheet I give to all my students after they learn their major scales. It’s just a sheet with all the 12 Blues Scales on it. When I teach my students to use the blues scale I teach them to try to move when playing the #4. Many student who are new to improvising will land on the #4 and just sit on it without resolving it. This is a great note because there’s tension to it but tension sounds best when you hear it resolve. For example, if I’m using the A blues scale and play an Eb many times you will hear me resolve it to E or to D which in most cases are more pleasing notes to the ear. It’s good to practice each blues scale to it’s corresponding minor chord but also to it’s relative major chord. Ex. A blues scale- practice this over an A minor and a C Major chord. There is slight variations in how you use this scale depending on the harmony behind it.  12-blues-scales

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Comments

  1. Nick Palise says:
    March 29, 2010 at 4:13 pm

    Are these 12 free blues worksheets that will be emailed to me? Thanksing you in advance.

    N. Palise

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  2. steve says:
    March 29, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    Just right click on the link and “save as” to your desktop.

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  3. Selena Jackson says:
    June 28, 2011 at 9:27 pm

    Hi, This really helped my inprov skills! Thank you so very much! I’ve added the scales to my warm up and I’m planing to share it with a few friends of mine. Could you do this for Bebop scales as well?

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  4. Ron Statler says:
    July 14, 2011 at 6:54 pm

    Steve, I love your website. I was trying to subscribe to your newsletter but it wouldn’t let me. Also I wanted to know it you have lessons on the tenor sax pentatonic blues scales written in treble clef format. I want to start with the Cmaj, Cmin, Fmaj, Fmin, Gmaj, Gmin, Bb maj and Bb min. I will eventually need all of them but I wanted to play along with some blues cd’s I have and needed to know the scales to solo on the 4th chord and turnarounds.

    thanks
    Ron Statler

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  5. steve says:
    July 15, 2011 at 1:46 pm

    I do have lessons on the pentatonic scales. Just do a search for pentatonic scales in the upper right search bar of this page and the lessons will come up. I have a number of them. Or you can start with the Beginning Improvisation Series for tenor sax and that will get you started with the scales and improvisation. I’m glad you like the site. Steve

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