Recall our lesson on the Major Pentatonic Scale. In order to transform a major pentatonic scale into a major blues scale, a blue note is to be added. Basically, there are three widely used notes as blues notes. These are: [1] flattened 5th (b5); [2] flattened 3rd (b3), and; [3] flattened 7th (b7). Let's take the G Major Pentatonic Scale as our sample.
The G Major Pentatonic Scale is composed of 5 notes, namely: G, Bb, C, D and F. Recall the previous scale diagram we used:
To turn the G Major Pentatonic Scale into a G Major Blues Scale using a flattened fifth note, just add the flattened fifth note into the G Major Pentatonic Scale. The flattened fifth note of G is C#. Thus, the G Major Blues Scale (b5) looks like this on your guitar fretboard:
Take note of the added C# notes on the illustration above.
[TIP: The G Major Pentatonic Scale already contains the flattened 3rd and the flattened 7th notes. The flattened 3rd is the Bb note while the flattened 7th is the F note. Therefore, you can only turn it into a G Major Blues Scale using a flattened fifth.]
Now, let's turn our attention to the Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale we studied earlier. It is composed of 5 notes, namely: Bb, C, D, F and G. Recall the diagram we used for the scale.
To turn the Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale into a Bb Minor Blues Scale using a flattened fifth note, just add the flattened fifth note into the Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale. The flattened fifth note of Bb is E. Thus, the Bb Minor Blues Scale (b5) looks like this on your guitar fretboard:
To turn the Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale into a Bb Minor Blues Scale using a flattened third note, just add the flattened third note into the Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale. The flattened third note of Bb is Db or C#. Thus, the Bb Minor Blues Scale (b3) looks like this on your guitar fretboard:
To turn the Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale into a Bb Minor Blues Scale using a flattened seventh note, just add the flattened seventh note into the Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale. The flattened seventh note of Bb is Ab or G#. Thus, the Bb Minor Blues Scale (b7) looks like this on your guitar fretboard:
In summary:
G Major Pentatonic Scale can be transformed into G Major Blues Scale with a flattened fifth note. This holds true for the rest of the major pentatonic scales.
On the other hand, Bb Minor Pentatonic Scale can be transformed into Bb Minor Blues Scale with a flattened fifth, flattened third or flattened seventh note. This holds true for the rest of the minor pentatonic scales.
-->>CONTINUE TO LESSON 6: NAMING AND NUMBERING NOTES
<<--RETURN TO LESSON 4: THE Bb MINOR BLUES SCALE