Blues · A · Guitar
The A Blues scale is A C D E♭ E G — formula 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7, step pattern W+H–W–H–H–W+H–W. Use it over A7: it is the scale for the whole 12-bar blues, and over dominant or minor chords for a bluesy inflection. Below, every note is marked on the fretboard in standard tuning; press play to hear it on a synthesized guitar while each note lights up, or tap any fret to sound that note.
Visualizer
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
Tap any note on the diagram to hear it. Play loops the scale up and down one octave in eighth notes (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 5. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Reference
| Degree | Note | Interval from A | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | unison (0 semitones) | W+H |
| ♭3 | C | minor 3rd (3 semitones) | W |
| 4 | D | perfect 4th (5 semitones) | H |
| ♭5 | E♭ | tritone (6 semitones) | H |
| 5 | E | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | W+H |
| ♭7 | G | minor 7th (10 semitones) | W |
Chord it implies: A7. Use it for: the whole 12-bar blues, and over dominant or minor chords for a bluesy inflection.
Common questions
A C D E♭ E G. As scale degrees: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7. It has 6 notes.
A Blues fits A7 and, more generally, the whole 12-bar blues, and over dominant or minor chords for a bluesy inflection.
1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 — the step pattern from the root is W+H W H H W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Start on the root A on the low E string at fret 5, and play the one-octave position shown: E-string fret 5, E-string fret 8, A-string fret 5, A-string fret 6, A-string fret 7, D-string fret 5, D-string fret 7. Every A on the neck is a root, so the same shape works in every position where the notes are marked.
Keep going
Same scale on piano · all Blues pages: Blues hub · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from A