FRETBOARD LESS TRAVELED
[ THE HARMONIZED BLUES SCALE | Rich Severson ]
The blues scale is a favorite tool for single
note improv soloing. When it’s harmonized, it
takes on a horn section type sound that adds
a new dimension to your playing. These ideas
work best over stock blues progressions.
I like to use it on an up tempo jump blues
feel. Bouncing from single note blues riffs to
harmonized riffs can add a fresh approach, or
bridge between soloing ideas.
Here’s the concept; When adding a minor
3rd below each note of the blues scale and
then a perfect 4th below that note, we get
a movable shape. Lucky for us, 3 of the 4
shapes are very familiar chord shapes, Emin,
Amin & Dmin in open position. We then target
the top note of each chord shape with one
of the notes of the blues scale. We use the
blues scale built from the root of the key of
the blues progression. If we are playing blues
in the key of “A” we would use an “A” blues
scale throughout the 12 bars, even when the
progression moves to the D7 & E7 chords.
The four string groupings each consist of three
adjacent strings.
String group #1 encompasses strings 1, 2 & 3.
String group #2 uses strings 2, 3 & 4.
Group #3 strings 3, 4 & 5
Group #4 strings 4, 5 & 6
Ex.1. above shows the notes of the “A” blues
scale, their scale degree, and then how each
note is played across the fretboard. Then each
note is harmonized using one of the string
groupings.
To the right is a blues solo using this
Harmonized Blues Scale idea.
Rich Severson: Artist, author, instructor, clinician, and
creator of GuitarCollege.com
www.99centguitarlessons.com
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Sep Oct 2017
GearTechRec.com