Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
“Which notes are authentic blue notes?” The following post clears up the confusion around blue notes and has an example of a popular song that uses them. Keep reading to learn how it works.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Which Notes Are Authentic Blue Notes: What’s a Blue Note?
“Which notes are authentic blue notes?” According to Gerhard Kubik:
… blue notes have been described as “a microtonal lowering of the 3rd, 7th, and (to a lesser extent) 5th scale degrees.” (15)
For example, it’s easiest if we begin by comparing the notes in C major, C minor, C minor pentatonic, and C blues:
- C major: C D E F G A B C
- C minor: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
- C minor pentatonic: C Eb F G Bb C
- C blues: C Eb F Gb G Bb C
Let’s discuss the scales:
- When you look at C major and C minor, you can see that C minor lowers (flattens) the third, sixth, and seventh notes in the scale.
- The minor pentatonic then removes the second and sixth notes, leaving us with five unique notes (“penta-” means “five”).
- The blues scale then adds a flattened fifth to the pentatonic scale.
- On flexible pitch instruments such as sax, slide guitar, fretless bass, and vocals, these notes will be microtonally altered from equal temperament.
- In blues and rock, the blues scale is usually played over major chords. The clash between the major third in the chords and the minor third in the scales is characteristic of these styles.
However, this is a very music theory-ish way to look at the scale. Blues players are usually ear people who don’t really think that much about music theory. Kubik State:
Significantly, in the United States blues musicians do not normally talk about “blue notes” or any other intervals supposed to be special, unless they have adopted the jargon of music critics or musicologists. (15)
Which Notes Are Authentic Blue Notes: Can I Play a Guitar Song That Uses the Blues Scale?
Now let’s see how it works in a song:
- Sunshine of Your Love by Cream uses the D blues scale for its main riff.
- For guitarists, a blues scale is basically a pentatonic scale with flattened fifths. Use the tab example below to solo over the video. You can microtonally alter notes by bending strings or by using a slide.
- The following link takes you to a transcription of the song. It uses the same notes as the tab example below, but it plays them on a different part of the guitar neck.
For a transcription of Sunshine of Your Love: click here.
Video: Sunshine of Your Love
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, rotate your screen 90o to the right.
Final Thoughts on “Discover Which Notes Are Authentic Blue Notes”
The takeaway points:
- Blue notes are the lowered third, fifth, and seventh notes of the scale. It’s basically a minor pentatonic scale with an added flattened fifth.
- Flexible pitch instruments will alter these notes to get the blues sound. The clash between the scale and the major chords is also an essential element of the sound.
- Most blues players don’t worry about blue note theory, they just play.
Have fun soloing!
Related Posts
- How to Tune Country Blues Guitar
- How to Tune the Blues Rock Open D Sound
- Intonation and Supplemented Equal Temperament
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
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