Blues Scale/12 Bar
Email: orkhive@hotmail.co.uk
This is the scale itself in A (although to play it in any other not the pattern is the
including the extra bit).
|--------------------5-8-5----------------------|
|----------------5-8-------8-5------------------|
|-------------5-7--------------8-5--------------|
|---------5-7----------------------7-5----------|
|---3-5-7------------------------------7-5-3----|
|-5------------------------------------------5--|
You can also add this instead of going back down the scale....
|-10-8-----------------------------|
|------10-8------------------------|
|-----------9-7--------------------|
|---------------10-7-5-------------|
|----------------------7-5-3-------|
|----------------------------5-----|
If you have somebody to play with you can take it in turns playing the lead (this scale
your own tune and pattern and throwing in bends, hammer-ons and pull-offs), and the
playing 12 bar making sure that during the last set of E's that the lead doesn't play
doesn't sound right).
12 bar
Chord A A A A A A D D D D D D A A A A A A
|-0--0--0-0-0-0-| |-2--2--2-2-2-2-| |-0--0--0-0-0-0-|
|-2--2--2-2-2-2-| |-3--3--3-3-3-3-| |-2--2--2-2-2-2-|
|-2--2--2-2-2-2-| |-2--2--2-2-2-2-| |-2--2--2-2-2-2-|
|-2--2--2-2-2-2-| |-0--0--0-0-0-0-| |-2--2--2-2-2-2-|
|-0--0--0-0-0-0-| |-0--0--0-0-0-0-| |-0--0--0-0-0-0-|
|-0--0--0-0-0-0-| x 4 |---------------| x 2 |-0--0--0-0-0-0-| x 2
Strum D D D&U&D&U D D D&U&D&U D D D&U&D&U
Chord E E E E E E D D D D D D A A A A A A
|-0--0--0-0-0-0-| |-2--2--2-2-2-2-| |-0--0--0-0-0-0-|
|-0--0--0-0-0-0-| |-3--3--3-3-3-3-| |-0--0--0-0-0-0-|
|-1--1--1-1-1-1-| |-2--2--2-2-2-2-| |-2--2--2-2-2-2-|
|-2--2--2-2-2-2-| |-0--0--0-0-0-0-| |-2--2--2-2-2-2-|
|-2--2--2-2-2-2-| |-0--0--0-0-0-0-| |-2--2--2-2-2-2-|
|-0--0--0-0-0-0-| x 1 |---------------| x 1 |-0--0--0-0-0-0-| x 1
Strum D D D&U&D&U D D D&U&D&U D D D&U&D&U
Chord E E E E E E E
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|
|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|
|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|
|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-| Then straight back into A
Keep the 12 bar constant and experiment with the lead/scale section making it up as you
along. It can sound really cool after you get the hang of it.