A Blues Scale Scale on Guitar — 2 Shapes to Play the Whole Neck
A Blues Scale is a 6-note scale from the pentatonic family, a staple for rock, blues, and pop soloing — its notes are A C D Eb E G, from the formula 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7. Computed live for A, it resolves to 2 repeating shapes across the whole fretboard.
A Blues Scale Scale Notes
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1 |
| 3 | C | b3 |
| 4 | D | 4 |
| 5 | Eb | b5 |
| 5 | E | 5 |
| 7 | G | b7 |
A Blues Scale Formula
Degree formula: 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7
A Blues Scale on the Guitar Fretboard
The notes of Blues Scale repeat across the guitar fretboard in connected positions. Use the shape below to identify root notes, scale degrees, and neighboring shapes.
- Frets 3–12 (span 9 frets)
- Lowest note G, highest note E
- 3 A root notes, on the E string (fret 5), D string (fret 7), B string (fret 10)
How to practice this shape
- Start on the root — A at fret 5 on the E string. Play up to the highest note in the shape, then back down, staying inside frets 3–12.
- Your hand shifts 2 times as you cross strings: A→D (+2), G→B (+3). Those crossings — not the notes — are what this position is really asking you to learn.
- Once it feels automatic, move on to the next of the 2 shapes — together they cover the whole neck, and the same pattern repeats from there.
What Gives A Blues Scale Its Sound?
The characteristic sound of A Blues Scale comes from its minor 3rd and flat 5th (blue note).
Diatonic chords
These are the 2 chords built from A Blues Scale's own notes — the ones that will sound like they belong when you're writing a progression, backing a melody, or jamming in this key. The Roman numeral shows each chord's role in the key: capital for major, lowercase for minor, ° for diminished, + for augmented. Not every scale produces a clean chord on every degree — where that happens, we show it honestly instead of forcing a name that doesn't fit.
A Blues Scale Scale
A Blues Scale is A Natural Minor (Aeolian) with its 2nd and 6th degrees removed.
A Blues Scale FAQ
A Blues Scale contains the notes A, C, D, Eb, E, G - 6 notes total.
A Blues Scale's formula is 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7.
The diatonic chords in A Blues Scale are Adim, Cm.