About the A sharp Minor Blues scale
A sharp Minor Blues is used for blues, rock and soul solos. Think of it as the minor pentatonic with one extra blue note, the classic blues sound. It is A♯ Blues Diminished with the third raised.
Its notes are A♯, C♯, D♯, E, E♯, and G♯. The formula is 1½ W H H 1½ W.
Also called Blues Scale and Blues Hexatonic.
The open-string note E sits inside the scale. The lowest A♯ on a standard-tuned guitar sits at the 1st fret of the A string. A capo at the first fret brings A♯ Minor Blues within reach of A-shape fingerings.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
6-position system
6 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | A#A♯ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | C#C♯ | Minor 3rd |
| 3 | D#D♯ | Perfect 4th |
| 4 | EE | Diminished 5th |
| 5 | E#E♯ | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | G#G♯ | Minor 7th |
| Steps | 1½ W H H 1½ W |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 3-2-1-1-3-2 |
| Degrees | 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Minor Blues in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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