Mastering the Minor Blues Scale on Acoustic Guitar: Guide and Tips

Playing the minor blues scale on an acoustic guitar is both a foundational skill and a versatile tool for musicians. It is essential for blues, jazz, and even rock players. This guitar scale is characterized by its emotional and soulful quality, making it a must-learn for anyone looking to improve their guitar skills. Let's dive into how to play the A minor blues scale on your acoustic guitar and explore some useful tips for practice.

Understanding the A Minor Blues Scale

The A minor blues scale is a fundamental scale that includes the following notes: A (root), C (minor third), D (perfect fourth), Eb (diminished fifth or augmented fourth), E (perfect fifth), and G (minor seventh).

Playing the A Minor Blues Scale on Guitar

To play the A minor blues scale, start by finding the root note A on the 5th fret of the low E (6th) string:

e-------------------------5--8--
B---------------------5--8------
G-----------------5--7-----------
D-----------5--7-----------------
A-----5--7-----------------------
E--5--------------------------------

The finger positioning for the scale is as follows:

Your index finger will play the 5th fret notes. Your ring finger will play the 7th fret notes. Your pinky will play the 8th fret notes.

Practice Tips

Play slowly: Start practicing slowly to get comfortable with the movements of each finger. Use a Metronome: Consistently using a metronome will help you develop your timing and accuracy. Improvise: Once you feel comfortable with the scale, try improvising over a 12-bar blues progression in A.

12-Bar Blues Chord Progression

Practicing the A minor blues scale over a 12-bar blues chord progression can help you explore the sound of the scale in a musical context. The following is an example of a 12-bar blues progression in A:

A7 (I) D7 (IV) E7 (V)

Try playing these chords while practicing the A minor blues scale to get a sense of the interplay between the chords and the scale.

Alternate Pick vs Fingerstyle

I generally play acoustic and electric guitars almost identically, with a few specific differences in arrangements. Here are some variations for playing the scale:

With a pick: I often use a pick, except for top rest strokes. In that case, I use my middle and ring fingers with the pick underneath. All Fingers technique: On my All Fingers technique, I use my index and ring fingers for rest strokes, with equal length fingers. Alternate picking: This technique is mentally similar to alternating rest strokes with a pair of fingers. It feels natural once you have it down, as you don't think about it, just like walking down the street and stepping over obstacles.

The scale can be viewed as the minor pentatonic of the parent minor chord, with a few chromatic notes, like the 4th or dominant 7th. Alternatively, it can be the relative major pentatonic with chromatic notes. For example, over A minor, you could use the C major pentatonic scale, as the notes are the same. I also have an octave scale technique, which I term the harmonic minor blues scale, with the notes: 1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - b7 - n7 - 8. This can be adapted to other transpositions on different chords, without the need to start from the root of the chord. In my experience, this scale has a Steely Dan sort of vibe.

Conclusion

Mastering the minor blues scale on your acoustic guitar can enhance your playing abilities and open up new musical possibilities. By practicing this scale, you will not only improve your technique but also deepen your understanding of the blues and jazz genres. Happy playing!