Playing blues over a major key

Hi all,
I was waondering how on earth i could get a bluesy sound when i'm playing a song in a major key. Do i use any of the minor modes of the key and play the corresponding blues scale for that mode?

In case it didnt make sense i meant say i want to play a song in Cmaj and i want it to have some bluesy sound do i use either A pent, E pent and D pent scales to get the blues sound?

Thanks so much.

Im not sure, the major key doesnt really have a really blues feel to it, if you use a minor key it wont sound right and it'll be off. I play a lot of blues and I had the same problem, so I learned to play in the maj key. hendrix used alot of the maj mode ex. bold as love, castles made of sand, play these songs, they might be able to help you get a feel of it.

Thanks, the reason i even asked the question was that our bass player in chuirch suddenly 'got into the spirit' and starting playing around with a distinctively minor pentatonic scale and the song was in a major key. I've tried using the minor modes but its as you said, it doesnt sound very right.

I'll check out the songs you recommended, thanks a lot.

A lot of blues comes from technique anyway... Bends, vibrato, sustained notes. I know exactly where you're coming from. I would say take the major scale and work around with it. Music theory is a guide... not a rule book. Play what sounds good. I like to take the Slash approach to playing guitar. It doesn't matter if it's in the right key as long as it sounds good. As long as you can find the root notes you should be able to figure out real quick which notes go with it or not. Sometimes I will jam out and just play notes and people will ask what scale I was playing becuase they liked the way it sounded... Usually I would say... I don't even know. Another thing you can do is get a large scale book like the Guitar Grimoire and look for some scales in there that might go with major scales but give it more of a pentatonic/bluesy feel. Just play.

The answer is in RELATIVE SCALES.

Each minor scale has a relative Major.
For example "A minor" and "C Major" are relative scales.
(A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A.) (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C)

And so are "A minor Pentatonic" and "C Major Pentatonic"
(A-C-D-E-G) (C-D-E-G-A)

Now here is the "A minor Blues" and its major relative; wich is the key of "C"
(A-C-D-D#-E-G) (C-D-D#-E-G-A)

So, if you are playing a song in the key of "C major"; go ahead and use the
"Major Pentatonic Scale" or the "Major Blues Scale"= (C-D-D#-E-G-A)
They sound good when played over a Major Seventh chord.

It kills me when people say... blues pentatonic...
Pentatonic means Five. And the Blues Scale has Six Notes, therefore it cannot be called pentatonic.
However, you can use the pentatonic scale to play blues. Just don`t call it
blues pentatonic.

You gotta love the chromatic sound (D-D#-E) on the Blues Scale.

By the way you can play any of the minor scales listed above, over a
"C Major chord" since they have the same notes as their relative."C Major"

Fascinating !
I recently recorded a 12 bar type pattern using G major, c major and D major, for a guy who owned a G harmonica.
I kept a copy of the disc and found I could use G minor pentatonic to jam over it.
I've been playing minor pentatonics for some time and i might have become a bit too used to them ?
I think i''l try and record a minor pentatonic over some major chords, to see if I can spot any bummers on playback.

Originally Posted by: Blues_ManIm not sure, the major key doesnt really have a really blues feel to it, if you use a minor key it wont sound right and it'll be off.

False. The theory behind blues is playing a minor blues scale over the parallel major. For example, an A major blues backing would probably have a solo using the A minor blues scale with occasional dips into the major scale.

Originally Posted by: equatorThe answer is in RELATIVE SCALES.

If you play the RELATIVE minor to the major, it will sound like a pile of feces because you will be stressing notes like the I and the V in that scale. The I and V in that scale are the VI and III in the relative major, respectively. The I and V in the major scale (notes you'll really want to stress) are the III and VII of the relative minor (notes you won't be stressing as much). If you DO stress the correct notes, however, you'll merely be playing the MAJOR scale. In other words, the only way to not sound like crap when you play the relative minor, is to play the original major, and I don't think he wants to have to think about all this when he plays.

Play the blues scale, perhaps with a #6 thrown in to combine it with the dorian. I put a #7 in there occasionally, and that sounds pretty cool in a chromatic descension. Whatever you do, DON'T play the relative minor.

Excellent, Thankyou, I've been pondering about this for many years

Originally Posted by: Jolly McJollysonFalse. The theory behind blues is playing a minor blues scale over the parallel major. For example, an A major blues backing would probably have a solo using the A minor blues scale with occasional dips into the major scale.

Parallel Scales, is when you use the same fingering to play to different keys:


--4--|--3--|----|---1---
--4--|--3--|----|---1---
-----|--3--|----|---1---
-----|-----|----|-------
-----|-----|----|-------
-----|-----|----|-------
If you play this scale on fret 8 You get "C minor" and the notes you use are: (C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb)

Use the same fingering on fret 5 and you get the notes of the "C Major Scale
with the tonic shifted to "A" or the "A minor scale".
so you play two different scales using the same fingering:
That fingering allows you to play: "C minor" and "C Major" in two different positions.
Take a look to the notes.
C minor:{C-D-D#-F-G-A#-Bb}
C Major:{C-D-E-F-G-A-B}
So, if you are playing a song in the key of "C Major", and you use the parallel scale: your soloing is gonna be a disaster, becouse then you will be playing
(D#-A#) wich are not part of the "C Major Scale".
And the parallel scale don't have the "E" note that makes the
"C Major chord" (C-E-G)

On the other hand, Relatives Scales have the same notes:
C Major: {C-D-E-F-G-A-B}
A minor: {A-B-C-D-E-F-G}
Both scales contein the notes you need to make the "C Major Chord"

Bottom line. When you play a Blues solo over a major chord, use relative scales.
A minor Blues Scale: {A-C-D-Eb-E-G}
Relative major:....... {C-D-Eb-E-G-A}
Here you can see that both scales have the notes used to make the
"C Major Triad"

I Quote here what the INCREDIBLE SCALE FINDER book has to say about the blues scale:
..."The blues scale is a slight variation on the minor pentatonic. This six-note scale contains all the notes in the minor pentatonic scale plus the dininished-5th interval"
That is why I said the blues scale is not pentatonic, wich means five notes.
The Blues Scale is rather a Hexatonic scale, becouse it has six notes.
That added note is known as the "Blue Note" and was placed there to form a chromatic tone.
If you play the parallel scale not only you play the wrong notes, but you are missing the essence of Blues(the chromatic tone), and you dont have the note that defines the quality of major chord, the major third.

Originally Posted by: equatorParallel Scales, is when you use the same fingering to play to different keys:


--4--|--3--|----|---1---
--4--|--3--|----|---1---
-----|--3--|----|---1---
-----|-----|----|-------
-----|-----|----|-------
-----|-----|----|-------
If you play this scale on fret 8 You get "C minor" and the notes you use are: (C-D-D#-F-G-A#)

Use the same fingering on fret 5 and you get the notes of the "C Major Scale
with the tonic shifted to "A" or the "A minor scale".
so you play two different scales using the same fingering:
That fingering allows you to play: "C minor" and "C Major" in two different positions.
Take a look to the notes.
C minor:{C-D-D#-F-G-A#}
C Major:{C-D-E-F-G-A}
So, if you are playing a song in the key of "C Major", and you use the parallel scale: your soloing is gonna be a disaster, becouse then you will be playing
(D#-A#) wich are not part of the "C Major Scale".
And the parallel scale don't have the "E" note that makes the
"C Major chord" (C-E-G)

On the other hand, Relatives Scales have the same notes:
C Major: {C-D-E-F-G-A-B}
A minor: {A-B-C-D-E-F-G}
Both scales contein the notes you need to make the "C Major Chord"

Bottom line. When you play a Blues solo over a major chord, use relative scales.
A minor Blues Scale: {A-C-D-Eb-E-G}
Relative major:....... {C-D-Eb-E-G-A}
Here you can see that both scales have the notes used to make the
"C Major Triad"

I Quote here what the INCREDIBLE SCALE FINDER book has to say about the blues scale:
..."The blues scale is a slight variation on the minor pentatonic. This six-note scale contains all the notes in the minor pentatonic scale plus the dininished-5th interval"
That is why I said the blues scale is not pentatonic, wich means five notes.
The Blues Scale is rather a Hexatonic scale, becouse it has six notes.
That added note is known as the "Blue Note" and was placed there to form a chromatic tone.
If you play the parallel scale not only you play the wrong notes, but you are missing the essence of Blues(the chromatic tone), and you dont have the note that defines the quality of major chord, the major third.

I know all of this. It will NOT sound like crap if you play the pentatonic or blues minor scales. By the way, the only disastrous thing here is how this theory has been phrased. The Cminor scale does not contain a D#, it contains an Eb. While those are sonically the same, the names have a meaning. There is also no A# in Cminor. However, there is a Bb. However, you would not play a natural minor scale over this backing. If you play a Relative scale, it WILL NOT SOUND GOOD, even though it contains the same notes, because you will stress weak notes. If you DO stress the strong notes, you're not PLAYING a parallel scale your playing the original major. Do NOT play a relative scale in this situation. I know what I'm talking about and have heard people try to do it before. It sounds like ass.

Thanks Chaps, Web pages printed for future - Ingestion.......................................................Cricket's started ' The Ashes '

Originally Posted by: Jolly McJollysonI know all of this. It will NOT sound like crap if you play the pentatonic or blues minor scales. By the way, the only disastrous thing here is how this theory has been phrased. The Cminor scale does not contain a D#, it contains an Eb. While those are sonically the same, the names have a meaning. There is also no A# in Cminor. However, there is a Bb. However, you would not play a natural minor scale over this backing. If you play a Relative scale, it WILL NOT SOUND GOOD, even though it contains the same notes, because you will stress weak notes. If you DO stress the strong notes, you're not PLAYING a parallel scale your playing the original major. Do NOT play a relative scale in this situation. I know what I'm talking about and have heard people try to do it before. It sounds like ass.

Yes, theoretically the "c minor pentatonic" contains (Eb & Bb) and sonically they are the same as (D#-A#).
So the "C minor pentatonic" goes like this:{C-Eb-F-G-Bb}
You are still playing the wrong notes with the right name.
I keep asking, where is the "E" note that defines the quality of major chord and where is the chromatic tone caracteristic of the blues music?

The right scale to play over "C Major" is:
[C-D-Eb-E-G-A]
wich gives you:
-The tenssion notes(C,E,G)
-The Major third(E) that defines the quality of major chord.
-The chromatic tone, when you add the "Blue Note" between (D&E)

Originally Posted by: equatorYes, theoretically the "c minor pentatonic" contains (Eb & Bb) and sonically they are the same as (D#-A#).
So the "C minor pentatonic" goes like this:{C-Eb-F-G-Bb}
You are still playing the wrong notes with the right name.
I keep asking, where is the "E" note that defines the quality of major chord and where is the chromatic tone caracteristic of the blues music?

The right scale to play over "C Major" is:
[C-D-Eb-E-G-A]
wich gives you:
-The tenssion notes(C,E,G)
-The Major third(E) that defines the quality of major chord.
-The chromatic tone, when you add the "Blue Note" between (D&E)

This guy is a beginner who is thinking too much in terms of patterns. I'm a college level student of advanced music theory. You be the judge.

Originally Posted by: Jolly McJollysonThis guy is a beginner who is thinking too much in terms of patterns. I'm a college level student of advanced music theory. You be the judge.

Actually, you are the one who is thinking too much in patterns, {play a minor pattern three frets lower and you get the Parallel Scale; wich is what you sugested before}
On the other hand, when you play the relative scale, you don`t use the same pattern to play both scales.
This is getting old. The facts were presented and is time to move on.
By the way I am not a beginner; I`ve been playing long before you even existed. and teaching for the past 15 years.
Yes people, you be the judge. Are you gonna play what makes sence or what
somebody else think sounds cool?
I thought this was a Music Theory Forum, and not a "It sounds cool to me forum."

Originally Posted by: equatorActually, you are the one who is thinking too much in patterns, {play a minor pattern three frets lower and you get the Parallel Scale; wich is what you sugested before}
On the other hand, when you play the relative scale, you don`t use the same pattern to play both scales.
This is getting old. The facts were presented and is time to move on.
By the way I am not a beginner; I`ve been playing long before you even existed. and teaching for the past 15 years.
Yes people, you be the judge. Are you gonna play what makes sence or what
somebody else think sounds cool?
I thought this was a Music Theory Forum, and not a "It sounds cool to me forum."

I meant a music theory beginner.