How to get a southern blues or jazz bluesy sound

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How to a get southern blues or jazz bluesy sound

Once you’ve mastered all 5 of your Blues scales or minor pentatonic patterns and you feel proficient enough with your improvisational skills. You are ready to move on to the next step which  will give you a more exotic sound that is used a lot in southern or jazzy style blues soloing. It can be considered  a modal approach where you can use each minor or major pentatonic scale with each chord in the 12 bar blues.

Let use the Key of A 12 bar blues as an example. In the key of A you have the l IV, V chords A7, D7 and E7. A7= uses the F# minor pentatonic or the relative A major pentatonic. Both have exactly the same notes in it, but depending on which root you start on will give it a minor or major pentatonic sound. My preference is to use the minor pentatonic sound.  I prefer minor pentatonic because that is the patterns I first learned and memorized. So it comes to me more naturally than to think of them as major pentatonic patterns. In the end they will give you the same notes and it’s your choice which sound you like better. If you emphasize the A you will get a major pent sound and if you emphasize the F# you will get a minor pent sound.

Note: F# minor pentatonic is the relative of A major pentatonic & vice versa

If you know all 5 or your minor pentatonic scales you automatically know the major pentatonic fingerings. You just have to figure out where the relative note is. (Tip: A is a minor 3rd up from the root F#) (F# is up a major 6th from the root A)

The example below illustrates the minor pentatonic you can use for each chord that will give you a jazzy or southern rock, blues feel when you use them in solos over a  12 bar blues.

A7 think off the 6^th will give you F# minor pentatonic or the root A major pentatonic.

Notes in the F# minor pentatonic: F# A B C# E

                                                   13  R  9 3    5

A major pentatonic: A B C# E F#

                              R  9  3  5  13

D7 think off the 6^th will give you B minor pentatonic or the root D major pentatonic.

Notes in the B minor pentatonic: B D E F# A

                                                 13 R 9 3   5

D major pentatonic: D E F# A B

                              R  9 3  5  13

                                      

E7 think off the 6^th will give you C# minor pentatonic or the root E major pentatonic.

Notes in the C# minor pentatonic: C# E F# G# B

                                                    13 R 9   3   5

E major pentatonic: E F# G# B C#

                              R  9   3  5  13

Transpose the 5 F# Minor or A Major pentatonic patterns in the image below to  fit D7 & the E7.

Click on the image below to view all 5 of the F# minor pentatonic and A major pentatonic patterns: 

If we examine more closely where the notes are coming from, you will quickly realize that these notes are fragments taken from the A mixolydian scale:

A Mixolydian : A B C# D E F# G

                        1 2  3   4 5 6 b7

                           9           13

F# minor pentatonic: F# A B C# E

                                13  R 9 3    5

                                 6      2

That is the beauty of the minor or the major pentatonic scale. It gives you a lighter version of a minor or major scale. This lighter version that is comprised of 5 notes instead of 7 notes will give your guitar leads a more melodic and exotic sound. It also has the added extension notes the 9th and 13th that will give you that sweet spot they call the jazz blues or even a southern rock sound.

Phil La Viola

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