1b345b7b5
Fig. 1 · A blues on the keyboard

piano scale

A blues

A1C♭3D4E♭♭5E5G♭7

Minor pentatonic with one note squeezed in between the fourth and the fifth. It is written as a flattened fifth, so the fifth letter carries both of them and the fourth keeps its own.

on guitaron ukulele

Written out

Fig. 2 · A blues, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

AW+HCWDHE♭HEW+HGWA

What is true of it

A blues is A, C, D, E♭, E and G, and back to A.

Its steps are W+H – W – H – H – W+H – W, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Chords made only of these notes

CmajorCmminorAmminorAdimdiminishedAm7minor seventhAm7♭5half-diminished seventh

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 6 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on A

A major pentatonicpentatonicA minor pentatonicpentatonicA major bluespentatonicA majormajorA natural minorminorA harmonic minorminor

C bluesC♯ bluesD♭ bluesD bluesD♯ bluesE♭ bluesE bluesF bluesall 374