6 String Freedom

Part 12: Blues, with the foundations still clear · Lesson 112 / 117

Major blues adds the minor third

Today’s one thing

Compare C and C# inside a major-pentatonic-based collection.

A major pentatonic is A–B–C#–E–F#. A major blues adds C, the minor third above A: A–B–C–C#–E–F#. Its formula is 1–2–b3–3–5–6.

Notice that both thirds are present. C# belongs to the A7 chord; C provides a contrasting blues colour. In C–C#–E, the melody moves from that minor-third colour into the major third and then the fifth.

The added note here is b3, not b5. That distinguishes major blues from the minor-blues construction in the previous lesson.

Practise above A7 first. Later, the chord change to D7 alters the role of C: it becomes D7's seventh. The same note can therefore be a blues-colour choice in one bar and a chord tone in another.

Hear it

Major Blues

Audio file

Four-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.

A concrete example

A major blues = A B C C# E F#. A minor blues = A C D Eb E G. They are related blues resources, not the same six-note list.

A major blues56789e · 1ABCC♯B · 2EF♯G · 3CC♯ED · 4ABA · 5EF♯E · 6ABCC♯
Frets are labelled above; high E is the top string. Brass dots mark the tonic. Tap a dot to hear it.

Fretboard view

High E (string 1) is the top line, matching guitar tablature. Select a note to hear it.

Root / tonicChord toneTargetChanged / colour noteOther note
A major blues: hear both thirds
Major pentatonic A–B–C♯–E–F♯ with C added.
Guitar fretboard diagram: A major blues: hear both thirds. High E string on top, frets 5 to 9. Notes A, B, C, C#, E, F#.
Compare C and C♯ over A7. The collection contains both the minor and major third.
Play notes from a larger button list

One small map at a time. Hear the notes, then play the example without looking.

Try it, slowly

  1. Play A major pentatonic.
  2. Add C before C# and compare the two thirds.
  3. Make a short C–C#–E phrase over A7 with a deliberate arrival on C# or E.

Check one idea

What distinguishes the added note in major blues from the added note in minor blues?

Show the explanation

Major blues adds b3 to major pentatonic. Minor blues adds b5 to minor pentatonic. In A, those added notes are C and Eb respectively.

A good place to stop

You can state both constructions without confusing their added intervals.

Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.