What's The Difference Between Blues Scales And Pentatonics Scales?

Very simply put, the difference is just one note. The blues scale has one extra note added to the pentatonic one. This extra note is the flat 5th or blue note. As with the pentatonic scales, the blues scale has both minor and major versions. The minor blues scale is probably the most commonly learnt of the two.


We'll start off with the minor blues scale, more specifically the E Minor blues scale. Below is the first blues scale box pattern of the E Minor blues scale with the root note being the open sixth, low E, string. Compare this to the E Minor pentatonic scale.

e |------------------------------------------------0---3---|
B |----------------------------------------0---3-----------|
G |----------------------------0---2---3-------------------|
D |--------------------0---2-------------------------------|
A |--------0---1---2---------------------------------------|
E |0---3---------------------------------------------------|

And this is the fretboard diagram for the first of the blues scale box patterns:

E Minor Blues Scale - First Box

 Second box tab:

e |------------------------------------------------3---5---|
B |----------------------------------------3---5-----------|
G |----------------------------2---3---4-------------------|
D |--------------------2---5-------------------------------|
A |------------2---5---------------------------------------|
E |3---5---6-----------------------------------------------|

Second box fretboard diagram:

E Minor Blues Scale - Second Box

Third box tab:

e |------------------------------------------------5---6---7---|
B |----------------------------------------5---8---------------|
G |--------------------------------4---7-----------------------|
D |--------------------5---7---8-------------------------------|
A |------------5---7-------------------------------------------|
E |5---6---7---------------------------------------------------|

Third box fretboard diagram:

E Minor Blues Scale - Third Box

Fourth box tab:

e |---------------------------------------------------7---10---|
B |-------------------------------------8---10---11------------|
G |-----------------------------7---9--------------------------|
D |-----------------7---8---9----------------------------------|
A |--------7---10----------------------------------------------|
E |7---10------------------------------------------------------|

Fourth box fretboard diagram:

E Minor Blues Scale - Fourth Box

Fifth box tab:

e |---------------------------------------------------------10---12---|
B |------------------------------------------10---11---12-------------|
G |----------------------------------9---12---------------------------|
D |-------------------------9---12------------------------------------|
A |----------10---12---13---------------------------------------------|
E |10---12------------------------------------------------------------|

Fifth box fretboard diagram:

E Minor Blues Scale - Fifth Box

After the fifth box, it starts again at the first box one octave higher:

e |--------------------------------------------12---15---|
B |------------------------------------12---15-----------|
G |--------------------------12---14---------------------|
D |------------------12---14-----------------------------|
A |--------12---14---------------------------------------|
E |12---15-----------------------------------------------|

And here's the fretboard diagram:

E Minor Blues Scale - First Box One Octave Higher

Finally, this diagram shows all the notes of the E Minor blues scale up to fret 24 on the guitar fretboard:

E Minor Blues Scale - All Notes