6's and 9's
Tutorial: Part 4
So in this fourth segment, let's take a look at some licks that incorporate the six and nine intervals into the Blue scale. For the purpose of keeping things simple, let's just stick with the fifth position box of the A Blues. You can certainly utilize these concepts in other areas in your other forms of the Blue scale.
In this position, people quickly develop a reflex of playing through a very symmetrical pattern of four-three-one with their fingers. Because in this sense since you have got the flat third, to the nine, to the one, flat seven, six five, flat five, four, flat three, and so people will just riff through or do things such as, just a quickly riff through the Blue scale. Little bit more tasteful lick that uses that same kind of thing, you can start on the third finger or the seventh fret and then do a hammer-on and pull off back to one, and do the same thing on each string.
Another example of a lick that does that, I can start on the eight fret and pull off to the fifth, and then pull off at the seventh to the fifth fret. One more time, one more time slowly. And you will notice that there is a really cool application here, when I bend, the sixth I am bending up to the flat seven, these 9's and 6's are a great way to incorporate half step bends into your Blue scale and that can give you a real, much more melodic sound using the scale.
And so, you can start on that scale degree and then bend up and you will actually hit a chord tone. One other thing that you can try and this will give you a little bit more of a smooth kind of Jazz feel to it, if you use more of a legado type of thing, we are still sticking with the Blue scale but using the 9's and the 6's. One more time.
So in that case, I am starting on the nine, hammering on and pulling off from the third, going down to the one, and then just sliding back up into my Blues box. Then going from five to eight out of the Blue scale, one more time, and then here I am actually approaching that six from a half step below and ending on the route. And so you can see that gives you a much more smoother melodic feel in your Blue scale.
So have fun with that, hopefully that gives you some more options when you are playing through this more familiar forms.
Ryan Newell: Hi everyone! My name is Ryan Newell. I play guitar in the band Sister Hazel.
This would be a G chord and you just strum down and the arpeggio back up. The last finish is --
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