‘Blues Scale Piano Riffs’ Commentary

with Julian Bradley

minor scales Explained

This batch of ‘Blues Scale Piano Riffs’ are all demonstrated in the key of C minor.

Now there are several types of minor scale:

1. There’s C natural minor scale (C D Eb F G Ab Bb)…

2. Then there’s C harmonic minor scale (C D Eb F G Ab B)…

3. There’s also C dorian scale (C D Eb F G A Bb)…

And 4. there’s even C melodic minor scale (C D Eb F G A B).

Each of these minor scales shares the same first 5 notes (C D Eb F G) - they just differ in their 6ths and
7ths.

Noe in this batch of ‘Blues Scale Riffs’ I used two of these minor scales - C harmonic minor scale
and C dorian scale.

And in addition, I also used C minor blues scale (not considered a ‘minor scale’) - which you can play
over any chord within the key of C minor.

Switching between scales

In Jazz it’s normal to switch between different scales as you play - every chord or so - and that’s what I’ve
done throughout this batch of ‘Blues Scale Riffs’. My melodies (in the right hand) switch to different
scales multiple times within each riff.

When deciding which scale to play, I look at what the chord is. I have my own favorite chord / scale
combinations which I’ll show you in this document.

Chords explained
Normally when I compose, I start with the chords. First I’ll compose a chord progression that I like, and
once I’m happy with the chords I’ll start writing melodic ideas in my right hand.

Most of the chords in this batch of ‘Blues Scale Riffs’ are taken from C harmonic minor scale…

So when you see F minor and G7 chords in the music - these two chords are built from C
harmonic minor scale (C D Eb F G Ab B):

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(Seeing B natural in the G7 chord is the main giveaway - it tells you you’re in C harmonic minor
scale).

Whereas othertimes, when you see me play C minor 7 and D minor 7 chords back and forth - these
two chords are built from C dorian scale (C D Eb F G A Bb):

(It’s normal in Jazz to play the dorian scale over minor 7 chords - it has a relaxed and casual sound).

Most of the chord progressions I used for this batch of ‘Blues Scale Riffs’ started in C harmonic
minor scale (Fm - G7 - Fm - G7) - and then ended with two bars of C dorian scale (Cm7 - Dm7 -
Cm7 - Dm7).

Scales Explained
Once I’ve composed a chord progression that I like, then I’ll start composing melodies in my right hand.

It would be nice and simple if the melody was built from the two minor scales that I just mentioned,
since the chords were built from those two scales (i.e. C harmonic minor scale palyed over the
Fm and G7 chords, and C dorian scale played over the Cm7 and Dm7 chords)…

However - in Jazz you can go an extra step and change the scales that you play over the chords in your
progression…

So even though I originally composed each chord progression using chords from C harmonic minor
scale and C dorian scale - there are a few other scales that will also fit with these chords and which
will sound more interesting and sophosticated…

Again, the reason for doing this is always the same - ‘it sounds good’.

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chord / Scale Relationships
Within the context of ‘C minor’ - there are 4 types of scale I play most of the time:

• If the chord is C minor 7 I’ll normally play C dorian scale (C D Eb F G A Bb). Although you could
also notes play C minor blues scale (C Eb F Gb G Bb).

• If the chord is G7 I’ll normally play C harmonic minor scale (C D Eb F G Ab B) - however I like
to think of this scale starting from the chord’s root note, which is G - so this scale can also be called
G phrygian-dominant scale (G Ab B C D Eb F).

• And if the chord is F minor 7 I tend to play C minor blues scale (C Eb F Gb G Bb).

Other scales you’ll sometimes see me play:

• Over G7 I’ll sometimes play G altered scale (G Ab Bb B Db Eb F). This is a very sophisticated Jazz
scale, full of altered extensions like the b9, #9 and b13. I recommend you think of this scale as ‘Ab
melodic minor scale’ (Ab Bb B Db Eb F G). So when you see ‘G7’ - just count up a half-step to Ab
and build a melodic minor scale (it’s a lot easier - and it gets you to target Ab and Bb, which are more
sophisticated sounding notes than G).

Blue Scale explained:

You can play C minor blues scale (C Eb F Gb G Bb) over all chords in the key of C minor:

That includes all of the chords we’ve already talked about - like F min and G7 (which are built from C
harmonic minor scale) - the blues scale sounds fine over these…

It includes the chords built from C dorian scale - like C min 7 (and even D min 7). Again, the blues
scale sounds fine over these chords…

And it even includes any other chord that you can build from the notes of C natural minor scale (C
D Eb F G Ab Bb) - which includes chords like Bb maj - Ab maj - G min - F min - Eb maj - and so on).
Again, you can play C minor blues scale over all of these chords.

How to remember the Blues Scale:

I like to think of the blues scale as ‘minor pentatonic scale + blue note’:

C minor pentatonic scale is C Eb F G Bb - and the blue note is Gb.

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So when you play the Blues scale - most of the time you’re just playing the pentatonic scale (C Eb F G
Bb). However, you’ll also add in the blue note (Gb) here and there - usually at the start of a riff (the
very first note).

The Blue note:

Strictly speaking - the blue note is not the flat 5th (Gb). It’s actually half-way between the flat 5th (Gb)
and the natural 5th (G).

So the true blue note is actually a ‘quartertone’ (it’s halfway between a halftone, between Gb - G).

Only singers, guitarists and wind instruments can truly play the blue note - because they can bend notes.

However as piano players - we can’t bend notes. So to give the impression of playing the blue note - we
tend to ‘graze’ the flat 5th (Gb) for a milisecond before landing on the 5th (G) - or sometimes the 4th
(F).

This is usually how the blue note is used.You skim it for a milisecond before you play the 5th or the 4th.

If you want to use the Blues Scale - avoid holding down Gb for any length of time. That’s not how it’s
supposed to be used. Instead, just ‘graze’ it briefly for effect just before you land on F or G.

Again - most of the time when you use the blues scale, you’re just playing the notes of C minor
pentatonic scale, with occassional hints of the blue note.

Chord Voicings:
I also used a few nice chord voicings which you might like to learn:

1. ‘Open voicing #1’ for C minor 7 = C / Bb Eb G:

This ‘1 / 7 3 5’ voicing works for any 7th chord - just tweak the 3rd and 7th to fit with the chord type.

So for C major 7 you would play ‘C / B E G’ (change the 7th and 3rd to a MAJOR 7th and 3rd).

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2.‘Open Voicing #2’ - used here for C minor 7 = C G / Bb Eb.

Again, you can apply this voicing to any type of 7th chord - major 7, dominant 7, half-diminished, etc - just
tweak the 3rd and 7th (and sometimes the 5th) to fit with the chord type.

So for C major 7 you would play ‘C G / B E’.

Or for C7 you would play ‘C G / Bb E’.

Or for C minor 7 flat 5 you would play ‘C Gb / Bb Eb’.

3.You’ll also see me use a complex ‘Rootless Voicing’ for G7 alt chords (already shown in the images
above):
G F / B Eb F Bb

This dominant 7 chord (and its voicing) likes to resolve down a 5th - to C minor 7 - which you could
voice using another type of rootless voicing like this:

C / Bb D Eb G

(Voicing for ‘C min 7’ / ‘C min 9’)

And if I demonstrate the V7 altered voicing from C - which would be a C7 alt. chord - it would look
like this:
C Bb / E Ab Bb Eb

For your right hand - think ‘maj 3 - b13 - b7 - #9’ - and then play the root in your left hand.

Practice Tip:
To learn any new chord voicing - practice jumping around the 12 notes at random and build the voicing
from each note by counting out its intervals carefully. Either choose notes at random, or simply count
down in 5ths which will take you through all 12 notes: C - F - Bb - Eb - Ab - Db, etc)

Do not try to remember chord voicings by their note names - as the note names will always be different.
Instead, learn every chord voicing as an interval pattern - a set of intervals which you can build from any
note (e.g. ‘root + 5th + 5th + half-step + 5th + 5th’). Count the interval pattern from each note to build
the chord voicing.

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