The major blues scale is the major pentatonic with one extra note, the b3, that slides up into the major 3rd. It sounds bright and happy with a bluesy bite: the sound of country licks, swing and sunny major-key blues.
Formula
Reference key: G major blues, the key the diagrams below use.
| Degree | 1 | 2 | b3 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | G | A | Bb | B | D | E |
Intervals: W H H W+H W W+H (the W+H gaps are minor 3rds, the jumps that give it the pentatonic shape).
Sound and character
Without the Bb, this is G major pentatonic: open, sweet and a little innocent. The Bb adds grit. It almost never sits still: it's a passing note that rubs against the major 3rd for a split second and then resolves up to B. That half-step "smear" is what makes a line sound bluesy without turning it minor.
Where it's used
Country, western swing, rockabilly, jump blues, Southern rock and soul. It fits major and dominant chords on the root: G, G6, G7, G9. In a blues in G it shines over the I chord (G7). Over C7 (IV) the Bb becomes the chord's b7 and works great, but the B clashes, and over D7 (V) you need to choose notes carefully. The soloing lesson shows how to handle that.
How to move it
The root is the amber dot in each box. To change key, slide the whole pattern until the amber dots land on the new root. Move everything up 2 frets for A major blues, or up 5 frets for C major blues (root at the 8th fret of the low E).
Here's a shortcut worth knowing: G major blues uses the same notes as E minor blues. Same shapes, different home note. Major blues is major pentatonic plus the b3; the Major pentatonic scale chapter covers its parent shapes.
Exercise 2 is the scale's signature move: the b3 sliding into the 3. Let the B ring.