Minor Blues vs Major Blues
The C minor blues and the C major blues share 3 notes — C, Eb, G. From there, the C minor blues adds F, Gb, Bb, while the C major blues adds D, E, A.
Bass · 4-string, tuned low to high: E, A, D, G. 24 frets.
- E string: fret 0 E (3), fret 1 F (4), fret 2 Gb (flat 5), fret 3 G (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 5 A (6), fret 6 Bb (flat 7), fret 8 C (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues), fret 10 D (2), fret 11 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor Blues and flat 3 of C Major Blues), fret 12 E (3), fret 13 F (4), fret 14 Gb (flat 5), fret 15 G (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 17 A (6), fret 18 Bb (flat 7), fret 20 C (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues), fret 22 D (2), fret 23 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor Blues and flat 3 of C Major Blues), fret 24 E (3).
- A string: fret 0 A (6), fret 1 Bb (flat 7), fret 3 C (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues), fret 5 D (2), fret 6 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor Blues and flat 3 of C Major Blues), fret 7 E (3), fret 8 F (4), fret 9 Gb (flat 5), fret 10 G (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 12 A (6), fret 13 Bb (flat 7), fret 15 C (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues), fret 17 D (2), fret 18 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor Blues and flat 3 of C Major Blues), fret 19 E (3), fret 20 F (4), fret 21 Gb (flat 5), fret 22 G (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 24 A (6).
- D string: fret 0 D (2), fret 1 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor Blues and flat 3 of C Major Blues), fret 2 E (3), fret 3 F (4), fret 4 Gb (flat 5), fret 5 G (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 7 A (6), fret 8 Bb (flat 7), fret 10 C (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues), fret 12 D (2), fret 13 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor Blues and flat 3 of C Major Blues), fret 14 E (3), fret 15 F (4), fret 16 Gb (flat 5), fret 17 G (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 19 A (6), fret 20 Bb (flat 7), fret 22 C (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues), fret 24 D (2).
- G string: fret 0 G (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 2 A (6), fret 3 Bb (flat 7), fret 5 C (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues), fret 7 D (2), fret 8 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor Blues and flat 3 of C Major Blues), fret 9 E (3), fret 10 F (4), fret 11 Gb (flat 5), fret 12 G (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues), fret 14 A (6), fret 15 Bb (flat 7), fret 17 C (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues), fret 19 D (2), fret 20 Eb (flat 3 of C Minor Blues and flat 3 of C Major Blues), fret 21 E (3), fret 22 F (4), fret 23 Gb (flat 5), fret 24 G (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues).
Both scales above are drawn on one bass fretboard in the key of C. Notes belonging to both are drawn as a split two-color dot, so the notes they share and the notes unique to each are visible in one picture.
How the formulas differ
Scale degrees are the key-independent way to compare two scales — these stay the same in every key, and they are what actually distinguishes one scale from another.
| Scale | Degrees |
|---|---|
| Minor Blues | R · b3 · 4 · b5 · 5 · b7 |
| Major Blues | R · 2 · b3 · 3 · 5 · 6 |
Notes in common
| Note | In Minor Blues | In Major Blues |
|---|---|---|
| C | R | R |
| Eb | b3 | b3 |
| G | 5 | 5 |
Notes that differ
- Only in the minor blues: F (4), Gb (b5), Bb (b7)
- Only in the major blues: D (2), E (3), A (6)