Minor Blues vs Major Blues on Piano
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.
Piano, C3 to C5. Notes in this scale, low to high: C3 (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues), D3 (2), Eb3 (flat 3 of C Minor Blues and flat 3 of C Major Blues), E3 (3), F3 (4), Gb3 (flat 5), G3 (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues), A3 (6), Bb3 (flat 7), C4 (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues), D4 (2), Eb4 (flat 3 of C Minor Blues and flat 3 of C Major Blues), E4 (3), F4 (4), Gb4 (flat 5), G4 (5 of C Minor Blues and 5 of C Major Blues), A4 (6), Bb4 (flat 7), C5 (root of C Minor Blues and root of C Major Blues).
Swipe the chart sideways to see all of it.
Both scales above are drawn on one piano keyboard 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)