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.
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).
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)