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Beginner Blues major and minor

BrianJoeSandy

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Daventry near enough
I understand scales pentatonic major and minor also blues. But i seem to get conflicting info when looking up 'major blues' and minor blues'. For instance Pete's Slippin' an slidin' analysis says f not in major but is in minor (I assume root C here) but The Pocket Reference Guide for all Musicians. Has major blues as:
1-2-3b-3-4-5b-5-6-7b
and minor blues as:
1-2-3b-4-5b-5-6b-7b
:confused:
 
The amazing scale gizmo gives the blues scale is
1-3b-4-5b-5-7b
So all these brains differ on what a blues scale is.
Maybe, just maybe, if it sounds good, it is good, aint such a bad idea.
 
From Wikipedia

The hexatonic, or six note, blues scale consists of the minor pentatonic scale plus the ♯4 or ♭5 degree[1][2][3]. A major feature of the blues scale is the use of blue notes,[4] however, since blue notes are considered alternative inflections, a blues scale may be considered to not fit the traditional definition of a scale.[5] At its most basic, a single version of this "blues scale" is commonly used over all changes (or chords) in a twelve bar blues progression.[6] Likewise, in contemporary jazz theory, its use is commonly based upon the key rather than the individual chord.[2]

The heptatonic, or seven note, conception of the "blues scale" is as a diatonic scale (a major scale) with lowered third, fifth, and seventh degrees[7] and blues practice is derived from the "conjunction of 'African scales' and the diatonic western scales".[8] Steven Smith argues that, "to assign blues notes to a 'blues scale' is a momentous mistake, then, after all, unless we alter the meaning of 'scale'.[9]

Despite this, an essentially nine note blues scale is defined by Benward and Saker[10] as a chromatic variation of the major scale featuring a flat third and seventh degrees which, "alternating with the normal third and seventh scale degrees are used to create the blues inflection. These 'blue notes' represent the influence of African scales on this music."[11]
 
Wonder if those guys with their Field Hollers knew of the confusion their music would eventually cause to the educated, slave owning types. If they did, bet they died laughing.
 
Just occurred to me that Africa is quite large, so is there any evidence that the scales preferred at the northern end would also be used by choice in the south? Of course it can probably be argued that the slave trade concentrated on limited, compliant or easy to raid areas, so any scale difference was minimal but has anyone any idea how to write all these various blues scales in American Shape Note form?
 

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