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Blues Scale fingerings in all 12 keys?

Can someone tell me the fingerings or tell me where I can find this info online?

I have googled but not had much luck

Thank you

There are several different fingerings available, and I've given several varieties a chance. This is what I've settled on, partly because I can use the same fingering for several different keys.

1,2,3,4,1,2 C, D, E, G, A,
1,2,3,1,2,3 Eb, F, Ab, Bb, B (It's iffy for B)
2,1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1,2,3 Db, Gb

The first set has the disadvantage of a 1,2,1 series, but I like it's simplicity. An alternate for this is
1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1, but there's a 3,4 stretch in there that I don't like.

Once you systematically learn these blues scale fingering variations than you throw it out the window. It is more an exercise than anything. It will stiffle your improvisation if you restrict oneself to this set fingering consistently.
Once you know these fingering, don't use it religiously. Sounds like some strange advice.

Exactly. The blues scale is a menu from which you select certain notes to play riffs, fills, and leads. You need to know the notes so you can grab them, at any time, with any finger, and in virtually any combination.

I have never heard of anyone using a standard fingering with them, because that would be counter-productive, unlike the major scales, where fingering is useful, and applicable to repertoire.

cool, thanks.

yeah i just want to get it under my fingers. Im pretty good about using an improvised fingering when needed

hate to ask, but....

what about the left hand?

You are probably not going to be a playing a blues scale with the left hand too often. Usually the left hand is either playing chords or a walking bass line and the bass line would not use a blues scale. A typical bass line for blues in the key of C is C E G A Bb A G E .

I hear what you are saying, but there are times when a really fast blues scale multi-octave run sounds great. That's just not going to happen without a good fingering that you've practiced. Once you've got it internalized, you just think "blues scale run" and it happens.

But in any case, now you've heard of someone using standard fingering.

Maybe when my hands warm up I'll post an example.

Practice all the fingerings you can think of, then you will be free to play it from any starting note and from any position.
I have never been able to find a fingering that is noticeably better than the others in most keys.

OK, my hands are still a bit cold, but here's an example that I could not have played without much practicing of a standard fingering. I've got some ascending and descending blues scales in there, plus an ascending diminished scale.

http://www.box.net/shared/xk6rg1ud5f

TromboneAl: sounds good, are you practicing with a real bassist or something like band in a box?

also, the fingerings are just what i was looking for the 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1 in the first set is good, but it only works well for me in the key of C

in the 1,2,3,4,1,2 the 1,2,1 series does kinda suck at first, but im sure ill get used to it

thanks!

Just to muddy the waters, here is a brief clip of two choruses of a simple left hand blues pattern, followed by two choruses with the right hand added in. At first I speak the chords as I go along but in case the audio is blurry I am saying "12 Bar Blues - Chord Sequence: C F C C7 | F Fm | C A Dm G C|". Admittedly, the playing is sloppy but I'm trying to get a point across rather than impress you with my virtuosity.

http://www.box.net/shared/q8v8jh6uyk

Is it really necessary?

I'm exposing ignorance, as I'm not a blues player.

But I do listen to them, and to my ears they center on just a couple of keys.

12 sounds like overkill?

PaintedPostDave: your link is asking me to log in. usually box.net links dont usually make you do that

Tim R: I like to learn things in all keys

John,

Try this link:

http://www.box.net/shared/q8v8jh6uyk

(I put this link in my first post, too.)

Dave

I played the bass first, and recorded it into the first channel on my Yamaha P90, then played it back and recorded the piano on the second channel.

Dave: Good stuff, now where do I learn how to do walking basslines

I do too but that's just my ego talking.

90% of what I play in any given genre could be done in one key, the bang for the buck is to learn that key really, really well.

John,

I don't think there is a neat way of embedding written music in posts on this site so I used Finale Songwriter to write out the left hand. Although it is the left hand line, I used the treble clef since it is simpler for me to use (I don't read music that well - to put it mildly).

http://www.box.net/shared/yosxdvjbvi

BTW, if you don't have Finale Songwriter, you might consider it. I use it to first write out music that I can't really get a handle on and then to use it to play the result. If you can't use the songwriter file I will spell it out, as in

These are all quarter notes:

C E|G G’ E|G || C F|A A’ F|A || C E|G G’ E|G

C Bb’ A’ G’ || F Ab|C C Ab || C E|G G’ E|G

A C”#|E” E C”#|E” || D F|A A’ F|A

D F|A A’ F|A || G B|D” D B|D” || C E|G G’ E|G

C A Bb B ||

All letters are above middle C unless there is a prime (below C) or a quote (above C over middle C).

Therefore,
C is middle C,
C” is C above middle C,
G’ is G below middle C,
A’ is A below middle C,
E” is E above C”

E|G is E and G together, F|A is F and A together, etc.
The symbol || by itself represents a measure separator.

The idea is to get really comfortable doing this with only your left hand over and over. Then start trying simple lines in the right hand while maintaining the left hand. At first the right hand can be almost anything just to get you thinking both hands.

Good luck!

Concerning bass lines, check out this thread.