Blues Harp Scale

There is much discussion over what exactly is a blues scale. I’ve listed a basic scale that is used in blues. These are the notes that sound good for blues. Practice this fast and slow. Almost all blues riffs use a piece of this scale. The three hole draw bent is a parial bend. It should drop the three down the half step needed to make the minor. This note is the heart of the blues and can vary from unbent (for a major country and western music sound) to more than a half step for a dark minor sounding blues. Your ear should tell you when you have this bend right.

Scale up:

Scale down:

There are a couple of notes below the 2 draw that are repeats of notes in the middle scale.

There are some blues notes above the 6 hole blow, but I not fond of the sound of them. You can use the high end of the harp, but the low end sounds so much better. The top 4 holes in a harmonica should be used in first position and then only occasionally.

Note:

In an interview with Kim Wilson, Carlos Colina asked Kim what was his greatest strength in playing the harp. Kim answered "I have a good 3 draw bend".