Scale · Mandolin
A Blues Scale · Mandolin
Fretboard map · Mandolin
Find every available note across the first 12 frets.
Notes
A · C · D · E♭ · E · G
Root: A
Intervals
1 · ♭3 · 4 · ♭5 · 5 · ♭7
How it is built
This scale starts on A and applies the intervals 1, ♭3, 4, ♭5, 5, ♭7. The result contains 6 distinct pitch classes per octave.
Explore related combinations
Guide and musical context
About A Blues Mandolin Scale
A Blues Mandolin scale uses the notes A, C, D, E♭, E, G. Its character is expressive and gritty because of the added flat-five blue note.
Character and sound
Expressive and gritty because of the added flat-five blue note.
Musical context and history
The blues scale is commonly understood as minor pentatonic plus the diminished fifth. It belongs to the language developed in the African American blues tradition and has deeply influenced jazz, rock and popular music.
How and where it is used
It is a core resource for improvisation and riffs in blues, rock, funk, soul and jazz.
On mandolin, fifths tuning encourages symmetric movable patterns. Unison string courses reinforce the attack, and the map helps locate the same note in different fretboard registers. Everything you see and hear on this page comes from the same note set shown above.
Harmonic and musical relationships
A practical way to understand this scale is to compare it with the major and minor scales starting on A. The altered notes are exactly what create its characteristic color.
The formula on this page is 1 · ♭3 · 4 · ♭5 · 5 · ♭7 and, from A, produces the notes A · C · D · E♭ · E · G.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the A Blues Mandolin scale?
The notes are A, C, D, E♭, E, G.
What is its interval formula?
The formula is 1 · ♭3 · 4 · ♭5 · 5 · ♭7.
How does it sound and what is it used for?
Expressive and gritty because of the added flat-five blue note. It is a core resource for improvisation and riffs in blues, rock, funk, soul and jazz.
How can I check it on Mandolin?
Use the interactive diagram on this page and press Play or Note by note. The highlighted positions, written notes and playback all use the same pitch collection.