What are the relationships between the notes of the blues scale?

I have been playing guitar for about 3 years now. However, I just started getting into music theory about a year ago. I think that if I could figure out or get some help figuring out the relationships between the notes in the blues (or pentatonic) scale that it would allow me to connect some of the other ideas that I have already learned and thus further my knowledge and help in my playing.What are the relationships between the notes of the blues scale?
Recently set off a debate about the modes of the pentatonic fid in resolved questions.





Blues scale now being taught in UK / Rock Schools and co, is pentatonic plus flat 5th but that is a bit of a misnomer because it is the 5th of the Major scale.





Try this as already stated below but in Key of E





E G A Bb B D then octave E ( Bb is the modifier. )





Listen to Chuck Berry for example and he is often changing the minor 3rd to a Major 3rd this now often done by bending the minor note toward the major but Chuck 'Hammers it on/pulls it off';. He says he learned it from his piano player. Duke Ellington called it the blue note and there are other blue notes; Try push bending the 6th toward the diminished 7th is also cool sound like Eric Clapton, who was found switching from the Major pentatonic of the Key to the Major pentatonic of the minor relative key.


You Make 'em work by bending the notes in! Like slide guitar work only with the fingers.


Hope that makes sense. I have nothing better to do today.What are the relationships between the notes of the blues scale?
Using the A minor as an example:





A B C D E F G A


1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8











From A to B (whole step)


From B to C (half step)


From C to D (whole step)


From D to E (whole step)


From E to F (half step)


From F to G (whole step)


From G to A (whole step)





These are known as ';intervals'; and are part of the Number System.





You select your root note (that becomes your key), and play the interval sequence and you will be playing in that given key.





The ';Blues'; scale includes the half step between 4 and 5.





The notes of A minor Pentatonic are:


A C D E G A





To count this off you would say, ';whole step-and a half';. Each fret on the guitar represents a half step.
Will Per Force is certainly on the right track with it all,





Please remember that the blues scale is a cultural scale and does not neatly fit into western music theory in any sort of strict sense.





Talking about the blues scale exclusively, it is an alteration of the major scale in that it has a lowered third and lowered seventh - also usually a diminished fifth. The idea is that there is a natural tension between the major tonality of the harmonic structure juxtapositioned with the minor tonality of the melodic structure.





But, as Will so adroitly points out - you are NOT limited to the blues scale exclusively and are free to mix modalitites as you please. The blues scale is an expression of tension, and you can resolve to tension to more sonorous tones or not - you can go to even more tense one if the notion suits you.
John, use the major scale. The blues sound is basically formed by playing 7th chords instead of major and using minor 7th and diminished where it sounds best. If playing mainly 7ths an augmented will give your music a bite as a conecting chord. contact me if I can help further. Good luck and keep practicing. Hint: learn every number in at least 3 keys to rapidly improve your chord knowledge.