'Altered' scales in the Blues | How & Where to use them

I've seen many lessons and demonstrations over the years on this topic of using altered and diminished scales in the Blues and as a student, I was often left feeling frustrated and confused on how to actually get started. I was left with a number of questions -Where can I actually use the altered scale? -Over which chord progression and what type of chord? -How do I play it in a way that actually sounds good? In this lesson I aim to demonstrate exactly how to apply the altered scale in the context of a 12 bar blues. We can play and use the Altered scale based off the root of the 5 chord in a 5 - 1 chord progression eg. E7 going to A, A7 going to D etc. (a 7th chord going down a 5th) to add some tension into our lines and pull us toward the next chord. We find this 5-1 progression in two places in a 12 bar blues in the Key of A - We see it with A going to D, and E going to A - both progressions are travelling down a 5th. A going UP to D is up a 4th but it can also be seen as going down a 5th. I am keeping it simple in this lesson by using mostly 8th note lines. I believe it's important when starting out to use even note groupings because over time, this will train your ear to be able to hear ahead of time how many notes to put into your your lines to make them flow through the bar, add tension at the right time and then resolve promptly at an appropriate time as the next chord arrives. The altered scale has some awesome chords and tensions within it, and it can really add some sophistication to your Blues playing. Happy practicing!   / jemersonmusic     / j_emersonmusic