blues scale for 4th chord

viz

Great ideas from Octa, Stratman, Newi and Jal. 

Another thing you can try, which could open whole new doors for you, is to get the melodic minor scale under your ears and fingers. It's an amazingly versatile selection of intervals and can be used in many different ways around the I IV V chords. Once you have become really familiar with it, you will find it your ear seeking it and its modes throughout blues progressions. 

A short explanation. Ignore if you want. Melodic minor, as you may know, is a variation of natural minor (Aeolian). It's the Aeolian scale but with the 6th and 7th notes raised. So A melodic minor is A B C D E F# G# A. It was actually not designed to be played as a scale over the tonic chord. It was originally conceived to enable strong melodies during the Dominant (V) chord in a natural minor key. Eg, in A natural minor, melodies over the V chord would normally be based on E phrygian, so E F G A B C D E, which is a lovely melody in itself, but has a low 2nd and 3rd, and gives a very poor dominant effect over the A minor I-chord. So it became acceptable when the dominant chord was being played, to raise the 2nd and 3rd to E F# G# A B C D E and thus create melodies that really pointed to the A Aeolian. That scale was called the Aeolian Dominant scale, for obvious reasons, and the "melodic minor" scale is simply that scale, but starting and ending on the 4th degree, ie on the A, hence A B C D E F# G# A. So originally melodic minor was created purely for being played in its 5th mode, over the Dominant chord (which is why classical musicians play the raised 6th and 7th ascending only, because they are assuming the V chord on the way up, resolving to the I chord (Aeolian) - so relaxing that 6th and 7th to their unraised positions - on the way down). 

But jazz and blues have found entirely different ways to use the scale's unique properties, in many non-Aeolian-centric contexts, thus negating the need to modify the scale between ascending and descending. Here are a few examples, all in your A7 D7 E7 framework:

Over the tonic (I): you could try the 4th mode of melodic minor A B C# D# E F# G A (ie the notes from E melodic minor). This is the overtone or acoustic scale, and is used in The Simpsons. It has a major 3rd, which is good, and an augmented 4th, which goves a nice lift to a blues tune, but unlike Lydian, it has a minor 7th (in blues, the I chord is very keen on retaining the perfect 5th, major 6th and minor 7th, but not fussed about the 4th, so it's safe to raise it. It's basically mixolydian with an augmented 4th). 

Also over the tonic: If you're not playing that traditional "want-to learn-to play-the blues" shuffle rhythm with the toggling between the 5th and major 6th note, and you can stomach a minor 6th, then try the 5th mode of the melodic minor. That would be A B C# D E F G A  (ie the notes from D melodic minor). As mentioned before this is the Aeolian Dominant scale, but played in a Tonic context. It's also called the Hindu scale, and it has a lovely eastern feel. But it only works if you don't have a major 6th in the accompaniment. 

Over the subdominant (IV): again you can try both the above scales - D E F# G# A B C D (from A melodic minor) and D E F# G A B C D (from G melodic minor), with the same benefits and caveats above. Playing A overtone on the tonic, followed by D overtone on the subdominant, works really well. 

Over the dominant (V), you can play the Hindu scale (à la classical music, but with the intention of returning to a major tonic not a minor tonic) - that would be E F# G# A B C D E. 

Also over the dominant, and here's the really beautiful one, you can play the 'superlocrian scale' which is the 7th mode of the melodic minor. It has a major and minor 3rd, an augmented 4th and 5th (so it misses the perfect 4th and 5ths altogether!) and a minor 6th, though it doesn't seem to mind clashing with the major 6th in a shuffle. This would contain the notes from F melodic minor - so E, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, E. This will sound unstable and jazzy and cool.

You could also try playing the superlocrian over the tonic if you dare - ie the notes from Bb melodic minor, so A Bb C Db Eb F G A.

Superlocrian doesn't work over the subdominant chord. 

let us know how you get on!

octatonic

Big load of creamy Viz Wiz there^^^

finest1

@VIZ thanks for that. im gonna have to read that a few times though!!  do you have any video or sound examples to demonstrate that info?

viz

Well I'm not at my best at 7 in the morning while rushing to work! - but here's the outline of what I was saying: 

finest1

@viz WOW!! thanks for that demo, really appreicate it !

viz

Good luck!