Good scales to master?

[corg]

For the blues? Its one thing I never learned off the bat. I have some pentatonics and some majors down, but other than that. And I know its good to know em all, or as many as possible, but where is good to start? Thanks for the input

-Corey

 

[AlChuck]

I would say that the three best starting points are:

The minor pentatonic scale: root-flat 3rd-4th-5th-flat 7th.
The minor pentatonic with a 6th in place of the 7th.
The mixolydian mode, the same as a major scale but with 7th flatted.

Then some variations:

Add a flat 5th (or sharp 4th) to the minor pentatonic -- it's a very useful note.

Add a 9th to the minor pentatonic, also useful, especially with minor chords.

 

[corg]

Thanks! Yea, I figured it wouldnt be bad to learn all this if I ever plan to improve any. Thanks a bunch!

-Corey

 

[alien]

Also try the Aeloian mode. A bit tricky but quite useful when you need to alternate away from the root minor