A Blues Scale on Ukulele
Diagram, notes, and audio for the A Blues scale on ukulele. Free in your browser.
About A Blues on ukulele
There is a reason the A Blues appears on every method-book front page for ukulele. It carries a feel that is gritty, expressive, and unmistakably American, defined entirely by where the half-steps land. Spell the scale and you get A, C, D, D#, E, G — memorise that order before you worry about positions.
On ukulele the blues scale gets used more for accent notes than full solos; that flat-five is a strong colour to end a phrase on. What makes it sound like itself is the gap pattern between notes; transposing to A keeps that pattern intact. Save this page and come back to it whenever you need a reference for A in this scale type.
Frequently asked questions
- What notes are in the A Blues scale?
- The A Blues scale contains the notes A, C, D, D#, E, G. That is 6 pitch classes, played in that order from the root upward.
- What does Blues mean in music theory?
- Blues is a six-note scale that adds a chromatic "blue note" to the minor pentatonic. The interval pattern is the same in every key — choosing A as the root just shifts every pitch up or down without changing the scale's character.
- How do I practise A Blues on ukulele?
- Start with the diagram on this page, play the notes slowly ascending and descending, then add a metronome at a comfortable tempo. Once the fingering is automatic, try improvising short phrases that always land back on A.
Switch instruments
See A Blues on a different instrument — same notes, new diagram.