Blues lead guitar - lesson 4

Blues in the key of A: using a single scale – lesson 4: shape 4.
This is the fourth lesson in the Blues soloing series. The diagram below shows the 4th shape of the scale, played in open position. There are five different main shapes for a certain scale.

Blues in A jam track

"Boogie Blues"

A blues scale shape diagram open pos

Instructions: The shape involves open strings, which can be utilized in several ways. For the boogie blues style, the open strings combined with the remaining notes can generate bouncy effects and especially by using techniques such as hammer-ons.
Notice all except one of the strings can be exploited as open strings. You can probably also recognize the Am chord shape.
Notice also that you can move the whole shape on octave up the fretboard, to the 12th position, that is.

Jam track info

Instruments: Bass, drums and rhythm guitar
Chords: A7
Tempo: 140 BPM

Blues in A - lesson 3  •  Blues in A - lesson 5

Explanations

Chord and scale - This particular blues jam track is based upon only one chord, the dominant A seventh. The dominant seventh is the most common chord type in blues. The Blues scale (a.k.a. the Pentatonic Blues scale) is as its name imply a perfect choice to use for blues lead guitar.

A7 chord chord intervals and notes.

1 3 5 b7
A C# E G

A Blues scale degrees and notes.

1 b3 4 b5 5 b7
A C D Eb E G

There is not a perfect match between a A7 chord and the A Blues scale, but it will still sound great to use the scale over the chord. It will not always sound great to play the b3 over the A7 chord (I chord) and one way to tackle this is to bend the b3 note. Often is micro bends used, as in the following lick:

Tab blues lick