Breakdown
This is a very tasteful Major Blues Scale lick that will work really nicely in a country style - with some bends thrown in for good measure!
This lick is in the key of E and takes us really nicely from the 1 chord to the 5 chord. In this lick we're in the key of E, but you can move it around to fit over any major key! If you're not sure what we mean by 1 and 5 chords we explain it all in our free theory courses here.
The major blues scale is a really nice twist on the classic major pentatonic scale. In the same way that the minor blues scale adds the flat 5th to the minor pentatonic, the major blues scale takes your major pentatonic scale and adds in the flat 3rd, giving you the following scale degrees:
This gives you a really nice chromatic run, and the best part is the scale shapes are exactly the same as the more common minor blues shapes! For this lick we're using shape 1 over the E major chord:
Pay attention to where the root note is - if you're familiar with playing minor pentatonic the root will be in a different place, even though the shape is the same!
Playing the Lick
Dan uses some really tasty bends to get a distinctive country sound here. If you're new to bends remember to wrap your thumb around the neck and use a rotation of your forearm to push the strings toward the ceiling - don't rely on the strength in your fingers alone! We've got a full lesson on bending technique here. Check that out if you're in any doubt! Focus on getting the bend to pitch, and once that's sounding good you can think about keeping the bent note ringing out while you play the fretted note on the next string. It's a real step up from just playing a bent note, so take it slow and remember to bend with your arm (not just fingers!).
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