The Minor Blues

There is a second family of blues, and it is worth knowing because it sounds nothing like the first. Instead of dominant chords, the minor blues uses minor sevenths: Am7, Dm7, Em7.

The form is still twelve bars and still built on I, IV and V, but the whole mood changes. Where the major blues struts, the minor blues broods. Think of the slow, smoky end of the repertoire.

The good news for your left hand is that minor 7th shapes are easier than almost anything else on the guitar.

Am7

Am7 — the I chord.

Dm7

Dm7 — the IV chord.

Em7

Em7 — the V chord. Many players swap in a plain E7 here for extra pull back to the top.

Your soloing scale does not change at all. A minor pentatonic still works, and now it genuinely agrees with the chords underneath instead of rubbing against them — so the same licks come out smoother and sadder.

That contrast is the thing to listen for in this lesson. Play a phrase you used in lesson four over this track and notice how differently it lands.

A minor blues in A, built on exactly the Am7 - Dm7 - Em7 changes above.