The A♭ Blues Scale on Saxophone has six notes. However, when practicing the Blues Scales on Sax it's beneficial to start on the root and end on the octave, bringing the total to seven notes.
The main reason for this is that it helps bring home the “Blues Scale sound”. This is useful, especially if you are a saxophone beginner and want to understand the Saxophone Scales beyond just pressing keys on your sax.
Play A♭ Blues Scale on Saxophone
You can comfortably play the A♭ Blues Scale within two octaves in the standard range of your saxophone.
Facts of the A Flat Blues Scale on Saxophone (A♭)
Looking at the image above, you can see the notation for the A♭ Blues Scale on the saxophone, starting at the root and culminating at the octave.
The intervals of the A♭ Blues Scale are:
- Root › Minor third › Whole Step › Half Step › Half Step › Minor Third › Whole Step
This translates to the following notes: A♭ › C♭ › D♭ › D › E♭ › G♭ › A♭
Pro Tip: The Note C♭ (“C Flat”) is fingered as a B on saxophone
Practice the A♭ Blues Scale on Saxophone
You should make a habit of practicing your scales in different tempos, using different tonguings. This helps you develop both tone control and precision. Here are three ways to implement this right now:
- Exercise 1: Separate each note in the scale by tonguing
- Exercise 2: Separate every other note in the scale by tonguing
- Exercise 3: Play every slurred in the scale, without tonguing
Next up:
- Blues Scale above: Play the A Blues Scale on Saxophone
- Blues Scale below: Play the G Blues Scale on Saxophone
- Overview: All Saxophone Scales
