Blue Note
Blue notes are the notes that give the blues its typical colour: the minor third, the minor seventh and the diminished fifth above the tonic, even where the accompaniment is in major. When sung or played, they often lie between the notes of equal temperament, slightly higher or lower than written.
- Meaning
- typical notes of the blues, often pitched between the semitones
- Which notes
- minor third, minor seventh, diminished fifth
- In C
- E♭, B♭, G♭
- Origin
- traced back to a pentatonic scale of African origin
The colour of the blues
Blue notes are the notes by which you recognise the blues at once: the minor third, the minor seventh and the diminished fifth above the tonic. They are played over the ordinary major or minor chords of the accompaniment. If that is a major chord, the minor third in the melody rubs against the major third of the chord.
Blue notes are traced back to a pentatonic scale of African origin that does not fit into the European tonal system. The third is therefore usually pitched somewhere between the minor and the major third. On the piano, where that is not possible, the blue notes are played as minor third, diminished fifth and minor seventh.
The blues scale on C
The three blue notes are highlighted: E♭ (minor third), G♭ (diminished fifth) and B♭ (minor seventh). Without the G♭ it is the minor pentatonic.
Minor and major third one after the other
Our own example in C: the blue note E♭ moves up to the major third E; then come B♭ (minor seventh) and E♭ once more. Played over a C major chord, this creates the friction that sounds like the blues.
The three blue notes
| Blue note | Interval above the tonic | In C | In A |
|---|---|---|---|
| minor third | 3 semitones | E♭ | C |
| diminished fifth | 6 semitones | G♭ | E♭ |
| minor seventh | 10 semitones | B♭ | G |
Adding the diminished fifth to the minor pentatonic gives the blues scale. The diminished fifth is the same distance as the tritone: six semitones.
Common mistakes
- Taking blue notes for wrong notes: The friction between the minor third in the melody and the major third in the chord is intended.
- Knowing only the minor third: The minor seventh and the diminished fifth are blue notes as well.
- Always placing blue notes exactly on the semitone: On instruments with free intonation, such as the voice, the guitar with a bent string or the saxophone, they often lie in between.
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Related terms
Blues scaleTwelve-bar bluesBluesMinor thirdMinor seventhDiminished fifthTritonePentatonic scaleJazzBoogie-Woogie
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 4 October 2026
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