The accursed blues scale.

[Xyresic]

I can't seem to avoid the blues scale in the majority of my compositions. It's stalking me, no matter what key I compose in, I'll be chugging along with it and then: "mmm... this sounds pretty goo- wait a sec... GOD DAMMIT" it's the blues scale.
I hate using it because it's such a backdoor. It's kinda like the pentatonic scale, it doesn't matter what notes you hit it always sounds good. Is it like a sign of "uncreativity" or something? I know I'm capable of other things, sometimes I manage to break free of it and make something that sounds good NOT in the blues scale, but only occasionally. There's only so many variations you can do before it gets stale.

[HungarianSupermarket]

Music isn't about the scales you use, it's about what you do with them.

[SessileNomad]

chuggin along everything is sound just fi-....FUUUUU MELODIC MINOR WE MEET AGAIN!!!!!

[Buoy]

chuggin along everything is sound just fi-....WTF ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE AGAIN MR. DORIAN SCALE

[TiGeR]

chuggin along everything is sound just fi-....OH GOT TO HELL CHROMATIC SCALE!

[SolusLunes]

chuggin along everything is sound just fi-....PENTATONIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCC CCCCCCCCC!!!!!!!!!!

[MJTTOMB]

Just relaxin on the couch writing some m.. WHY IS THE PROMETHEAN SCALE WATCHING ME THROUGH THE WINDOW

[Kazmo]

chuggin along everything is sound just fi- HOLY SHIT I'M IN LABOUR.

[Acid-Paradox]

Yeah i think you just need some inspiration and let your creativity do his job. Try experimenting with your trac........ HOLY SHIT!!! HONEY, GET THE KIDS TO THE PANIC ROOM!!!

[SymbolCymbal]

yeah so im just chugging this chocolate milkshake and talkin to my fri--- ARRRRRGGGHHHHHH BRAAINFREEEEEEZEEEE AAAAAAAAAAAAAA..mixolydian

[Chris-V2]

Chuggin' along and everything's fi-GOD DAMN IT DORIAN FLAT 2NDDDDDDDDD

Most scales can be considered a pentatonic scale + notes. It's not a cop out to enjoy certain sounds more than others, tonality is often pretty big to a genre. Just worry about wether you like the ideas or not - no one really cares what scales you used.

[HighBallers]

gotta play stuff that your brian isn't used too. I hate it....but you'll eventually just 'get it' if you keep doing different styles.

[loansindi]

At 12/19/10 05:19 AM, crapatflash wrote: I hate using it because it's such a backdoor. It's kinda like the pentatonic scale,

well it IS a pentatonic with a couple of flourishes really. most texts will refer to the scale shape as the blues pentatonic.

[flight39]

I don't really think about scales when I'm making music... if you'll forgive me for sounding like a stoner, I just let the music come out...
I think a lot of people have patches where they can only make music of a certain kind. I usually solve that by taking a break from music for a while.

[joethesouleater]

Chuggin' along and everything's grea - OH GTFO HUNGARIAN E MINOR!!!!

[Buoy]

At 12/19/10 03:16 PM, joethesouleater wrote: Chuggin' along and everything's grea - OH GTFO HUNGARIAN E MINOR!!!!

i don't believe that you actually usually play music in hungarian scales

[Buoy]

I don't think a single one of the replies are useful in the slightest. The ones that aren't jokes are basically different ways of saying "try different scales" which is like telling a fat guy who has problems losing weight to "try getting thinner"

[joethesouleater]

At 12/19/10 03:24 PM, SBB wrote:

At 12/19/10 03:16 PM, joethesouleater wrote: Chuggin' along and everything's grea - OH GTFO HUNGARIAN E MINOR!!!!

i don't believe that you actually usually play music in hungarian scales

recently ive been playing a lot in it, its my favorite scale to play right now, used to be D Minor

[SymbolCymbal]

ok ok ok well "help" him. lolol

Anyway...

what your problem seems to be is that you simply enjoy the sound of a blues scale. Its very easy to finger out on a guitar and it can be used in many applications. i play guitar, not very well i may add. But i also do play keys. whenever i find myself using the same scale for alot of composition i literally force myself to jam in a completely different scale over and over and over again. Doing this has made me comfortable with the way i finger things and also has trained my ear to be satisfied with what i am playing or composing.

Every player has their comfort zone. im in an improv band (drummer) and i notice that whenever we stall a little and pick things back up all of a sudden everyone is playing A major and im playing my comfort beats on drums (hip hop, dub, dnb and house). I literally force myself to practice and play beats that i am not comfortable playing. later listening to the tracks i notice the staleness isnt there and it turns out to be some pretty sick stuff even though at the time it felt odd. it just seems that my band is comfortable with A major.....go figure.

So what i think you need to do is literally FORCE yourself to only play in scales that you are not used to.
Pick one or two scales and play them so much that they become second nature. The same way a blues scale is second nature. you will find you can stray from it and come back to it as easily as you do now with the blues scale

hope that answers your question and helps a bit.

[paradimensional]

At 12/19/10 01:36 PM, Chris-V2 wrote: DORIAN FLAT 2NDDDDDDDDD

so sexy

[InvisibleObserver]

Chuggin along everything is sounding absolutely gre-MAJOR C MY DEAR CHAP, HERE AGAIN????

Just kidding, I don't write handsup dance/trance.

OP why don't you just print off or mark some other scales and force yourself to write within their confines?

[S3C]

so I was chugging along and everything was going fi-AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I THIS RANDOM MOP-HEADED FAGGOT SAID DUDE WATCH ME PLAY THIS SUPER LOCRIAN with a bb7 :) SCALE and then I was all like FUCK YOU YOURE JUST TRYING TO SOUND INTELLIGENT WITH YOUR OBSCURE SCALE NAMES to which he had this smug-ass grin on his face then all of a sudden HIS HAIR TURNED GOLD AND GOT ALL SPIKY LIKE A DRAGON BALL Z CHARACTER, and then he proceeded TO SHRED MY FACE OFF WITH THESE INSANE TAPPING RIFFS that werent even played on a guitar BUT SOME WEIRD SPHERICAL SHAPED INSTRUMENT, WITH WHICH HE USED HIS PENIS TO PLAY WITH, he then OPENED A BLACK HOLE AND THERE WAS THIS ONE STRANGE BLACK DUDE WHO OFFERED ME A BLUE OR RED PILL AND I SAID FUCK YOU IM TAKING BOTH and then that was that.

[Psil0]

chuggin along everything is sound just fi-.... OH NO!!!! WHOLE TONE SCALE!

[HungarianSupermarket]

At 12/19/10 03:24 PM, SBB wrote:

At 12/19/10 03:16 PM, joethesouleater wrote: Chuggin' along and everything's grea - OH GTFO HUNGARIAN E MINOR!!!!

i don't believe that you actually usually play music in hungarian scales

He still uses hungarian scales

[Xyresic]

Seeing all your responses made me think of this:

[Droghead]

Just keep on trying new styles and your brain will learn it as second nature. I also overused blues scales when I first started out prolly cause I used to play the trumpet.

[SineRider]

Just chugging along then WHAT THE FUCK GET OUT OF MY GUITAR YOU FUCKING MICROTONES

[GronmonSE]

@SBB: Oh, the replies are helpful alright. Most people's style is defined by what they grew up with and what their influences are. It's not surprising to see people composing in only one scale all the time, it's pretty normal. I found myself playing in minors all the time.

Then I took theory and some jazz courses in school. I learned some more scales and that opened up a whole new world to me. Sure, I still abuse minor scales, but I have a lot more to play with now.

The problem is that people get stuck with that they're used to doing. Open up your eyes, experiment more, listen to different genres. It'll come to you eventually.

[SoulSecure]

At 12/20/10 11:33 AM, SineRider wrote: Just chugging along then WHAT THE FUCK GET OUT OF MY GUITAR YOU FUCKING MICROTONES

Lol at microtones.

What instruments does OP use for his compositions? Why don't you try writing in blues scale while using different instruments and see if you progress out of blues from there?

[MJTTOMB]

At 12/19/10 06:38 PM, S3C wrote: frightening tales

sounds like someone had a rough morning.