How To Hit The Right Notes When Blues Soloing

If you’ve ever found yourself wandering around the fretboard, hoping the next note you hit sounds good, you’re not alone. For years, I did exactly that—playing through familiar scale shapes and crossing my fingers that something “bluesy” would come out. Sometimes it worked, but more often than not, it didn’t sound quite right. The missing piece? Learning to target the right notes on purpose. In this lesson, we’ll look at a simple, practical way to start doing exactly that using what’s often called the BB King Box.

The BB King Box Shape

The BB King Box is one of the simplest and most powerful soloing shapes you can learn. Technically speaking, it’s the top part of the major pentatonic scale shape—or, if you prefer to think in minor scales, it’s minor pentatonic mode 2. What makes this little 5-note shape so great is that three out of the five notes are chord tones. That means you’ve got a 3-in-5 chance of hitting a “right” note without even thinking too hard about it.

This is the secret to BB King’s famously vocal, expressive playing. He wasn’t racing up and down scales; he was staying in one small, comfortable position and making every note count.

You should learn the BB Box Shape in the Key of A Minor first. It’s played used fret 9 on string 3, frets 8 and 10 on string 2, then 8 and 10 on string 1.

Understanding Chord Tones

So what makes a note sound “right”? It all comes down to chord tones—the notes that make up the chord you’re soloing over. In a basic blues, each chord is built from a triad: the root, third, and fifth. These are the most stable, pleasing notes to the ear because they directly relate to the underlying harmony.

When we solo, our job is to highlight those notes. You can still use the other notes from the scale for movement or color, but the chord tones are your anchors. They’re the notes that make your solo sound intentional rather than random.

In the diagram above, you can see how the notes of the minor triad are highlighted red. If you’re soloing over a minor blues then the Root, flat 3rd and 5th are the target tones. Simply use the root note as your reference point when soloing and expand into the b3 and 5th when you’re ready.

If you are soloing over major chords, you should use the major triad overlay and reference the root note on string 1.

This one shape will allow you to play over an A Minor Blues, and a C Major Blues in the same position. Once you learn how to move the shape, you can move it anywhere any play in any key.

Targeting a Single Note

The easiest way to start applying this idea is to focus on just one target tone at a time. Let’s start with the root note (A) — it’s the most stable and grounding note you can land on when soloing over an A minor chord.

Once you can confidently find and resolve to the root, move on to the 5th (E), which adds a strong and open sound that still fits perfectly over the chord. Finally, explore the minor 3rd (C) — this is the note that gives A minor its distinct emotional, bluesy character. Practice creating short phrases that lead into each of these target tones one at a time, and notice how each one changes the overall mood and colour of your solo.

Building More Complex Ideas

Once you can reliably hit a single target tone, start expanding your ideas. Add one or two notes before or after your target to create short phrases. Over time, you can build up to longer licks that use all five notes of the box. Each note becomes a stepping stone that leads to your target tone. This is how you start sounding like BB King, Clapton, or any great blues player—they’re not guessing; they’re aiming.

Here are a few tips on how you can create your own blues guitar licks and soloing ideas:

• I like to start by sliding into the root note and letting it ring out for a full four counts.
• Once I get the hang of this, I will play the note preceding the root note so I can create some tension and resolution for a two note idea.
• I can play the root note, then one note either side before coming back to the root note as a 3 note idea.
• I could play four notes as long as I end on a chord tone
• I could play 5 notes, and eventually up to 8 notes, as long as I end on a chord tone.

Once you get the hang of it with one target tone, you can repeat the idea with the other two chord tones.

Moving With The Chords

The final step is to move the BB King Box to follow the chord changes in your A Minor Blues progression. In a typical 12-bar A minor blues, the chords move from A minor to D minor, then to E7. As each chord changes, shift your box so that your target tones line up with the new chord — A, C, and E for A minor; D, F, and A for D minor; and E, G♯, and B for E7.

This approach keeps your solos sounding musical and harmonically connected to what the band is playing. It might take a little practice to get used to moving the shape around, but once you do, your solos will start to flow naturally over the changes instead of fighting against them.

Check out the example of a simple 3 note lick adapted from Am to the Dm and Em chords within an A Minor Blues. It’s also been adapted into a guitar solo.

Conclusion

Learning to solo intentionally is what separates a good guitarist from a great one. The BB King Box is a simple but incredibly effective way to start doing that. By focusing on chord tones, targeting single notes, and gradually building more complex ideas, you’ll start hitting the right notes every time—and your solos will finally sound as smooth and soulful as the blues legends you admire.

About the Author

Michael Gumley is the founder of Melbourne Guitar Academy and creator of the Guitar Ninjas curriculum — a structured, level-based system that helps guitarists of all ages build real skill and confidence on the instrument. With over 15 years of teaching experience, Michael specialises in making complex musical concepts simple, practical, and fun.

When he’s not teaching, you’ll find him recording lessons for his YouTube channel, exploring the Victorian bush, or working on his next educational project to help guitarists play with more freedom, confidence, and creativity.

If you’re looking for Guitar Lessons In Melbourne there’s no-one better to learn with than Michael