Grateful Dead Music Forum

Hey im a new guy here. i was just wondering if anybody knew what scale jerry used for Spanish Jam.

I found he plays in a scale like this. maybe someone could tell me what scale it is!

E|----------------------------------------------------------12--13--15
B|----------------------------------------------12--13--15------------
G|--------------------------------------12--14------------------------
D|--------------------------12--14--15--------------------------------
A|--------------12--14--15--------------------------------------------
E|--12--13--15--------------------------------------------------------

sheshotseven wrote:I found he plays in a scale like this. maybe someone could tell me what scale it is!

E|----------------------------------------------------------12--13--15
B|----------------------------------------------12--13--15------------
G|--------------------------------------12--14------------------------
D|--------------------------12--14--15--------------------------------
A|--------------12--14--15--------------------------------------------
E|--12--13--15--------------------------------------------------------

I was having a hard time reading that!

yea that would be an A major scale

I am learning my scales. If it is A Major scale, please elaborate on theory.
Looks like Am scale to me.
E Phrygian from key of C Major.
Have heard SP Jam, but I am not familliar to play it.
Spanish Jam name makes me think minor also....
:roll:

A aoelian?

E phyrgian is what I play it in:

E|-----------------------------------------------0--1--3-----
B|--------------------------------------0--1--3--------------
G|-----------------------------0--2--4-----------------------
D|--------------------0--2--3--------------------------------
A|-----------0--2--3-----------------------------------------
E|--0--1--3--------------------------------------------------

Which is the same as G mixolydian/C major, if that makes things easier

Whenever I play Spanish Jam it's always in the key of Am.

But the Dead were always switching keys to some of their songs.

__Emaj__________________________Fmaj
E|-----------|-----------------|--1--------
B|-----------|-----------------|--1-----------
G|-----------|-----------------|--2--------------
D|-----------|-----------------|--3-----------------
A|--------2--|--------2--0-----|--3--------------------
E|--0--4-----|--0--4--------4--|--1-----------------------

cue bull-whip and mariachi horns...

Phrygian scale is quite often associated with spanish music......thats my input.

Ever since they were conquered by the Moops.

It's the "Moor's"!!! It's a typo, argh!!

It looks like everybody (with the exception of A major) is right as far as the modes go (I have no idea if that is how you play Spanish Jam). All the modes listed were variations of the C major scale.


Ionian C D E F G A B (major scale)
Dorian D E F G A B C
Phrygian E F G A B C D (maximus)
Lydian F G A B C D E
Mixolydian G A B C D E F
Aeolian A B C D E F G (JerJones, Phreaker)
Locrian B C D E F G A

The same thing was being called by different names. The A aeolian mode is Am sounding because of that C (minor 3rd). Another name for it is the natural minor scale.

IT'S ALL THE SAME NOTES

OK, sounds like people know how to identify modes in C...

except the scale we want contains a G# not a G.
E F G# A B C D E.

so this could be thought of as the 5th mode of A harmonic minor

A little googling shows references to this scale as "Spanish Phrygian" or "C6 Bebop Scale"

Yeppers, try the harmonic minor scale, specifically the A harmonic minor. The fifth mode of A Harmonic minor actually works over an E7 chord, so it fits.