the Blues

That’s a question that I hear a lot and the answer is a bit more complicated than “what scale do I use to make my blues playing sound like jazz.”

It really boils down to this; Jazz is a “language” and in order to sound authentic, you need to start absorbing and using the vocabulary of that language. Of course the blues scale is part of that language, but only part. A good place to begin is to start becoming aware of the changes and learning the chord tones. Have you gone through the blues lessons? https://www.jazzguitarlessons.com/the-blues/ and https://www.jazzguitarlessons.com/c-jam-blues/ Learning to incorporate the guide tones in your solos and will give you a good start. That and learning some IIm7 V7 I phrases to play in measures 9-12 of the blues form will go a long way towards making your playing sound more like “jazz.” In my improvisation on C Jam Blues, I intentionally limited myself to using the blues scale with guide tones for the first 8 bars of the 12-bar blues form, and then played a IIm7 V7 I phrase over the last 4 bars.

And of course, because this is a language, one of the best ways to learn is through imitation. You should also be transcribing solos by your favorite artists. It doesn’t have to be whole solos at first, and in fact it’s often more useful to just transcribe phrases that solve specific musical problems you’re having.

Here are some articles I’ve written that you might find helpful:
https://www.jazzguitarlessons.com/some-tips-on-transcibing/
https://www.jazzguitarlessons.com/learning-from-the-masters/
https://www.jazzguitarlessons.com/finding-your-own-voice/
https://www.jazzguitarlessons.com/some-thoughts-on-learning-jazz-guitar-and-practicing/

Who are you listening to? As a guitarist interested in playing the blues, guys like Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery and George Benson should be high on the list. And then of course, don’t just limit your listening to guitarists. I’ve found that tenor saxophonists in particular offer a treasure trove of ideas that usually translate very well to guitar. Check out Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobley and Sonny Rollins (I love John Coltrane, but often his lines are too “notey” and don’t really lay on the guitar as well).

Hope this helps.