I have been trying to figure out how to improvise for a few months now, and have been
looking for scales to help me out, but have never found anything greatly helpful. So
I found a few helpful things in a book and have written out a reference point to help
myself and whoever wants is, out.

This isn't a tab but is just a point of reference. I have made it for a regular 4
string, 18 fret bass.

Key:
    #   =  Sharp note
    b   =  Flat Note
    ~   =  Natural Note
        =  Not in scale
    |   =  Fret
    ||  =  Nut
    0   =  Open string
    12  =  Fret Number (eg. fret twelve)
     =  Use these for main scale

I hope this helps, ENJOY :D


This is the Bass Fretboard with sharp notes:


0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18

G ||G# |A~ |A# |B~ |C~ |C# |D~ |D# |E~ |F~ |F# |G~ |G# |A~ |A# |B~ |C~ |C# |

D ||D# |E~ |F~ |F# |G~ |G# |A~ |A# |B~ |C~ |C# |D~ |D# |E~ |F~ |F# |G~ |G# |

A ||A# |B~ |C~ |C# |D~ |D# |E~ |F~ |F# |G~ |G# |A~ |A# |B~ |C~ |C# |D~ |D# |

E ||F~ |F# |G~ |G# |A~ |A# |B~ |C~ |C# |D~ |D# |E~ |F~ |F# |G~ |G# |A~ |A# |


This is the Bass Fretboard with flat notes:


0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18

G ||Ab |A~ |Bb |B~ |C~ |Db |D~ |Eb |E~ |F~ |Gb |G~ |Ab |A~ |Bb |B~ |C~ |Db |

D ||Eb |E~ |F~ |Gb |G~ |Ab |A~ |Bb |B~ |C~ |Db |D~ |Eb |E~ |F~ |Gb |G~ |Ab |

A ||Bb |B~ |C~ |Db |D~ |Eb |E~ |F~ |Gb |G~ |Ab |A~ |Bb |B~ |C~ |Db |D~ |Eb |

E ||F~ |Gb |G~ |Ab |A~ |Bb |B~ |C~ |Db |D~ |Eb |E~ |F~ |Gb |G~ |Ab |A~ |Bb |


This is the Major Pentatonic Scale:

0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18

  ||   |A~ |   |B~ |   |C# |   |   |E~ |   |F# |   |   |A~ |   |B~ |   |   |

  ||   |E~ |      |      |B~ |   |C# |   |   |E~ |   |F# |   |   |

A ||   |B~ |      |      |F# |   |   |A~ |   |B~ |   |C# |   |   |

E ||   |F# |   |         |C# |   |   |E~ |   |F# |   |   |A~ |   |


This is the Minor Pentatonic Scale:

0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18

G ||   |A~ |   |   |C~ |   |D~ |   |E~ |   |   |G~ |   |A~ |   |   |C~ |   |

D ||   |E~ |   |         |   |C~ |   |D~ |   |E~ |   |   |G~ |   |

A ||   |   |C~ |         |   |G~ |   |A~ |   |   |C~ |   |D~ |   |

E ||   |   |G~ |      |      |D~ |   |E~ |   |   |G~ |   |A~ |   |


This is the Blues scale
It is very similar to the Minor Pentatonic scale but uses D#:

0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18

G ||   |A~ |   |   |C~ |   |D~ |D# |E~ |   |   |G~ |   |A~ |   |   |C~ |   |

D ||D# |E~ |   |         |   |C~ |   |D~ |D# |E~ |   |   |G~ |   |

A ||   |   |C~ |      |   |G~ |   |A~ |   |   |C~ |   |D~ |D# |

E ||   |   |G~ |      |      |D~ |D# |E~ |   |   |G~ |   |A~ |   |


Key:
    R   =  Root note
    O   =  Play note

The root of a Chord is the letter in the name, ie. the root of C Major is C, and the
root of F# Minor is F#.

So here are some Triads with changing roots depending on what chord you are matching.


Major Triad:                   Minor Triad:                    Diminished Triad:

|   |   |   | O |              |   |   | O |   |              |   |   | O |   |

| O |   |   | O |              |   |   | O |   |              |   | O |   |   |

|   | R |   |   |              | R |   |   | O |              | R |   |   | O |



Now here are some 7th chord, scales:

Major 7:             Minor 7:             Dominant 7:          Half—Diminished:

|   |   | O | O |____| O |   | O |   |____|   | O |   | O |____| O |   | O |   |

| O |   |   | O |    |   |   | O |   |    | O |   |   | O |    |   | O |   |   |

|   | R |   |   |    | R |   |   | O |    |   | R |   |   |    | R |   |   | O |


These are some other scale modes and what type of scale they are (Major or Minor):


Ionian (Major):                Dorian (Minor):                Phrygian (Minor):

| O |   | O | O |             | O | O |   | O |   |             | O |   | O |   |

| O | O |   | O |             |   | O |   | O |   |             | O |   | O | O |

|   | R |   | O |             |   | R |   | O | O |             | R | O |   | O |


Lydian (Major):      Mixolydian           Aeolian (Minor):     Locrian
                     (Dominant):                               (Half—Diminished):

| O |   | O | O |____| O | O |   | O |____| O |   | O |   |____| O |   | O |   |

| O |   | O | O |    | O | O |   | O |    | O |   | O | O |    | O | O |   | O |

|   | R |   | O |    |   | R |   | O |    | R |   | O | O |    | R | O |   | O |



I hope this is helpful to you, Feed back would be appreciated.



 bigbasstabs.