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Scales
Hi Folks,
I'm new to the bass, Ok so within reason i can follow a tab. Just last weekend i learned 7 scales. My question is how does learning scales improve my playing theory wise ? and what is the next step of my development. I want to be able to hear a song i like and tab it.
Too many times i read paragraphs from someone talking about so much confusing things which seem like a foreign language it would be good to have chords, scales etc broken down into how they relate on a basic level.
Hope someone can help clear this up.
Andy
Hi Andy, firstly, scales are a good warm up excercise but more importantly, chords are made from scales, so if you know the scales to the chords your guitarist is playing then note choice for your bassline becomes easier. I'll try and keep it simple, major chords are made from the root, third and fifth notes of the major scale, so the chord of G Major contains G, (the root), B, (the third) and D, (the fifth), use these notes in your bassline when the guitar plays G major chord and you can't go wrong. I'm gonna leave it there to let you get to grips with it, there's a lot more to it but let's take small steps. Keep practising those scale and memorise the notes in each one. Enjoy
Only one thing to add to what Marko said, still keeping things simple - scales are patterns on the fret board. If you learn the scale as a pattern, you can play it with any root note just by starting the pattern at that note.
Repeating scales over and over also helps with muscle memory and tone control.
Start slow, then work up speed. Play the scale forwards and backwards. You'll know when you're playing too fast or sloppy by fret buzz or dead notes.
Clean is the goal. Speed will come.
Also absolutely essential is the use of a metronome, too many people don't when starting out and you can tell the difference between those who do and those who don't. Metronome apps are freely available from your App Store. One other thing at this early stage is the one finger per fret technique, I'll explain using the G major scale again, place your middle finger at the third fret position of the E string, where the first marker dot is. Your index finger will be at the second fret, ring finger at the fourth fret and little finger at the fifth. Now play the scale and make sure each finger stays within its allotted fret position as you move across the strings. Play up the scale to the octave and then back down to the G, then, using your middle finger as the anchor, slide your hand up the neck two frets so your middle finger is on the fifth fret of the E string, now play the A major scale which is the same pattern you used for the G. Remember, your middle finger is the anchor, you can move it to any root note and your hand is in the correct position to play the scale and eventually different patterns to create basslines, as Nick mentioned. And as Mark said, TAKE IT SLOWLY! KEEP IT CLEAN! AND USE A METRONOME TO MAINTAIN TIMING AND CORRECT NOTE DURATION!! Happy slapping
Guys this is great, so the root third and fifth notes always relate to major chords including major pentatonic as well ?
ive just tried the progressing up and down the neck i need to try and memorise the frets/root notes ie 3rd fret - G etc
ill keep practising over the weekend, feel free to post anything else that comes to mind…
im more determined than ever right now…
cheers
G maj scale Root note is a G at a certain octave is the final note in the scale the same G but at a higher octave ?
Yup, one octave up, third fret E string, fifth fret D string. For pentatonics don't play the fourth and seventh and to go minor flat the third…WOAAHHHH, slow down horsie!
Let's look at G major chord on the guitar, low E third fret, ‘G’, A string, second fret, ‘B’, D string, open, ‘D’, G string, open, ‘G’, B string, third fret, ‘D’, E string, third fret, ‘G’, as you can see, six strings all G, B and D.
BOSH
Woaahhhh indeed!
I'd recommend sticking to the major scale for now. Get it down. Then worry about minor, pentatonic, triads, inversions, modes, etc. They will all base off of the major key. Learn it well, and everything else gets easier.
For example, the E minor key is the relative minor of G major. Same shape/pattern, just a different root note, meaning a different place to start in the pattern. Pentatonic is the same pattern as the major or minor, just with notes dropped out.
Scales are worth knowing, they can tell you where you are going on the neck.
Scales relate to chords:
C major scale. cdefgab
If you want to make a C major chord?
1st note is C, 3rd note is E, 5th note is G.
Dminor chord d, f, a.
You can play a whole key from that one scale
Purplez, What do you mean i can play a whole key from that one scale ?
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