I know this may sound incredibly stupid, but please bear with me. Could someone explain to me where all the different keys ( ie A, G ,B) are on the fretboard.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading

if you're looking for diagrams of where the notes are in all the different scales/keys... i.e. where to put your fingers, there's a useful page here:

http://www.basstabs.net/basics/scales.asp

it doesn't give 'major' or 'minor' scales, but uses the modal names 'Ionian' and 'Aeolian' respectively... but apart from that it looks fairly straightforward

it doesn't give 'major' or 'minor' scales..


Yes it does! So it says things like "melodic minor" etc. and it gives modes for the major scale - just use the first mode if you want a simple major scale.

Yes it does! So it says things like "melodic minor" etc. and it gives modes for the major scale - just use the first mode if you want a simple major scale.

I probably should have said 'natural minor' there instead of just 'minor'... it would have been nice for people who arent yet familar with modes to have major/natural minor listed too (or maybe in brackets next to the modal names)

what I meant was.. if a newbie goes looking for C major scale.. and he knows nothing about modes, he or she probably isn't going to know the modal equivalent name

I know this may sound incredibly stupid, but please bear with me. Could someone explain to me where all the different keys ( ie A, G ,B) are on the fretboard.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading


A good one to start with is the C Major Scale.

The diagram below is the fretboard from the Nut to fret 12.

0 = notes of C major scale
| = placeholder

EADG
N 0000
----
1 0|||
2 |000
3 000|
4 |||0
5 0000
6 ||||
7 0000
8 00||
9 ||00
10 0000
11 ||||
12 0000

TTSTTTS ???? thats the interval formula for coming up with ur scales/keys right?
T = tone
S= semi tone

TTSTTTS ???? thats the interval formula for coming up with ur scales/keys right?
T = tone
S= semi tone

The diagram is a representation of a fretboard, and where the diatonic notes occur on the fretboard.

But you are right, TTSTTTS is another way of representing the sequence of notes.

There is also the Roman Numeral System:

I-II-III-IV-V-VI-VII

And the Nashville system (not 100% sure on that one):

1-2-3-4-5-6-7

But you are right, TTSTTTS is another way of representing the sequence of notes.

There is also the Roman Numeral System:

I-II-III-IV-V-VI-VII

And the Nashville system (not 100% sure on that one):

1-2-3-4-5-6-7
Those three don't really show the same thing. The latter two show sequences of scale degrees, with no info on their spacing, and the tone/semitone notation shows the spacing between them. So does something like "root, major second, major third, perfect fourth, p5, M6, M7, octave", or the fretboard diagram above.

Those three don't really show the same thing. The latter two show sequences of scale degrees, with no info on their spacing, and the tone/semitone notation shows the spacing between them. So does something like "root, major second, major third, perfect fourth, p5, M6, M7, octave", or the fretboard diagram above.

That's 5 ways of visually showing a scale.

And if you use: C-D-E-F-G-A-B, that makes 6!


It's no wonder I get confused sometimes.

are arpeggios useful when playing with other musicians?

are arpeggios useful when playing with other musicians?

loads of bass lines are based on arpeggios, or bits of arpeggios like root - fifth- octave

yer typical 'rock n roll' bass line often did something like ' 1 - 3 - 5 -3 ' over the chords

in fact as a bass player your job is basically to outline the rhythm and harmony... most of the time using single notes... so arpeggios are about as fundamental to bass playing as it gets

That's 5 ways of visually showing a scale.

And if you use: C-D-E-F-G-A-B, that makes 6!


It's no wonder I get confused sometimes.
Tableture and standard notation - that makes 8 ways of visually showing a scale.

TTSTTTS is for major though
TSTTTST for minor?
TSTTTSS for natural minor???

TTSTTTS is for major though
TSTTTST for minor?
TSTTTSS for natural minor???

The first one is major.
Second one is the dorian mode
Natural minor is TSTTSTT

Follow this pattern for all major scales. You can translate to different strings if you want to.

Start on an open or any fret where you can go one octave higher from that note(12 frets higher), play, skip a fret, play, skip a fret, play, play next fret, skip a fret, play, skip a fret, play, skip a fret, play, play next fret. Just reverse for the fall.

Pattern for all scales, major at least. This statement has not been aproved by the FDA. Use at your own risk.

Oh yeah, arpeggio(sp?) are the first, third, fifth, eigth, fifth, third, and first note of any scale.


Remember to kiss a llama daily

Oh yeah, arpeggio(sp?) are the first, third, fifth, eigth, fifth, third, and first note of any scale.


No, they're not. Root, 3rd, and 5th (8th is just the octave) is the arpeggiation of just the Major scale.

If you use Major7 scale, you'd play the root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th of the scale.

If you use the Minor6 scale, you'd play the root, b3rd, 5th, and 6th of the scale. etc., etc.


The notes you play depends on the scale, and they change between most of the scales.


Sounds like you've been kissing too many llamas.

Arpeggios are based on chords, not scales. You play notes from a chord in sequence rather than all at once. The current chord is usually a good choice, and the notes you play depend (mostly) on it.

Arpeggios are based on chords, not scales.

You're right- I got mixed up there for a moment.

What? That is the way some old guy taught me to remember it, at least. Yes, I know arpeggios are based on chords, but that is an easy way to play an arpeggio on a scale.

are arpeggios useful when playing with other musicians?

If you buy Jaco's modern electric bass video, you will quickly find out that god used many arpeggios in his writings of the gospel.