Hello!
I'm teaching my son bass and don't know how to play a scale that goes more than an octave.
I'm a sax player who dabbled on bass a million years ago.
He can do some hectic stuff already,but wants to do it seriously now.
Back to basics.
How do you aproach say 2½ octaves of a major scale fingering wise?
Without running out of fingers!
If you need to play 2½ 8ves up and down quickly,what "patterns" would you use?
At what point do you sacrifice finger proximity for upwards movement,if you get my drift?

Ta!

I've run into a few different schools. Some people prefere to make smaller shifts more frequently while others prefere to make large shifts less frequently.

For instance, one person may prefere to start going up the Gmaj scale with the 1st finger on G up until the A on D string with the 4th finger, then shift to the 14th fret B on the A string (1st finger) and finish going up the scale from there. An other person might shift to 1st finger on the B on D string after hitting the 9th (that A on the D string) play a few notes, then shift again and finish the scale.

For general guidlines - it is generally more efficient to shift before you reach the G string ascending (or your highest string if it isn't a G). And shift down before you reach the E string descending. If you shift up on the g/down on the E, the only new tones that are opening up are on that string, so you have to keep shifting every 3 notes. But if you only need those three notes (i.e. E, F# and G on the G string going up a 2 octave G scale starting on the low G on the E string), then it doesn't really matter.

Wow!
Thanks!
I'm amazed you not only dug what I was on about but managed to point me in the right direction too!
Cool!
Thanks infinitely!!!!