I know how major scales are formed, and Ive been practising the c major scale for like a week already. I can roughly remember the notes from the 1st to 7th frets. But the problem is that c major doesnt cover the sharp/flat notes...should I practise another scale also?

If I keep practising the c major scale can i like remember the notes in the back of my head?

Also, Ive been trying to learn some songs by ear via trial and error. I just keep trying until Ive hit the right frets, I dont know the note names. Is this useful or am I just wasting my time if i dont know **** about theory?

Write your own scales:

Sticky: Theory Links (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125519)

Pac Man's sure fire way to practice scales! (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50170)

Your ears are just a tool to allow your BRAIN to decipher notes. If you don't teach yourself the notes, you won't be able to remember them. SING WHAT YOU PLAY. When you first learned to read, you learned to Sound It Out right? Music isn't any different.

I just printed scales out. and played them all over the fretboard. then i would fiddle around with making my own lines using them. helped me to memorize the names of notes and to get used to sounds.

this is a great program you plug in what scale you want and it gives you positions all over the fret board.

http://www.studybass.com/tools/chord-scale-note-printer/

http://www.ushimitsudoki.com/scalculator/scalculator.html

you can find out the notes and patterns for about any scale there

Also, Ive been trying to learn some songs by ear via trial and error. I just keep trying until Ive hit the right frets, I dont know the note names. Is this useful or am I just wasting my time if i dont know **** about theory?This is fine. This is great. This is fantastic. Keep doing this. I use software named Transcribe! to slow down and loop songs, and I admit that even though I know all the notes, when I learn a song by ear the first time through I am doing exactly what you are doing. I listen and compare the note on the song to the note on the bass.

I do not keep the key or the names of the notes in my head, because sometimes that effects what I expect a note to be.

You would be amazed at the number of great musicians who played their instrument for YEARS without knowing the notes or being able to read music notation.

After a while you can start to even tell what string they are using. Each string has a different diameter, so the same note on two different strings sounds different.

Some songs I play a strict teacher would have me stay in a box and say for example keep in position and move up to the second string, but I hear the original player move up the third string. But try it both ways and see what you like.

I knew a guy who played bass in a punk rock band for years without learning a scale or note. And he was great.

In no way does the above mean that I recommend not learning notes, scales, arpeggios, or music reading. I am just commenting that it is fine to learn songs just by remembering the locations of the sounds you hear.

This is fine. This is great. This is fantastic. Keep doing this. I use software named Transcribe! to slow down and loop songs, and I admit that even though I know all the notes, when I learn a song by ear the first time through I am doing exactly what you are doing. I listen and compare the note on the song to the note on the bass.

I do not keep the key or the names of the notes in my head, because sometimes that effects what I expect a note to be.

You would be amazed at the number of great musicians who played their instrument for YEARS without knowing the notes or being able to read music notation.

After a while you can start to even tell what string they are using. Each string has a different diameter, so the same note on two different strings sounds different.

Some songs I play a strict teacher would have me stay in a box and say for example keep in position and move up to the second string, but I hear the original player move up the third string. But try it both ways and see what you like.

I knew a guy who played bass in a punk rock band for years without learning a scale or note. And he was great.

In no way does the above mean that I recommend not learning notes, scales, arpeggios, or music reading. I am just commenting that it is fine to learn songs just by remembering the locations of the sounds you hear.

i see thanks! ill keep doing that then

Practice all 12 major scales.

Once you learn the "pattern" of the major scale, It is moveable. Start on a different fret, and play the same pattern and it will automatically incorporate the sharps and flats in that key.

Hey those two links are both great sites. Bookmarked them both. Thanks for those, guys.

Bump