Hey guys, I hav been playin for like 4months and I think my technique is not that bad ive been able to play some relatively hard songs with enough practise...Ive been practising some songs by ear, and some by tabs BUT i think i need help in my theory

alrite, i know how major scales are formed, and ive been practising the c major scale for quite awhile...but it doesnt seem to help me alot. i hav recognised roughly how a major scale sounds like and got slightly better at knowing where the notes are at the fretboard...

So heres a question, how SHOULD I practise scales? Do I have to imagine the note appearing on the fretboard?

SHould i practise the major scale of EVERY note?

what can i do to help me theory....thanks

If you can, get a teacher. It will help you a lot.

Now, you should first understand the notes on the fretboard. What a whole step and a half step is. After that, understand what a major scale is. Whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half.

Now that you understand that, you can play any major scale anywhere on the fretboard (providing you have enough frets at your disposal).

If you can, get a teacher. It will help you a lot.

Now, you should first understand the notes on the fretboard. What a whole step and a half step is. After that, understand what a major scale is. Whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half.

Now that you understand that, you can play any major scale anywhere on the fretboard (providing you have enough frets at your disposal).

errmm i understand how major scales r form and what whole/half tones are but should i practise every note with major scale???

when i practise do i hav to imagine the notes on the fretboard so i can remember them?

If you think you need to, you should. This is only one aspect, but you should be able to remember where each note is on the fretboard (And they're in lots of places! 5-10!) like you know the names of your friends. You shouldn't have to think about it, just know.

erm okie, but i find it confusing when i sometimes mistake say f and f# since theyre the same alphabet...

neways i only know minor and major scale...guess i practise them first, do i hav to learn blue and pentatonics?

i went to cyberfretbass and they hav these scale patterns...are they useful? my friend say scale patterns are no use,,,,and i should play by theory

i went to cyberfretbass and they hav these scale patterns...are they useful? my friend say scale patterns are no use,,,,and i should play by theory

:confused: umm scales = theory, yeh?

The most accessible way for you to apply scales to your music is through the different patterns they form. So no, practicing the major scale on each note won't make you play much better. Once you've got the basic pattern, it's just a matter of moving it around on the neck. Seeing how that pattern expands and mutates into different modes around the neck will be very helpful, though.
Try making a diagram of the fretboard and write that basic pattern out. Then mark every note in that scale on the fretboard in every other position. You should get something like this, minus two strings:
http://jazz-primer.com/NewFingers.gif
No matter what position you're in on the neck, you should be able to hit every note of the scale, but the pattern, as you can see will be different. Thinking of the scale in that way will open up your playing.

^^ I try to visualize all the notes of the scale between nut and fret 12. then apply different positions to it. eg circle of fifths (C - G - D - A etc) or modes (C Ionian, C Dorian, C Phrygian etc).

Hey guys, I hav been playin for like 4months and I think my technique is not that bad ive been able to play some relatively hard songs with enough practise...Ive been practising some songs by ear, and some by tabs BUT i think i need help in my theory

alrite, i know how major scales are formed, and ive been practising the c major scale for quite awhile...but it doesnt seem to help me alot. i hav recognised roughly how a major scale sounds like and got slightly better at knowing where the notes are at the fretboard...

So heres a question, how SHOULD I practise scales? Do I have to imagine the note appearing on the fretboard?

SHould i practise the major scale of EVERY note?

what can i do to help me theory....thanks


First thing to learn/memorize IMHO, as far as scales memorize what the root of each one is. That way when someone says we are playing F# Major, 1,3, 5, you know to play F# which is root then the 3rd note of the scale, then the 5th.

I wouldn't hurt to memorize each note in each scale. I made little flashcards myself. But, lets get real it's easier just to memorize the root of each one first. Even if you do memorize all the notes in each scale you are not going to be playing and in your head saying each note. You'll remember where the root is and play whatever pattern you made up from there.

Right now I only know the circle of fifths and my major and minor scales. I've found that almost every original or cover I've learned has fit, for the most part, somewhere into these. And helped me workout the most accessible easiest to play fingering with the least amount of movement up or down the kneck. Playing scales will help your playing.

Concentrate on playing them smooth. At different tempos and with different right hand techniques/ with pick/ plucking with two or three fingers. Try to play them musically with a timing if you don't own/use a drum machine. After you get board with the scale it'self see how many different lines you can make up using notes out of the scales you just played.