Am I being correct about using scales??

[ericmknight1906]

A light bulb just went off and I think that I'm learning the benefit of scales.

I can't read music, and the only notes I can point to on the fretboard without thinking is E flat and C.

However, I have learned the Major scale in 3 different visual patterns and am able to link them all together with the root note being the center of them all. I am proficient with using the 2x2 slide, 3x3 slide and the 1x5 slide.

I play by ear and I'm able to do okay navigation around the fretboard using the above methods.

Now I'm trying to work on using the dot inlays more efficiently and learning chord fingering patterns.

Am I on the right track so far? are learning notes on the fretboard really necessary at this time or can I just continue to use patterns?

I heard someone say that learning notes is okay but not necessary. When you are playing in the heat of the moment you don't have time to think about notes anyway.

[fender_funk_man]

Your sort of on the right track. However you have one minor problem that will cause you to relate to your instrument physically rather then musically. Your learning scale patterns rather then the actual scales and how it works... now you dont really need to read music to understand it.

Try this, when you play a scale figure out first what key your want to play it in. For example the fifth fret on your E string is A. Keep moving around the fret board playing scales in both major and minor. It'll help you learn the fretboard and also lets you learn what each scale will sound like.

For an even more functional excersize try this. Chords are a bass players best friend. Its the bread and butter of everything we do. So for an example, since you already know the roots of all chords you also will figure out really quickly that a major chord in A will have the exact same pattern as a major chord in C.

Here is a really easy way to think about it. This is called the nashville number system. When you think about a chord think about it in scale degrees. All chords are made up of root, 3rd and 5th. These numbers represent each notes respective scale degree. So say we want to make and A major an A minor chord instead. All you have to do is drop the 3rd down a fret and bingo minor chord.

This allows you to think about the chords without having to think about specific notes that make up the chords. However in saying that its always good to know your way around the fretboard so when someone says play this song in B you dont have to think about where on the fretboard B exists... hope this helps. If you have any questions I'll try to explain it better.

[mambo4]

I can't read music, and the only notes I can point to on the fretboard without thinking is E flat and C.....

Learn the notes, if only to help you communicate with others. Its not that hard: when I first picked up the bass I memorized the open strings (EADG) and then memorized each "dotted" fret up to the octave:
open:EADG
3rd fret:GCFA#
5th fret:ADGC
7th fret:BEAD
9th fret:C#F#BE
Ocatve:EADG

With those notes memorized, I could quickly figure out "in between" notes based on the dotted ones. If you can instantly find E then you can almost as instantly figure out where E flat is. It was enough to get me by at first. I never made a deliberate effort to memorize the rest of the neck, eventually I just absorbed the knowledge via experience.

Am I on the right track so far? are learning notes on the fretboard really necessary at this time or can I just continue to use patterns?

please understand that there is much more to deeply understanding a scale than simply knowing the fingering patterns. Getting the sound of the scale in your ears and head is maybe more important. But even beyond that, understanding harmony, the relationship between scales and chords, is crucial to effective bass playing in most contexts. When creating a bass line, most bassists are thinking about the chords of the song and how to support them in a stylistically appropriate way. if the chord of the moment is C major, you need to be able to find the chord notes (C,E,G) on the neck, and know how to connect them with passing tones that don't clash in a way that serves the music. To apply this kind of knowledge, its hugely helpful to be able to identify the notes on the neck. Fingering patterns alone simply will not do.

I am proficient with using the 2x2 slide, 3x3 slide and the 1x5 slide.

What the heck is a 2x2 slide, etc? please explain!

[NickyBass]

Say the names of the notes aloud as you play through the scales. It is important to learn the fingerboard. Otherwise, there isn't much point in learning patterns.

The goal of theory is to not think. I know that it seems like a ton of thinking right now, but ultimitely, you just want to be able to DO without thinking.

[JTE]

Originally Posted by NickyBass

Say the names of the notes aloud as you play through the scales. It is important to learn the fingerboard. Otherwise, there isn't much point in learning patterns.

The goal of theory is to not think. I know that it seems like a ton of thinking right now, but ultimitely, you just want to be able to DO without thinking.

I'd change "Say the notes aloud..." to "SING the notes aloud..." The whole idea of learing scales is to understand how they sound. And singing what you play, with the intention of knowing what the next note will sound like before you play it, teaches your ear and hands to work together.

jte

[Tomy Plunk#er]

I have spent the last 15 yrs. trying to open the door to my understanding of the fret board, It has been long! I was always looking for note after note(and that was just 1 key). Using the root note as a where the heck I'm at/what key is this. Your ability to rhyme with time will be polished. I will try to include some scale patterns I wrote up( they are written for the guitar all you have to do is ignore the last 2 strings on the charts). Notice how each key has the same scale numbers (1-5) This is because there are only 5 different scale patterns in this write up(not the only possibilitys)This is a way to simplify the fret board and help to jam out to anything. I am having trouble with the pic's so I will post them later.

[ericmknight1906]

Originally Posted by mambo4

What the heck is a 2x2 slide, etc? please explain!

The slide rule is something that i picked up from Alex Sampson's Bass guitar secrets. www.bassguitarsecrets.com

2x2 is basically another way of locating the root/octave connection. i.e. The note of C. 2 frets to the right and 2 frets down would be the octave.

3x3 The root of C. 3 frets up and 3 frets to the right would also be C

1x5 The root of C. 1 fret up and 5 frets to the right would also be C

These methods are excellent for increasing your range over the fretboard without actually knowing the note names.

[Asher S]

Here's a repeat of an older post that I lobbed in a few months ago:

Learn about "chord-scale compatibility", i.e., the C major scale is the Ionian scale (I) C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C, ... the II scale in C major is the D Dorian scale (D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D), and so on with III (Phrygian), IV (Lydian), V (Mixolydian), VI (Aeolian), and VII (Locrian)

Memorize all these scale patterns and practice shifting between them keeping in mind where you are relative to your root key (i.e. I, II, V, etc). Practice intervals, arpeggios etc across these scales, ascending, descending, also ascending on only 2 strings up 2 octaves, then descending down a different area of the fretboard. Hours of fun. PLUS, you'll see patterns and relationships you may not have previously noticed.

This is most easily seen in the chart below. I'm not a professional musician, so anyone more knowledgeable out there: please correct me if there's something wrong here.

The Dorian pattern is offset to the left on purpose, because I want to remind myself to start with my second (index) finger for the Dorian scale. For all other patterns, if the first dot is in the bottom left position, start with the second (index) finger. If there's an open fret space left of the first dot, start with the 3rd (middle) finger. The reason for this is that if you follow this convention, then moving up or down a single string (rather than using the next string up or down) will always have the pattern continue 1 whole tone up from the last note in the 2 or 3-note section of the pattern... This makes it much easier to move around the fretboard with accuracy.

Chord scale chart:

[ehque]

Originally Posted by ericmknight1906

The slide rule is something that i picked up from Alex Sampson's Bass guitar secrets. www.bassguitarsecrets.com

2x2 is basically another way of locating the root/octave connection. i.e. The note of C. 2 frets to the right and 2 frets down would be the octave.

3x3 The root of C. 3 frets up and 3 frets to the right would also be C

1x5 The root of C. 1 fret up and 5 frets to the right would also be C

These methods are excellent for increasing your range over the fretboard without actually knowing the note names.

I get the 2x2 one, but on the 3x3 one i end up on F# and on the 1x5 i end up on the A. I'm not sure i understand you completely.

[santucci218]

Originally Posted by ehque

I get the 2x2 one, but on the 3x3 one i end up on F# and on the 1x5 i end up on the A. I'm not sure i understand you completely.

You did them in reverse is why. They make sense to me. Go from the 5th fret of the G string, Then drop down Three Frets to the E string and then Move forward 3 frets. Bam! C.

[EADG mx]

Originally Posted by ericmknight1906

The slide rule is something that i picked up from Alex Sampson's Bass guitar secrets. www.bassguitarsecrets.com

2x2 is basically another way of locating the root/octave connection. i.e. The note of C. 2 frets to the right and 2 frets down would be the octave.

3x3 The root of C. 3 frets up and 3 frets to the right would also be C

1x5 The root of C. 1 fret up and 5 frets to the right would also be C

These methods are excellent for increasing your range over the fretboard without actually knowing the note names.

And why not just learn the note names?

[ericmknight1906]

Originally Posted by EADG mx

And why not just learn the note names?

Well, visualizing where my fingers are supposed to go just seems easier to me I guess. It requires me to use my brain less.

[phektus]

Abandon the patterns once you got a nice hold of them. Go learn the entire fretboard. Most importantly, know how each scale sounds. Not just root to octave. Each gives a different feel/emotion.

As for me, I'm in this process too ;-)

[rtav]

When I first started playing (30 years ago), a guy with a couple of years more experience than I had took a piece of notebook paper, drew 4 lines and 7 frets.

From here, he showed me CDE and FGAB on the A and D strings.

From there everything fell into place and I had the most commonly used notes (minus flats or sharps) on the most commonly used positions and the most commonly used strings.

I don't know if it's the best way to start, but it worked for me.