Digital Patterns

[fmoore200]

I picked up 'The Jazz Bass Compendium' and found a couple of interesting practice techniques. One was what the author calls 'digital patterns.'

Basically it's aim is to help construct walking bass lines (although I think it would work for any style) by playing chordal/scalar tones over the changes of a tune using numbers instead of note names.

i.e. root = 1, dominant = 5, etc.

Anybody use this technique to learn improvisation or teach it? Anybody ever use the book?

[Jinro]

His "digital patterns" are actually just scale degrees. 1 is the root, 2 the second, 3 the third, 4 the fourth, 5 the fifth, etc. etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degree_(music)

[fmoore200]

Yeah. I know. I just thought it was an interesting take on learning patterns for chordal/scalar music. Seems easier - in theory, at least - to recall numbers as opposed to notes, as we are more familiar with numbers from daily use than C#, Gb, etc...

[Jinro]

It's definitely easier for me--I'm a visual/tactile learner and not an auditory one. In fact, my short term auditory memory really sucks. The only problem is that I'm stuck in this box of chord/scale shapes and not chord/scale sounds. Often I can tell the degree if the bass is isolated, but when it's put in a mix, and the bassline is grooving out like a machine gun I'm totally lost.

I'm also not able to tell you what the ___th of any chord is without having to stop and think about a fretboard and the scale pattern :P