Need help practicing chords/scales...

[jbl71004]

Like most of you on the forum, I practice scales on a daily basis, in different positions, starting points, etc. If you tell me the key and the starting point, I can play it all the way up the neck, on any string, etc. However, I've noticed a huge weakness in my playing, in two parts:
1) I have trouble coming back up (ie if playing in, say, A and starting at a random point on the G string, I have to think my way back up the neck to the E string, whereas it's natural now going the other way). Should I again think of it in terms of modes (such as here, thinking "well, I'm starting on D, so I needed to work my way back up through lydian"), or just by going very slowly and repeating the notes as I go?
2) I've found that I've become one of those 7 position guys where I've practiced scales so much this way, but I don't feel like it's all put together in my head. Is this normal, and I'm being too hard on myself, or are there some exercises I can do to make my playing more natural?

Thanks in advance guys and gals!

[WillPlay4Food]

You could try Pacman's sure-fire scale practice method, which is stickied at the top of this forum. Read the whole thread for some great ideas on how to use this technique to practice scales, modes, chords, intervals and more.

It's a great technique to learn your fretboard, internalize scales and intervals and strengthen your ear. At least it's helping me to do these things.

What I do is I go up the neck the way Pacman describes in his original post. This is to play 3 notes per string until you can't go any higher on the highest (tonally) string of your bass. Then come back down to the lowest note you played. Move up one scale degree and repeat.

The thing I do differently is once I'm all the way up the neck, I work back down (again, tonally) until I'm all the way back to the headstock. What I do differently is I just play the descending notes instead of going down, then back up. This is helping solidify my knowledge of the neck. I make sure to practice at least one scale each day in this manner. I'm still pretty slow at it and have limited practice/play time and want to accomplish other things (learning songs, walking, jamming/noodling, etc.) but this has become my core warmup routine.

[jbl71004]

Thanks WP4F. I'm in the same boat in terms of having limited time, and I also work on 1 a day (I finally printed out a calander and filled it out to keep me from avoiding the ones where I'm weak!). I think I'll give Pacman's method a shot. I get too impatient sometimes, especially when I've worked all day and just want to get the hands a workout, but I suppose this should pay off in the end.

[WillPlay4Food]

Yea it can be tough to stick to, but the benefits are really worth it. Believe me, I do 99% of my playing during my lunch break so taking time to do this practice eats into my the little amount of time I have to play.

[fr0me0]

Pacman's is really great. One thing I really like to stress is revolving all the notes in the scale around the root. Play the root then the note and really pay attention to how it sounds and how each note in the scale sounds in relation to the root.

[steveb98]

The thing is you need to expand out how you use these things. To many just learn a fingering pattern for scale X and figure that it I know a X now. No there are many ways to play X and you need to learn more. More important to me is you need to discover these on your own so you can on the bandstand.

I was in kind of the same boat as you, then I tried out a new bass teacher and first thing we worked on was major scale on one string. I thought this is kind of dumb but did it. Boy knowing how to play a scale on one string has gotton me out of more situation. Then we worked on scale on two strings and shifting up and down. Two octave scales on two strings using shifts. Play scales from the low (correct) note on my bass to the high available. Key to all this was really know how scales are constructed. For me viewing scales in upper and lower tetrachord (3-4 note patterns). The few lessons I had with that teacher have been invaluable.

Next I applied that same things to Modes. All modes on two strings, two octave modes using shifts. three strings. After awhile you stop thinking of all these things as fingerings. You understand the construction of scales and modes. The pieces of fingerings to play them, and have away to get anywhere on the neck.

Point to all this, take what you know and force yourself into situations that you have to find your own solution to. Make up limitations, one-string, two-strings, even non-adjacent strings. Make yourself think your way out of situations and then take and using what you come up with to make music. Work on chord/scales sounds using D-Dorian and put some limations on and play walking line or solo. Don't let a piece of paper with ink dots limit your thinking.

[WillPlay4Food]

I think you have good information, but I worry that by posting fingerings, you've removed the thinking and understanding portion of the practice technique.

If I follow your diagrams, then it becomes a muscle memory exercise. If I continue what I was doing I figure out a scale, then learn where all the notes for that scale are on the neck. Then I work on Pacman's method to learn the neck better.

Then I take the next step which I didn't really get into in my post but you detailed in your first post in this thread. I take common chord progressions like I-vi-IV-V and arpeggiate the chords in every position I practiced the 3notes per string up and down the neck.

Then I work on walking lines but I limit myself to the notes available in X position on the neck. First I limit myself to chord tones. Then I limit myself to chord + scale tones. Lastly I use every note, chord scale and chromatic tones.

Each day I pick a different scale and different chord progressions. Not every song is in the same scale and not every song uses the same chord progression although I-IV-V, (iii-vi-)ii-V-I and I-vi-IV-V make up the meat to most of the songs I've learned so far.

In order to make sure this doesn't become mindless exercise I practice this on both 4 and 5 string basses. I also sing the notes when I do this practice at home.

My next steps are to practice scales in 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, etc, for all different scales and modes to get the sound of the intervals in my head. Once I have the major scales and associated modes down I'll move onto melodic minor and its associated modes. Lastly if I'm not dead yet I'll do harmonic minor and its associated modes. I figure I'll probably be around 50 by then.

What I think this forum could really use is a new thread which talks about the different ways to practice scales, modes, intervals and the like. tim99 it's obvious you have some great practice ideas and I think I have some good ideas as well (although I'm not the best at explaining them in short posts). Maybe it's time for a "Useful applications of Pacman's sure-fire scale practice method" thread.

[edit]
tim99,

You edited your post above mine while I was typing my response.

[WillPlay4Food]

tim99
You didn't need to delete your posts. There was some good information in the first one.