Practicing Scales

[Guss]

I'm not sure where to start and was hoping someone here could point me in the direction of a good book I could buy, or even better a website that offers some direction on practicing all the scales, because after learning about them, I just don't know where to start. It's too much!

Hi there

Scales should just be practiced with 'good technique' and a little every day. They build up your ear, your muscles and your theory knowledge. But you won't notice immediately that your playing improves. Also, it would be rare that you would actually play an entire scale (unless you do fast walking bass and you cover a whole octave or something like that).

The purpose of scales is as a kind of musician's training. They're a bit like press-ups and chin-ups for a soldier.

I recommend the bass bible as an all round book - it has scales in the beginning and also tonnes of musical examples of grooves which you might find give you more instant results. You don't need to buy a book for scales as there's so many free resources online. Combine learning grooves with learning scales so you get a musical reward that's quite instant, combined with the musical reward that will take time which you get from learning scales.

[Pacman]

I recommend this:

Pacman's sure-fire scale practice method

[caeman]

I found the listing of scales at Dave's Five-String Bass site handy.

http://www.guitar-and-bass.com/fives...ss/scales.html

There is also scales for 6-string basses there, as well.

[kb9wyz]

Bass Guitar: Total Scales, Techniques and Applications
by Mark John Sternal
MJS Music Publications, 2005
$24.95