Practicing scales in each key

Sean Baumann · #1 01-10-2003, 12:24 PM

Quick Q for you all. I'm on a quest to improve my practicing.

When you all say that you are practicing your scales in all keys, do you mean that you are playing the modes, or are you playing the relative major, minor, dominate, augmented, or whatever scale for a key. So, for example, in the key of G, are you practicing G, Am, Bm, etc etc OR are you practicing G ionian, A dorian, B phrygian? I just want to make sure I am getting the most out of my time.

Can anybody give me some fingerings that they use for thw 2 octave scales?

thanks a bunch! TB rules!

Sean Baumann · #2 01-10-2003, 01:03 PM

Ahh ok, I know what you mean now. You're basically just practicing the major scale (or whatever scale) following the circle of fifths.

I figured that practicing the modes would help you to determine what to play over a particular chord in a progression.

Maybe I'm just mixing apples and oranges. I want to be more proficient when it comes to note choice while improvising a bass line. Let me put this into context, I play for a Christian P&W band, and generally speaking no one in the band can read music (except me). I'm usually given lyrics w/ chords written over them, no bars or anything. I have to improvise a bass line on the spot w/ the drummer, but most of the time I go for the basics (arpegios), and whenever I venture out I always seem to find the wrong notes (let alone bad rhythm)!!