Bass modes vs. guitar modes

[Greenman72]

Alternatively, I guess you could say that the Lydian is a flattened 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7.
(Also known as a sharped 4.)

 

[Lobster11]

Alternatively, I guess you could say that the Lydian is a flattened 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7.
(Also known as a sharped 4.)

In this context it is a sharped 4th, not a flatted 5th, because the scale/mode also contains a perfect 5th (and no other 4th).

 

[SteveCS]

A sample size of 23 is never going to represent a whole-world view, but the poll so far held my interest for long enough to make a post about it:

I wonder how many players shy away from the first scheme because of the need for extended fingering? IME/IMHO the main problem with all of these box pattern approaches is that you can end up always practicing ''in position'. The "So what?" is that shifting gets too little attention. How many would ever consider something like these for really getting around the 'board quickly, even if you only play the first octave. The colours represent groups of notes played in a single position, so a colour change represents a shift:
Major/Ionian, 2 octave

Dorian, 2 octave

 

[mambo4]

People seem to favor the "four fret box" scale diagram
I find it odd how the first option got NO votes
Both charts are correct and show the shapes of the modes

the one with zero votes is better imho
because it shows you more than just the four fret box choices

 

[longfinger]

Ultrashort version - is there a difference between bass modes and guitar modes? (Modes = Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, etc.) I feel like somebody's trying to teach me guitar theory on a bass.

Longer version - I'm a rookie. Just started with a new teacher. (My first one passed away.) By his own admission, he's more of a guitar person than a bass person. But I figure that's okay for a total beginner, like me.

He recently started teaching the the different modes. But he's showing me something that looks kinda like this.

View attachment 6980582

However, most of the material I find says the modes should look like this.

View attachment 6980586


I feel like he's trying to take guitar theory and apply it to the bass, when bass modes have a very different shape than guitar modes. Can anybody help me out? Which mode is the "right" mode for bass?

EDIT - Let me rephrase my question. What is the best "fingering" or "shape" of the modes? It seems like the "orange dots" are easier to conceptualize and "copy and paste" to another area of the fretboard, while the "black and red" dots lend more to a lot of rote memorization.

Like others have said, there is no things such as "bass modes" or "guitar modes". The music is the same.
String instruments are also very similar in how they operate.

However, how a person fingers them with human hands is a bit different than the abstract note mapping on the fretboard/fingerboard.

In the images you posted, the "guitar modes" often use spans of major thirds on 1 string. The smaller mensur scale of a guitar allows this. But you won't be doing that as a first option on a bass guitar. Normally, a bassist will limit a finger span on a minor third on 1 string. Any larger on a single string will require a position shift. Those pictures are odd shapes to me, since they are for 4 strings, tuned in P4ths (bass), but the span of a major 3rd is better for smaller instruments.

The note mapping on the fretboard has not changed, but how one moves our fingers around has changed, because of the instrument's vibrating string length (mensur)

The patterns you posted "for bass" work very well on guitar too on strings 3,4,5,6. The pictures look a bit weird to my eye because it's not clear to me if that is a 5 string instrument, or a 3 string instrument in a visual box.

For your "Edit" question, both shapes are a form of visual and physical memorization. However the bottom shapes are better for bass guitar as the span per string is a minor 3rd or less.

 

[sean_on_bass]

Ultrashort version - is there a difference between bass modes and guitar modes? (Modes = Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, etc.) I feel like somebody's trying to teach me guitar theory on a bass.

Longer version - I'm a rookie. Just started with a new teacher. (My first one passed away.) By his own admission, he's more of a guitar person than a bass person. But I figure that's okay for a total beginner, like me.

He recently started teaching the the different modes. But he's showing me something that looks kinda like this.

View attachment 6980582

However, most of the material I find says the modes should look like this.

View attachment 6980586


I feel like he's trying to take guitar theory and apply it to the bass, when bass modes have a very different shape than guitar modes. Can anybody help me out? Which mode is the "right" mode for bass?

EDIT - Let me rephrase my question. What is the best "fingering" or "shape" of the modes? It seems like the "orange dots" are easier to conceptualize and "copy and paste" to another area of the fretboard, while the "black and red" dots lend more to a lot of rote memorization.

The notes and patterns between guitar and bass guitar are the same, except a guitar can take the pattern higher in range due to having two extra higher pitched strings. personally i like the chart your teacher is giving you because its more clear to me since the dots are between the frets matching when your finger makes contact. the latter chart shows the dots right on the fret instead. at the end of the day they are showing you the same repeatable pattern though.

 

[tshapiro]

I’m a bassist and leverage the modes all the time. But, I always practice them on guitar just so I get the benefit of keeping them fresh on the guitars B and high E. They are the exact same on both instruments (I practice the orange version but across all 6 guitar strings). And , they are the most important thing I’ve learned for my playing on both bass and guitar. But, you need to memorize them until they are second nature. Then you’ll fully get how they are your guiding light to so much of what you’ll play.