Breaking out of pentatonic boxes

[drewphishesp]

Man those rich brown videos really helped the exercises have been great

 

[BassicJazzy]

I know music theory insofar as I know the fingerings of the different modes and the different shapes of multiple scales. I just get stuck in 1 spot when I'm improvising or jammin. I think doing some workouts up and down the neck will help me get out of the rut. And start incorporating some modal notes as well

Just to clarify, the modes are just the same scale played from the different intervals. That is why there are 7 modes for the diatonic scale, 5 for the pentatonic (but rarely referred to as modes), etc. Some teachers even refer to these as the "positions" of the key. Play C Major from the second position (D) to the octave and you are playing the C Major scale in Dorian mode, etc. Or you can play "C dorian" where you play that shape starting in C. That's an altered key but it is the same scale being used. This can be confusing for bass players who studied upright where the positions refer to where you are vertically on the fingerboard, therefore most bass teachers don't refer to it this way.

You can get all tied up in modes but they are really very simple, once you get it. It's not that challenging on a 4 string bass.

 

[drewphishesp]

Yep I do understand they're just different feelings of the same scale

 

[BassicJazzy]

Yep I do understand they're just different feelings of the same scale

Where it gets interesting is when you are playing in minor keys, and you have to transpose the modes, since you are starting in mode 6. So figuring out a 2-5-1 or a 3-6-2-5 chord progression and trying to match the scale to the chord becomes challenging. Fun. Eventually you just see it all as one big shape, across the entire fretboard.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I too used to rely heavily on pentatonic for any soloing. (For blues and funk, I still do.) But learning to play the concepts discussed in this video about MILLPAD really helped me to improvise melodies using all of the modes in a more musical way.

Its a little hard to follow at first, but once you get it in your head (and more importantly, under your fingers) you will be able to start a phrase from any degree of a scale, or from the root of the chord and stay in key and stay musical while you noodle up or down as your heart leads you.

I think he presents a good approach for going horizontal. First time I ever saw a 7 string bass, other than rarities like Warr guitar. Those are things I do not mess with, mega string basses. Not to say they aren't cool, but I only play a 4 string, so I'm a simple guy, and I use pentatonic for flash and for vertical runs. I tend to use modes for working my way around chords while walking. I also play modal jazz, but that's different. Regarding the OP's post, I never stay in pentatonic scale for very long, it gets boring. It's kind of lazy, as they say, a "utility scale." If I get lost in a form, it's a safe place to retreat and regroup.

 

[Pacman]

Just to clarify, the modes are just the same scale played from the different intervals.

This isn't actually true. This is how the modes are CONSTRUCTED, but not what they are. And teaching modes this way is one of the biggest disservices to music education. It muddies the understanding and the use of modes.

Far better to learn the modes using the parallel method.

 

[BassicJazzy]

This isn't actually true. This is how the modes are CONSTRUCTED, but not what they are. And teaching modes this way is one of the biggest disservices to music education. It muddies the understanding and the use of modes.

Far better to learn the modes using the parallel method.

I see what you are saying, I was just clarifying the OP's understanding of how modes are constructed. I also talked about parallel modes in a different post but did not refer to them as such. When you talk about learning "what" the modes are I think it's logical to first understand how they are constructed and then you can learn how to apply them. When you play modal jazz, walking lines, which is where I'm at these days, you are using parallel modes all the time. Anyway, that's how I learned, but that's just me. I don't find it confusing. To each their own...