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Can the pentatonic save you in a jam!?!

C

Cougar

Feb 15, 2014
87
28
#1
Hey Guys,

So if you you find yourself in a jam session and a song comes up for which you don't know the chord changes, but the keyboard guy gives you the key or you figure it out yourself. Would it be OK to just to grab the pentatonic scale of the same key that the song is in and make up bassline that will work across the chord changes throughout the entire song? For example, if the song is in G major with only the 1,4,5 chords, can you use the G major pentatonic scale to make a bassline that will work for all major chords irrespective of when/where they appear in the song?

Cougar
 
#2
If the song is I-IV-V in G Major, then the chords are G-C-D.

G Major = G-B-D
C Major = C-E-G
D Major = D-F#-A

G Major Pentatonic = G A B D E

In my opinion, no, you can't fully express I-IV-V in G using only the G Major Pentatonic scale. You'd be missing the root of the IV chord and the 3rd of the V chord.

However, the good news is that I-IV-V is a very easy progression to hear. So you don't need to noodle up and down the pentatonic scale, because you should know this common progression and be able to play it correctly even in your sleep. If you're still training your ear, and it takes you a few bars to catch on, then in my opinion it's perfectly okay to sit out the first verse, and then join in on the second verse once you understand the changes. :)
 
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#3
Cougar said:
if the song is in G major with only the 1,4,5 chords, can you use the G major pentatonic scale to make a bassline that will work for all major chords irrespective of when/where they appear in the song?
Click to expand...

You could but it would fall into the territory of noodling and completely neglecting the job of outlining the chords.
 
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#5
Plus 1 to the above. If you were playing melody, one of the treble clef people, yes you could grab the tonic pentatonic and using those notes fake a melody, or your improv of the melody i.e. use the tonic pentatonic notes over the entire song.

But as has been said you are not a treble clef person. Your job is to call attention to the root note of the chord progression, hit the chord changes dead on and lock with the drummer's kick drum and the two of you provide the basic groove for the rest of the band to follow.

That said. When I get lost, I have been known to pound tonic roots or grab the tonic chord's pentatonic notes till I find my place. If there is a repetitive chord progression I also have been known to run that progression till I find my place.

IMO when we get lost the beat needs to go on, the actual notes take second place to the beat.

So it kinda depends.....like socialleper said.
 
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#6
When you're totes lost and genuinely don't know where you're going, the pentatonic scales will let you make pleasant noises instead of ugly ones, yes. As a sideman, it's a nobler feat to be less helpful than it is to be hurtful. Bass has that in common with medicine- first, do no harm.

Asking if you can stick to the pentatonic for the whole jam, on the other hand, is kind of like asking if you can eat a candy bar between two waffles for breakfast. Sure you can, and it might even go over pretty well sometimes, but maybe do yourself a favor and don't make a habit of it, y'know?

--^@
 
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#8
5544 said:
Why not just play root notes with a couple of leading notes to the next chord change and let the guitar & keyboard go overboard?

Nothing clears a room faster than a bunch of guys in their own world wanking away.
Click to expand...
You never saw Cream live, did you? You just need world-class wankers. :D
 
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#14
A different idea for keeping going when you're confused: pluck dead (muted) notes. While you're muting, you can maybe figure out changes and line. Musicians will know you're fudging, but at least you're not killing the song.

So this is a cheat - sort of like saying "uh" when you're speaking - not best practice, but it might be a way to get back on track.

I'd like to hear from my betters about this.
 
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#17
It's weird, or maybe I'm weird. Been playing music for 47 years, bass for maybe 35, and my "theory brain" rarely if ever thinks of "pentatonics" as a thing to use when constructing bass lines to accompany the chord progression of a song. I'll use pents when I'm soloing, but when I'm "comping" the chords of a song, I'm thinking chord tones, maybe scale runs here and there.
 
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#18
I usually get the chord progression as quick as a I could, then primarily use the root notes and follow the chord progression, but use some chromatic notes to fill. Then I would sparingly use a penatonic as a turnaround to make it sound like I knew what I was doing.
 
#20
Pentatonic modes are very useful to learn for all purposes. In this purpose you want to know which chords are being used.

As has been noted, the 4 is missing from the G major pentatonic scale so you won't be able to outline the root of the chord well. The good news is that both the maj 3rd and the 5th (of that 4th) are in the G major pentatonic scale. So yes it is possible but will sound less "solid" than hitting the roots.

As a musician (because you shouldn't pigeon hole yourself into us a narrow idea of what it means to be a bassist) you should learn the changes and the chord tones for each chord of the tune. After learning the chord tones I'll compare them and see if I can find a few "safe notes" that are shared between chord changes. If it's all in the same key it's super easy, but for songs that have key changes it is generally a bit more difficult.

In any case, keep jamming!
 

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