Welcome to TB. Lot of good information at this site.
How to get started? | TalkBass.com
I came over from rhythm guitar and would have liked to have the following information when I first started on the bass. I'd start you off with knowing where the notes are on your fretboard. Why? So later on when your ear tells you, or you see a chord your fingers know what to do with that information. So lets get started. The following are some things you can work on before you get with a teacher -- that can tell you how to do it correctly.
For this paper we will be referring to notes as A, B, C & 1, 2, 3. For example:
C Major Scale…….....…C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C (octave)
Scale degree number. 1. 2, 3,.4,.5, 6, 7, 8 (octave)
The Major Scale Box Pattern will also be used in our examples.
G|~~|---A----|-------|---B---|---C---|1st string
D|~~|---E----|---
F---|--------|--G----|
A|~~|---B----|---
C---|-------|---D----|
E|~~|---------|---
G---|-------|---A----| 4th string
C and D played on the A string.
E, F and G played on the D string.
A, B and C played on the G string.
Why did I place the C root note on the A string? If we place the tonic root note of the scale or chord progression on the A string the 4th and 5th scale degrees will be above and below the tonic root note. Why is that important? As you already know the I-IV-V chord progression finds its way into hundreds of simple songs. Having the I, IV and V root notes all together in one spot will prove to be an advantage.
Yep, do what you did on rhythm guitar, but, now instead of strumming the chord play the chord one note at a time - to the beat of the song.
Octaves - Playing the root of a chord and just pounding out root notes is safe - and boring. Think about octaves, which is the root in another octave, R-8, or R-8-R-8 or R-R-8-8, safe and simple. Hold on --- the 5 is always right below the 8 so the R-5-8-5 becomes another safe bass line you could get into muscle memory very easily. More on that later.
Any root note’s octave can be found up two strings and over two frets. To simplify this paper “over” will mean move toward the bridge and “back” will mean move toward the nut. OK this will find the 8 or octave note, if you want to return to the 1 note go down two strings and back two frets.
Find a C note. For its octave 8 go up two strings and over two frets. For the tonic 1 note go down two strings and back two frets.
Finding the other notes
- From any note where is its 2? Over two frets same string.
- From any note where is its 3? Up a string and back one fret.
- From any note where is its 4? Up a string same fret.
- From any note where is its 5? Up a string and over two frets, or right below on the next string down, same fret.
- From any note where is its 6? Up two strings and back one fret. Right over the 3.
- From any note where is its 7? Up two strings and over one fret. If you want C’s 7th find a C and the 7th is back one fret. This comes in handy when moving back down a scale.
- From any note where is its 8? Up two strings and over two frets.
Major scale box showing scale degree numbers
and the root note on the 4th string.
G~~|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D~~|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A~~|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E~~|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string
This box, using scale degree numbers instead of note names will allow you to utilize the
scale or chord spelling in your bass lines. See a Cmaj7 chord coming up in the song.
The spelling for the Cmaj7 is R-3-5-7. Find those scale degrees within the box and you have a safe bass line. Start with just roots, need more add a 5. The 8 is always a safe addition (R-5-8-5). From there the correct 3 and 7 fill out a bass line very well. Google is a friend, just ask. Another friend will be chord charts, fake chord and or lead sheets.
Run your arpeggio and scale pattern within the major scale box pattern. About a zillion times should get it.
That site I gave you the link to will help with chord spelling, C = R-3-5, Cm = R-b3-5, Cm7b5 = R-b3-b5-b7. Cm scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7.
Good luck, and welcome to the bottom end.
P.S. Lose the box in a year or so...
