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How exactly do I use scales?
- Thread starter mattsbass
- Start date
Not again! *facepalm*
Honestly, the question you're asking is likely to generate more debate than helpful replies. It's just the way it seems to work around here...
Do you know much about chords? What kind of scales have you been practising?
Have a read of this, the basic concepts are explained pretty clearly:
http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-scales/about-scales/
Honestly, the question you're asking is likely to generate more debate than helpful replies. It's just the way it seems to work around here...
Do you know much about chords? What kind of scales have you been practising?
Have a read of this, the basic concepts are explained pretty clearly:
http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-scales/about-scales/
A
afromoose
Guest
It's simple all you do is start at the bottom and go to the top and then back down again, as fast as possible. It helps if you scream at the same time.
theyve got something to do with western harmony, cant remember what 
who needs details
in all seriousness youre probably playing them just up and down. they can move step wise or arpeggio movement, in groups of notes. try some different ways and make them MUSICAL
who needs details
in all seriousness youre probably playing them just up and down. they can move step wise or arpeggio movement, in groups of notes. try some different ways and make them MUSICAL
A
afromoose
Guest
Play them as fast as possible.
See here
. There are no wrong notes, but at the same time, some notes are wronger than others. You might hear things like - "Sometimes the wrong note is the right note and sometimes the right note is the wrong note. Ah...." This is called ambiguity.
Below is the wrongness continuum. It is a sliding scale from obviousness to wrongness.
Obvious - - -> - - - Clever - - - -> - - - Wrong
Aim for the middle. This means a scale that comes lower down the list on the chart.
Example for scale choice over a Imaj7 chord (see chart)
Ionian (obvious, duh) -> - Lydian (clever, vg star) - > - Harmonic Minor (wrong, oh dear)
Hope this is helpful.
See here
. There are no wrong notes, but at the same time, some notes are wronger than others. You might hear things like - "Sometimes the wrong note is the right note and sometimes the right note is the wrong note. Ah...." This is called ambiguity.
Below is the wrongness continuum. It is a sliding scale from obviousness to wrongness.
Obvious - - -> - - - Clever - - - -> - - - Wrong
Aim for the middle. This means a scale that comes lower down the list on the chart.
Example for scale choice over a Imaj7 chord (see chart)
Ionian (obvious, duh) -> - Lydian (clever, vg star) - > - Harmonic Minor (wrong, oh dear)
Hope this is helpful.
I don't know if you're joking or being serious, but if it's the latter then I have to disagree. Speed does not make someone a good musician. It's just that many good musicians can play fast, but playing fast isn't what makes them a good musician.
A good example is the first clip you posted. The guitarist didn't spend all of his solo shredding.
A
afromoose
Guest
I know I really like his playing actually it just makes me laugh because it goes so fast it's ridiculous. I can just imagine all those people dancing and then being like 'what the hell???'
I was being silly with my post.
I asked this question when i first started two. As have most people hense the stupid replys. I think bassically just learn them and it helps you improve on knowing where stuff is on the fret board ect and when you start learning chords it helps with that too coz the chords are made up from various notes in the scales
Pack up that scale book and put it in a drawer. Go to a music shop and find a good book on bass chord and appregios. Study that. Several months later dig out the scale book and you will understand them a lot better.
By all means use them as warm ups but don think they are the most importantthing to learn because when your actually in a band section, you just wont really use them because you'll go by feel and sound anyway. Its just good to know what sclaes to play over a chord so that you know what your options are.
Go chromatic, works everytime.
By all means use them as warm ups but don think they are the most importantthing to learn because when your actually in a band section, you just wont really use them because you'll go by feel and sound anyway. Its just good to know what sclaes to play over a chord so that you know what your options are.
Go chromatic, works everytime.
Tough crowd......
But seriously, scales are part of the progression in understanding music theory. What you're doing right now is rote memorization, which is good, but not the complete purpose of scales.
Find a decent theory book and learn about intervals. Once you understand intervals, you'll see how scales are derived. Then you'll learn how chords are constructed using (ta-da!) notes from the various scales. And then you'll understand how modes are constructed.
The big picture of all this is to get to the point where you can understand what musicians around you are doing and you can pick the RIGHT notes to play. Example - you're playing a jam where the guitarist is playing dominant 7th chords. By knowing interval theory and scales/modes, you'll know that a major scale doesn't necessarily work because it has a "normal" 7th note where a dominant 7th chord has a flat 7th. So what can you do? Play a mixolydian mode which is pretty much a major scale with a flat 7th and you'll sound great.
That's where scales can benefit.
But seriously, scales are part of the progression in understanding music theory. What you're doing right now is rote memorization, which is good, but not the complete purpose of scales.
Find a decent theory book and learn about intervals. Once you understand intervals, you'll see how scales are derived. Then you'll learn how chords are constructed using (ta-da!) notes from the various scales. And then you'll understand how modes are constructed.
The big picture of all this is to get to the point where you can understand what musicians around you are doing and you can pick the RIGHT notes to play. Example - you're playing a jam where the guitarist is playing dominant 7th chords. By knowing interval theory and scales/modes, you'll know that a major scale doesn't necessarily work because it has a "normal" 7th note where a dominant 7th chord has a flat 7th. So what can you do? Play a mixolydian mode which is pretty much a major scale with a flat 7th and you'll sound great.
That's where scales can benefit.
Knowing the notes of a scale helps with chord progressions, improvisations, solo pieces and such. Knowing them as patterns is only half the battle, knowing the notes in a scale gives you the freedom to play anywhere on the fretboard. Please do not get hung up on them too much - there are a lot more intangibles to be considered
I'm guessing that if you're just playing the major scales ( you didn't say that you were doing all the possible scales ) and not simultaneously memorizing the note names and positions, it's pretty useless.
But, if you're doing two other things - remembering the notes AND reading the notes on a chart, then you're really making progress. By now, you should be able, therefore, to read any transcribed bass line - an enormous help.
But, if instead, you only know the note names, that is still very helpful. If what you're saying is that you've simply learned to start anywhere on the fretboard and use the WWHWWWH intervals to make a scale, memorizing only the first note (which is what a lot of people do), then you're not really doing much that I'd find useful. On many non-stringed instruments, learning the fingering to all the scales doesn't involve this convenient system that keyboardists and string players use, so scale practice is more useful.
If you're playing in a band or orchestra, scale practice can help get in tune and warm-up (hence the idea that scales are important). Vocalists use scales to see how their range is doing that day.
But to me, the more important thing was memorizing each note on the fretboard by letter name and position on the bass clef. Then, learning the non-major scales was important. I'm still very much working on that, but for me, learning arpeggios has been even more important than scales (learning them, inverting them, messing around with them in general). So maybe it's time to move away from scales and learn chords?
But, if you're doing two other things - remembering the notes AND reading the notes on a chart, then you're really making progress. By now, you should be able, therefore, to read any transcribed bass line - an enormous help.
But, if instead, you only know the note names, that is still very helpful. If what you're saying is that you've simply learned to start anywhere on the fretboard and use the WWHWWWH intervals to make a scale, memorizing only the first note (which is what a lot of people do), then you're not really doing much that I'd find useful. On many non-stringed instruments, learning the fingering to all the scales doesn't involve this convenient system that keyboardists and string players use, so scale practice is more useful.
If you're playing in a band or orchestra, scale practice can help get in tune and warm-up (hence the idea that scales are important). Vocalists use scales to see how their range is doing that day.
But to me, the more important thing was memorizing each note on the fretboard by letter name and position on the bass clef. Then, learning the non-major scales was important. I'm still very much working on that, but for me, learning arpeggios has been even more important than scales (learning them, inverting them, messing around with them in general). So maybe it's time to move away from scales and learn chords?
