Learning Scales

[BHorton97]

I was told as a beginning bassist, that I should not just learn tabs over and over but learn scales as well. What is the best site or way to do this?

 

[Demon_Hunter]

http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-scales/

 

[dsamudio]

Stu Hamm as one of the best videos I've ever seen or purchased (yes, I did spend my own money for this video).

It's called "Fretboard Fitness".

Well worth the money.

This will get you the basics tools to start playing. After I started my son on a set of scale exercises, he noticed how all chords and scales are based off the major scale.

Good luck.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

I was told as a beginning bassist, that I should not just learn tabs over and over but learn scales as well. What is the best site or way to do this?

I agree that you should not use tabs over and over. OK to work out a riff or phrase by looking at tabs, but, for the complete song, it's a dead end. Why? Tabs do not give you enough information; you only learn how to play that specific song and you have no idea what key or note you played. It's all memory work or playing by rote what is written.

Yes I also agree we need to learn our scales. If you think about it every instrument will start you out doing your scales. Why? So our fingers know where the good notes are on our instrument, and so our ears start recognizing the sound of the good notes. My instructor once told me that he did not mind if I, while running my scales, hit a bad note; if I recognized that it did not fit in that scale and corrected it. If I had not corrected it that would have bothered him. Scales train our hands and our ears. The major scale is the starting place for all our music.

Along with your scales I suggest you also learn your chord tones and put them into muscle memory the same way you have your scales. Why? Because a chord tone played over the chord makes a great bass lines.

How? www.studybass.com was mentioned, it's a great site. I use the Major scale box for scales and chord tones. Copy the following and start using it in your practice sessions.

Bass Patterns based upon the Major Scale box.

Major Scale Box. 
...Index...Middle...Ring...Little
G|---9---|-------|--10---|--11---| 1st string
D|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string 
Want to run the C major scale?  Place the box's R over a C note
on your fretboard - 4th string 8th fret and play the R-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 
scales degrees found within the box.  You just played the notes of 
the C major scale.  Want a bass line under the Cmaj7 chord.  Place
the Box's R over a C note on your fretboard and then play the 
R-3-5-7 scale degrees within the box.  You just played the chord tones
of the Cmaj7 chord. 

Want to run the Am scale?  Place the box's R over an A note on your
fretboard - 4th string 5th fret and play the R-b3-4-5-b6-b7-8 scale degrees
found in the box.  Place the R (root) note and the scale pattern will place the
correct notes of the scale automatically under your fingers.

Basic Chord tones
• Major Triad = R-3-5
• Minor Triad = R-b3-5
• Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5

7th Chord tones
• Maj7 = R-3-5-7
• Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7
• Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7
• ½ diminished = R-b3-b5-b7
• Full diminished = R-b3-b5-bb7

See a chord and play it's chord tones. As every key will have three major, three minor and one diminished chord it's a good idea to get your major, minor and diminished bass line chord tones into muscle memory so when you see a chord your fingers just know what will work. Now the song may only give you enough room for the root, or root five - adapt and get as many chord tones into your bass line as needed. Root on 1 and a steady groove from the other chord tones plus something to call attention to the chord change will play a lot of bass. Chord tones need not be played in the root order all the time. Instead of R-3-5-7 under that Cmaj7 chord try 7-5-3-R or R-5-3-7, or R-5-7-3, it's your bass line play which ever sounds best. How about R-R-3-3-7-7-5-5 for an 8 to the bar rock feel. Likewise with a minor chord Cm7 R-b3-5-b7 - got two measures of the Cm7 chord - how about R-b3-5-b7 for one measure then b7-5-b3-R for the other measure. Experiment. Notice the next page button upper right hand side of the screen. That will give you your Major Scale box pattern in the first position G @ the 4th string 3rd fret. Position two is a different box and starts on the 4th fret. Position # 3 is different from position 1 and 2 and starts on the 7th fret, Position # 4 again is different and starts on the 9th fret and Position # 5 also different starts on the 11th fret. Those are the classic take a scale up the neck in five positions patterns. Other than looking cool what reason would you have for doing all that in five positions? That is a really good question. It is a great scale exercise, however, I doubt you will ever need five different locations for a melody solo.

Our instrument has three octaves here is a way to get three octaves with just one pattern. The major scale box pattern I gave you at the beginning of this post at the 4th string 3rd fret will give you one octave of the G major scale. Then the G note @ the 3rd string 10th fret for the second octave of G. Then your same ole major scale pattern at the G on the 4th string 15th fret will give you the third octave of G and you only used one major scale box pattern. Your choice; five patterns close together or one that you move where needed.

Copy this and file it away; no way you can remember all this in one sitting.

Have fun.