New Bass Player

[DruidsGlass]

Hello, everyone. I'm an orchestra teacher/violinist who is adding electric bass to his arsenal of instruments. I started near the end of January and get to play up to several hours per day. I like to use my bass to help me make loops with my electric violin. I'm working to get a group together with the choir teacher at one of my schools made up of people who are primarily on a secondary instrument (like me). I decided that she should sing since bad vocals are, well, bad.

I'm hoping that I will learn a lot while I'm here. I'm teaching myself through learning bass parts by ear, making inquiries of family members who are bass players, and creating my own etudes for basic concepts.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

............ and creating my own etudes for basic concepts.

You may find something in the following. Help yourself.

My old standby chart of generic bass lines using the major scale box as a Rosetta stone.

Bass Patterns based upon the Major Scale box.

Major Scale Box.​

G~~|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D~~|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A~~|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E~~|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string

I'm sure you have seen this box with just dots. Adding the
numbers lets the box become a generic living breathing thing.
Want a Cmaj7 chord? Find a C note on the 3rd or 4th string
and place the box's R over that C note - then play the spelling
for the Cmaj7 chord. Fmaj7 chord coming next -- find an F note.....
Spellings for just about all you will need are listed below:
​

Basic Chords

• Major Triad = R-3-5 aka C
• Minor Triad = R-b3-5 aka Cm
• Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5 aka Cdim

7th Chords

• Maj7 = R-3-5-7 aka Cmaj7
• Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7 aka Cm7
• Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7 aka C7
• ½ diminished = R-b3-b5-b7 aka Cm7b5
• Full diminished = R-b3-b5-bb7 aka Co

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 is what we do.

Here is a video that goes into detail on what we can do with some of those fancy chords like Ab9#11b13 Simplifying Jazz Chords - Talking Bass.net It need not get all that complicated.

Scales

• Major Scale = R-2-3-4-5-6-7 Home base
• Major Pentatonic = R-2-3-5-6 Leave out the 4 & 7
• Natural Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 Major scale with the 3, 6 & 7 flatted.
• Minor Pentatonic = R-b3-4-5-b7 Leave out the 2 & 6.
• Blues = R-b3-4-b5-5-b7 Minor pentatonic with the blue note b5 added.
• Harmonic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-7 Natural minor with a natural 7.
• Melodic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-6-7 Major scale with a b3.

Let the major scale be your home base then change a few notes and you have something different. No need to memorize a zillion patterns. Let the major scale pattern be your go to pattern - then adapt/adjust from there.

Major modes

• Ionian same as the Major Scale. R-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Lydian use the major scale and sharp the 4 - yes, it's that simple. R-2-3-#4-5-6-7
• Mixolydian use the major scale and flat the 7. Change one note..... R-2-3-4-5-6-b7

Minor Modes

• Aeolian same as the Natural Minor scale. R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
• Dorian use the Natural Minor scale and sharp the b6 back to a natural 6. Change one note. R-2-b3-4-5-6-b7
• Phrygian use the Natural Minor scale and flat the 2. Again change one note. R-b2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
• Locrian use the Natural Minor scale and flat the 2 and the 5. OK here you have to change two notes. R-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7

Modal Harmony - the rest of the story.

• If you play your modes over a chord progression you will probably only hear the tonal center of your progression. The chord progression's V-I will not let the modal mood develop. Lydian dominant is R-2-3-#4-5-6-b7 and played over a chord progression sounds like an interesting scale, however when played over a modal vamp the Lydian dominant mood (sound you get from the #4 and b7 notes in the modal vamp chords that are vamping) can now be heard. There is no resolution in a modal vamp so the modal sound can sustain, i.e. drone on... and provide a foundation for your modal melody notes.
• For example; if you play your modes over a modal vamp the vamp will sustain the modal mood long enough for the modal mood to be heard. The modal vamp droning effect will sustain the modal mood. Where with a chord progression the chords change so quickly that the modal mood does not have time to develop. Modal vamps of one to two chords let the modal mood be heard. Modal Harmony

Generic Notes - for your bass line.

• The root, five and eight (R-5-8-5) are generic and fit most any chord. Remember the diminished has a flatted 5.
• The 3 is generic to all major chords. So R-3-5-3 will fit under any major chord.
• The b3 is generic to all minor chords. And R-b3-5-8 will fit under any minor chord. Why the 8? Well the 8 is just another root in the next octave.
• The 7 is generic to all maj7 chords. Yep, R-3-5-7 fits nicely.
• The b7 is generic to all dominant seventh and minor seventh chords. G7 = R-3-5-b7 or Gm7 = R-b3-5-b7.
• The 6 is neutral and adds color, help yourself to 6's. Love the sound of R-3-5-6 with a major chord.
• The 2 and 4 make good passing notes. Don't linger on them or stop on them, keep them passing.
• In making your bass line help yourself to those notes, just use them correctly.
• Roots, fives, eights and the correct 3 & 7 will play a lot of bass.

OK fine, how to use all that I know is the question. Print the above then with this paper in hand listen to what Mark has to say in his video lesson: Chord Tones, Scales and Chromatic Notes For Bass - Talking Bass.net See how it all flows together…. The how to use all this can keep you busy for the rest of your life. Notes without rhythm; boring. Mark's lesson points this out.

Good luck, have fun.

 

[DruidsGlass]

Thanks! The bass specific information is definitely needed. Music theory was one of my stronger points in college. That makes all of this a whole lot easier. I'm currently practicing basic triads in 1 - 4 - 5 - 1 sequence for major and aeolian mode to help facilitate familiarization with the fretboard.

 

[TomB]

This is pretty cool info. I'd also suggest for fingering (on electric) that you place your middle finger where it says "R", and then use a 1-finger per fret approach to playing the rest of the scale; make this approach movable up and down the neck. Not everyone agrees with this fingering approach, but I have built a career around that hand shape. PS: It's very different on upright bass.

 

[DruidsGlass]

This is pretty cool info. I'd also suggest for fingering (on electric) that you place your middle finger where it says "R", and then use a 1-finger per fret approach to playing the rest of the scale; make this approach movable up and down the neck. Not everyone agrees with this fingering approach, but I have built a career around that hand shape. PS: It's very different on upright bass.

I already practice with a 1 finger per fret hand shape as my primary one.

 

[TomB]

The middle finger on R is the concept that usually gets debated, because a lot of methods are based on finger 1 on R. I'm pretty convinced of the value of finger 2 on R, after 50 years of experience.

 

[DruidsGlass]

My arpeggio fingerings start with 2nd finger for major and first finger for aeolian mode. With exception to the ones that start on open strings, obviously.