Playing scales in 3rds

[Lefty Joe]

someone I follow suggested playing scales in 3rds to make them more musical and I really think it does. I am having trouble playing them descending tho, or maybe I am just confused?

At the risk of sounding cheeky, I feel the most musical answer is to play what sounds good. So, given an exercise like this, I would listen to it as I played it, and then adapt it according to what sounded pleasing or logical. Music is, after all, a form of communication, so make it say something you want to say

 

[Major Seven]

someone I follow suggested playing scales in 3rds to make them more musical and I really think it does. I am having trouble playing them descending tho, or maybe I am just confused?

so as an example c major I am playing

• C-E, D-F, E-G, F-A, G-B, A-C, B-D.

So to play it descending do I just reverse it?

d-B c-a b-g a-f g-e f-d e-c

?

But those arent thirds or they are thirds just ivnerted?> I guess maybe I am over thinking it

That is part of my warmup. I just do it reverse.

 

[SteveCS]

So to play it descending do I just reverse it?

You can and should explore all sorts of permutations and possibilities
C E B D A C etc
C A B G A F etc
E C D B C A etc
A C G B F A etc

See attached extract for a few more, including a couple of minors - hopefully something in there might be useful... See how it starts to evolve from 3rds into arpeggios and chord-tone melodies.

But those arent thirds or they are thirds just ivnerted?>

An inverted 3rd is a 6th, and major becomes minor on inversion. So, a major 3rd inverted becomes a minor 6th , and a minor third inverted becomes a major 6th, and visa-versa - it makes no difference if you move the high note down or the low note up. Intervals are always reckoned upwards from the low note:

 

[drewphishesp]

@SteveCS

so I am a bit lost here

C E B D A C etc (thirds)
C A B G A F etc (thirds in reverse?)
E C D B C A etc (thirds first?)
A C G B F A etc (Thirds first in reverse?)

is that what youre saying?

 

[SteveCS]

@SteveCS

so I am a bit lost here

C E B D A C etc (thirds)
C A B G A F etc (thirds in reverse?)
E C D B C A etc (thirds first?)
A C G B F A etc (Thirds first in reverse?)

is that what youre saying?

In the attached pdf:
Line 1 (C E B D etc) is the second (decending) half of study 1
LIne 2 (C A B G etc) is the second half of study 3
Lines 3 and 4 are not on that page - they look like this

 

[drewphishesp]

do you have those pages at all? just trying to conceptualize what each of them are. So theyre the descending lines of the studyies

 

[SteveCS]

do you have those pages at all? just trying to conceptualize what each of them are. So theyre the descending lines of the studyies

The lines not in the pdf are in my last post. I would encourage you to take those then explore and devise your own variations.

 

[drewphishesp]

so theyre all just variations of the same lines?

 

[Don Kasper]

to make them more musical

In addition to all of the "visual/printed" advice offered here, you should also be SINGING scales,away from the bass, (and along with the bass) - in all the permutations - up/down/3rds/etc.
Reading about Sounds is only an incomplete part of the "musical" puzzle.
Yes. I Am Old.
IMFO, of course.
Good Luck.

 

[SteveCS]

so theyre all just variations of the same lines?

Pretty much. The whole set covers lots of permutations of diatonic 3rds and 6ths moving up and down various scales. One day I'll collate my entire collection of original exercises and studies into a single pdf and give it away, but I'm not ready for that just yet

 

[drewphishesp]

If you did I would do a donation to the cause

 

[SteveCS]

In addition to all of the "visual/printed" advice offered here, you should also be SINGING scales,away from the bass, (and along with the bass) - in all the permutations - up/down/3rds/etc.

100% this. A really interesting exercise/challenge is to scat a melody whilst playing along in unison on the bass. Sounds tricky, but with practice it becomes earier, really builds the relationship between the ear and the hands on the instrument and can be a great one-time party trick!

 

[Don Kasper]

can be a great one-time party trick!

...especially at George Benson's house!

 

[Papageno]

100% this. A really interesting exercise/challenge is to scat a melody whilst playing along in unison on the bass. Sounds tricky, but with practice it becomes earier, really builds the relationship between the ear and the hands on the instrument and can be a great one-time party trick!

When doing this do you sing the same octave as the bass, or one octave higher ?

 

[Don Kasper]

When doing this do you sing the same octave as the bass, or one octave higher ?

It doesn't matter .... What matters is internalizing&vocalizing "printed/visual" material , converting images/words into sound.
IMFO, of course.

 

[mambo4]

The "hum a tune then try to play it" approach is great
Jazz guitarist Barney Kessel advocated a 3 step approach
1. Strum a chord
2. sing /whistle a melody
3. try to play the melody

I have found that the extra context provided by step 1 can speed things up and anchor your musical intuition.
On a bass you could use 10ths or shell voicings rather than a full 4+ note chord.

 

[SteveCS]

4 2

3 1

2 ?


1 ?

2 - 7 (down a 3rd)
1 (and stop) Hear the finality of the upward resolution of the 7th onto the tonic.