So ive gotten pretty good at my box shape major minor amd blues scales. What Im having trouble with is continuing the scales down the neck of the bass. Is there any advice on practicing this?
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Scales, more than box shapes
- Thread starter drewphishesp
- Start date
If someone woke you up and said "name the note on the D string 4 fret" could you do it without thinking?
If someone asked you to name all the notes in the Eb Major scale, could you do it without thinking?
If someone asked you to name the string names and fret locations of all the notes in the B major scale by 6ths with the root note starting on the E string, could you do it without thinking?
Basically, did you memorize all the notes on the fretboard and all the notes in the scales that you are practicing so you don't have to think about it?
If you answered NO to any of the questions, start by memorizing all the notes on the fretboard, then work on a scale at a time.
If someone asked you to name all the notes in the Eb Major scale, could you do it without thinking?
If someone asked you to name the string names and fret locations of all the notes in the B major scale by 6ths with the root note starting on the E string, could you do it without thinking?
Basically, did you memorize all the notes on the fretboard and all the notes in the scales that you are practicing so you don't have to think about it?
If you answered NO to any of the questions, start by memorizing all the notes on the fretboard, then work on a scale at a time.
A good beginner exercise is to learn your 12 major scales. By "learn" I mean you have memorized the key signatures (which notes are sharp and flat) and the note names. Once you can play each of the major scales in 1 octave, then practice them over the entire range of the instrument, on every string. For example if you are learning C Major (CDEFGABC no sharps or flats) then you could practice the scale all the way from the open low E string to the high D on the 19th fret of the G string. (That's assuming you have a 20 fret 4 string; if you have more strings and/or frets, adjust the exercise accordingly.)
More important than learning scales is learning SONGS. Don't just memorize the major scale box shape, or the blues scale box shape, or whatever. Turn on the radio and listen. How many songs can you learn that use the major scale? The minor scale? The blues scale? Etc.
A final thought is, do you practice singing your scales? You can do this while you are showering, commuting, working out, or doing chores. A good place to begin is the famous song "Do Re Mi" from the Sound of Music. As Maria says in the song, "when you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything."
More important than learning scales is learning SONGS. Don't just memorize the major scale box shape, or the blues scale box shape, or whatever. Turn on the radio and listen. How many songs can you learn that use the major scale? The minor scale? The blues scale? Etc.
A final thought is, do you practice singing your scales? You can do this while you are showering, commuting, working out, or doing chores. A good place to begin is the famous song "Do Re Mi" from the Sound of Music. As Maria says in the song, "when you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything."
In addition to learning where all the notes are up and down the fretboard, as @5544 said, the first thing to work on is learning three different patterns for fingering a scale across the strings in one position: one that starts with your index finger on the root, one that starts with your middle finger on the root, and one that starts with your pinky on the root. I'm guessing that the "box pattern" you're already familiar with is probably the pattern that starts with your middle finger on the root, as that's the one most of us learn first. If you know all three of these patterns, you can use whichever one of them works best starting at any given place on the fingerboard.
Once you have those down, the next trick is to incorporate shifts to enable you to move up the neck. For example, by incorporating shifts you can play the entire first octave on the E and A strings (assuming you started from a root on the E string), and then repeat the same pattern (or switch to a different pattern) in the next octave. When you shift, you're switching from one of the three fingerings to one of the others, and you can mix-and-match parts of them as you work your way up the neck.
Once you have those down, the next trick is to incorporate shifts to enable you to move up the neck. For example, by incorporating shifts you can play the entire first octave on the E and A strings (assuming you started from a root on the E string), and then repeat the same pattern (or switch to a different pattern) in the next octave. When you shift, you're switching from one of the three fingerings to one of the others, and you can mix-and-match parts of them as you work your way up the neck.
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Notwithstanding all of the above advice, which I could repeat but won't, I think you are looking for shifting exercises that connect you into new positions. So rather than three notes per string, try eg 4 notes per string with a stretch followed by a shift. For example...
Major G scale starting at 3rd fret...
G A on E with fingers 2 and 4;
B C D E on A with 1-2-3-4. As you play the D*-E, release your thumb to start the shift, placing it behind fret 5 as you hit E with 4;
F# G A with 1-2-4 on D string;
Shift to B C D E with 1-2-3-4 also on D string, then
F# G A B with 1-2-3-4 on G string, and so on.
*Playing D with 3 in third position (thumb behind 3Rd fret) is a stretch, or 'forwards extension'
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I like doing this with repeating scale patterns, like walking up the scale in triplets, root two three, two three four, three four five, etc., with the goal being running the scale from the lowest to the highest note on the fretboard and then back down in the pattern. Really makes changing positions and learning the whole fretboard more natural (for me). Practice it enough in enough keys and different variations (sixteenths with four scale tones rather than triplets with three, etc.), ought to help make it more natural when I come up to one of those "I'm here, want to get there in some musical sounding way" moments.
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Yes. I've posted this before, somewhere... I'm a visual and tactile learner. I also tend to remember patterns. That said, I know every note on my fingerboard by name now, but there was a time decades ago when I didn't, but needed to learn how to "know" them and the scales.
Here's what I suggest. Get a blank drawing of a bass guitar neck with frets, all unlabeled. I made my own and ran off a gazillion copies. Make sure the drawing goes at least 12 frets or more. Find a starting point and start labeling the frets by note name. Figure out what scale you want to know and circle all of the notes in that scale all over the drawing... even the repeating ones. Now go back to a blank drawing and write 1 way to go at least 2 octaves with the scale making as few position changes with your hand as you can. No go back and figure it a different way, then a 3rd and so on. Figure out as many ways to do this and then go and play them. Eliminate the ways that are too difficult to be feasible and practice the ones that work. From experience, I can tell you that you'll find at least 2 ways for every conceivable scale, and often as many as 5. Learn and recite the notes as you play them. It takes time and effort, but is well worth it.
Good luck!
Here's what I suggest. Get a blank drawing of a bass guitar neck with frets, all unlabeled. I made my own and ran off a gazillion copies. Make sure the drawing goes at least 12 frets or more. Find a starting point and start labeling the frets by note name. Figure out what scale you want to know and circle all of the notes in that scale all over the drawing... even the repeating ones. Now go back to a blank drawing and write 1 way to go at least 2 octaves with the scale making as few position changes with your hand as you can. No go back and figure it a different way, then a 3rd and so on. Figure out as many ways to do this and then go and play them. Eliminate the ways that are too difficult to be feasible and practice the ones that work. From experience, I can tell you that you'll find at least 2 ways for every conceivable scale, and often as many as 5. Learn and recite the notes as you play them. It takes time and effort, but is well worth it.
Good luck!
Just started using this with a student. Put on your clip on tuner. Now play the what note is this game, i.e. where is the B? Sound that fret and look at your tuner to see if it really was the B.
Spend some time with your "pattern chart" and let the tuner tell you if you put all that to memory.
Pattern chart -- Want a like note toward the nut. You'll find that up a string and toward the nut 5 frets. Things like that....
Spend some time with your "pattern chart" and let the tuner tell you if you put all that to memory.
Pattern chart -- Want a like note toward the nut. You'll find that up a string and toward the nut 5 frets. Things like that....
For diatonic scales, I use a system that is primarily 3 notes per string (or shift). To do this, you have to realize that there isn't a single box for a given scale/mode. Instead, there are multiple patterns (shapes/boxes) for each scale/mode.
For example, in this approach a major scale can start with 1st finger, or 2nd finger, or 4th finger. This means 3 different "shapes" for a major scale. I think most people (I used to be among them) get stuck in the box that starts on the 2nd finger. As you expand, though, you realize that this box ends on the 4th finger, so you can continue with the next pattern (starting on 4th finger) and repeat the scale. The major scale that starts on the 4th finger ends on 1st finger. The major scale that starts on the first finger ends on the 2nd, and you're back to the where you started.
As you move from one of the 3 note patterns to the next, you can move up (or down if you're playing descending) a string, or you can shift, but the pattern continues. Over time, your mental representation of the patterns will begin to expand to cover the entire fretboard.
In this video, Anthony Wellington shows how to apply the patterns to modes on a 7 string bass. You don't have to have a 7 string bass to use it, but it makes an interesting point.
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WW
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Obviously, my post isn't a lesson on scales. I'm just pointing in the direction of the approach that I'd use to answer your question about how to expand scales to more than box shapes. It starts with a box shape, then expands it to multiple shapes, then it expands to patterns across the fretboard. Eventually, the boxes fade and it becomes notes, in convenient and accessible patterns.
For example, in this approach a major scale can start with 1st finger, or 2nd finger, or 4th finger. This means 3 different "shapes" for a major scale. I think most people (I used to be among them) get stuck in the box that starts on the 2nd finger. As you expand, though, you realize that this box ends on the 4th finger, so you can continue with the next pattern (starting on 4th finger) and repeat the scale. The major scale that starts on the 4th finger ends on 1st finger. The major scale that starts on the first finger ends on the 2nd, and you're back to the where you started.
As you move from one of the 3 note patterns to the next, you can move up (or down if you're playing descending) a string, or you can shift, but the pattern continues. Over time, your mental representation of the patterns will begin to expand to cover the entire fretboard.
In this video, Anthony Wellington shows how to apply the patterns to modes on a 7 string bass. You don't have to have a 7 string bass to use it, but it makes an interesting point.
WW
WW
WW
hW
hW
Wh
Wh
Obviously, my post isn't a lesson on scales. I'm just pointing in the direction of the approach that I'd use to answer your question about how to expand scales to more than box shapes. It starts with a box shape, then expands it to multiple shapes, then it expands to patterns across the fretboard. Eventually, the boxes fade and it becomes notes, in convenient and accessible patterns.
I would agree apart from this bit. Shifting is a key skill that is a bogeyman weakness for many players, IME. My advice is to tackle it head on and don’t be afraid of it. Play scales and arpeggios on one string. Target intervals like fifths and octaves on one string without glissing. Relax the thumb and get your left arm supple. Use as little fingering pressure as you can get away with. Sure you undershot or overshoot sometimes to begin with, but it is well worth the effort. YMMV but probably not by much!
I do agree and probably should clarify my meaning a bit. In a two octave scale, you're going to have at least 2-3 shifts on a 4 string bass. More if you can manage 3 octaves. Yes, there are great reasons to learn to do on one string, and yes shifting is most certainly fine. But when I'm working with a student who's still familiarizing themselves with the fingerboard, I stress trying to keep unnecessary movement to a minimum. A conservation of motion, so to speak, so as to minimize the number of potential errors from movement. But at some point, IMO, after some familiarity is gained and those positions learned (note in those positions), absolutely experiment.
from the stickies in this forum:
Pac Man's sure-fire scale practice method
do that and you will learn every scale across the whole neck, and know exactly what notes you are playing.
Pac Man's sure-fire scale practice method
do that and you will learn every scale across the whole neck, and know exactly what notes you are playing.
@INTP, Yea, I know. I just didn't want to do a whole lot of typing and the OP asked for vids . . . lol
Every scale I play, I learn in 2-octave scales, this solves the problem of being boxed in. It really makes you see notes in every position. You can even google 2-octave scales, for example: 2-octave minor pentatonic scale.
Start reading. Cello music is good. The Simandl book is good.
Look up online for two octave fingering for your scales and arpeggios. That oughta do it!
This is pretty much it! Any two octave routine is going to take you well up and down the neck.
