So your solution is to choose any and all notes from the chromatic scale in order to demonstrate you are not playing pentatonics? I'd say mission accomplished...
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Told I play too much in Minor Pentatonic
- Thread starter iriegnome
- Start date
Thanks for your response.
What I mean is this:
It is so "lame" to say "you play too much in minor Pentatonic."
You have either specifics to show, or this thread belongs in the Band Management Forum and it has NOTHING TO DO WITH TECHNIQUE.
- Jan 12, 2011
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Tell him to critique his own playing. You're the bass player and have the low end covered. He's just trying to flex and show some kind of musical superiority over you. How often do you have something to say about the way he plays?
Whenever I'm doing anything in the minor pentatonic scale, sometimes I like to throw in the seconds and thirds from minor scale into what I'm playing. If you throw them in at the right spot, you can seriously add a lot to the bass part. If you're interested, I could do a cell phone video to upload and demonstrate what I mean when I get free time. Just message me or reply to me on here!
I play in a cover band, but as I find online transcriptions are often sketchy at best, and the originals often seem improvised over chords/scales/riffs/fills (which is often confirmed by checking out live versions of the same songs), I use chords, scales and melody as my guide.
1) I usually start with the guitar chords (which are often more accurate than bass tabs), just to find the root notes of each chord as an "anchor".
2) Then I listen to the original, trying to figure out what happens, especially when it comes to fills and progressions between chords. I usually map all this out on a tab chart.
3) Finally, I actually try to play the melody on bass. This helps me figure out the "blanks" in the scale(s).
When all this is done, I usually have a pattern with marked root notes, scale patterns and some lines between indicating fills, riffs and so on. The nice thing about this (at least for me) is that it is more of a palette to pick from and to anchor my memory. I keep these patterns with my set list, and if we decide to play a song that we haven't rehearsed for a while, a glance on this is usually enough. Working this out for each song usually result in some non-generic patterns, which makes the playing differ more from song to song, giving it character. Using per song specific patterns like this also allows for some informed improvisation if needed (which should also work for the OP in his jam band situation).
PS. I tune my basses DGCF, so generic tabs usually need some adaptation to work anyway.
PS2. When playing a new song with chords only, I find 1-5-8 works nicely 99,9% of the time.
1) I usually start with the guitar chords (which are often more accurate than bass tabs), just to find the root notes of each chord as an "anchor".
2) Then I listen to the original, trying to figure out what happens, especially when it comes to fills and progressions between chords. I usually map all this out on a tab chart.
3) Finally, I actually try to play the melody on bass. This helps me figure out the "blanks" in the scale(s).
When all this is done, I usually have a pattern with marked root notes, scale patterns and some lines between indicating fills, riffs and so on. The nice thing about this (at least for me) is that it is more of a palette to pick from and to anchor my memory. I keep these patterns with my set list, and if we decide to play a song that we haven't rehearsed for a while, a glance on this is usually enough. Working this out for each song usually result in some non-generic patterns, which makes the playing differ more from song to song, giving it character. Using per song specific patterns like this also allows for some informed improvisation if needed (which should also work for the OP in his jam band situation).
PS. I tune my basses DGCF, so generic tabs usually need some adaptation to work anyway.
PS2. When playing a new song with chords only, I find 1-5-8 works nicely 99,9% of the time.
The thing to remember as well is, some people have no idea what a 'pentatonic' scale is and use it is a blanket term to describe anything that isn't weird, dissonant or modal.
Calm down there, Sparky. I see from your profile that you are 17 and have been playing for three years. The guy you're offering video lessons to has not only been playing longer than you've been alive, but literally twice as long.
Plus, your suggestion to "throw in thirds from the minor scale" doesn't make any sense, given that the third is already included in the pentatonic scale.
Sorry to be so harsh, but you've been a member here for one week and you're not going to make many friends by coming across as being so full of yourself.
Try some alternating ascending diminished/descending chromatic lines.
That'll bend his head sideways.
That'll bend his head sideways.
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