When practising scales, etc. what exactly should I be concentrating on?

[Robsco]

A couple of my current practice routines includes:

1. 2-octave scales, shifting on different strings.
2. Play all notes of the scale but only allowed 3 notes of the scale on each string, then shift up one note.
3. Play all major scales, following the circle of fourths, on E and A strings.

The problem I'm finding, or the worry I've got is, that I'm kinda doing this blind. Is it the patterns I should be "looking at", or the names of the notes?

Maybe the answer is "both!", but maybe there's an order I should be following, ie, note names, pattern, intervals, etc?

I have all the notes on the fret-board basically memorised. And feel like I know C major nearly inside out.

Or are there other good practice routines I could be doing? I obviously don't want to just be good at playing scales.

I've started to modify the "circle of fourths" approach, to include pentatonic, minor, and triads, etc.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[Mushroo]

I have all the notes basically memorised.

You win! Once you've memorized the 12 major scales (15 counting the enharmonic scales) then you're done, no need to practice major scales ever again in your life (unless you get rusty and forget them). Time to move on and practice something else.

If you are looking for suggestions what to practice next, a really fun exercise I like to do is to take a song I know reasonably well, and practice it in all 12 keys.

I obviously don't want to just be good at playing scales.

Indeed.

 

[StyleOverShow]

Two things: hand/finger position storing as muscle memory; and pitch/tone.

Do a one/two/three octave scale on one string, then two, three, etc. Familiarize yourself with where the easiest access to a third, fourth, etc are from your current spot.

Do the modes: start on 2nd note in scale to the ninth using the same intervals as the scal; 3-10; etc. most jazz licks come from playing with these modes.

Learned your fret/finger board. It’s all good

 

[lz4005]

A couple of my current practice routines includes:

1. 2-octave scales, shifting on different strings.
2. Play all notes of the scale but only allowed 3 notes of the scale on each string, then shift up one note.
3. Play all major scales, following the circle of fourths, on E and A strings.

The problem I'm finding, or the worry I've got is, that I'm kinda doing this blind. Is it the patterns I should be "looking at", or the names of the notes?

Are you also learning songs? And then using your theory knowledge to understand them better?

 

[Robsco]

Learning songs yeah (and gigging).

With an occasional "oh, look, there's that 1-3-5 pattern again".

Or "I wonder if I can throw in a 5th here", sometimes surprisingly met with "oh no, that sounded really bad, hmpf" :-/

Or simply naming the notes as I play too, I found that mega-useful when memorising the neck.

Is there more I could/should be doing with that?

 

[JTE]

If you can't sing (at least in your head) the next note of the scale BEFORE you play it, you DO NOT KNOW that scale. The reason to practice all the scales is to connect the sound with the technique.

You need to be able to play (and hear) the scale no matter which note you start with. Knowing a C major scale starting on the lowest E all the way to the highest mote on your babass and back down is how you learn (not the same as memorize) the neck. And that means hearing it as the C major scale beginning on its third, not as an E Phrygian scale.

 

[bherman]

Scales are great but arpeggios are better, i.e. the chord tones (1-3-5-7) that go with each scale. That's what we as bass players use most in our playing, not scales. Two octaves. Also 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, and 6ths. And modes. Here's my typical practice routine (not music or tunes, just fingerboard and chops).

I do all major scales (12 keys) two octaves, as a warmup. I do modes one key signature per week, two octaves, scales and arpeggios. So for example start with C, go through all modes in C (scales then arpeggios). The next week I do Db. All through the keys until back at C, then start again.

Most of my chord tone/arpeggio practice is using an old book titled "Patterns for Jazz" by Coker et al. Not only useful for jazz players (I play some) but a great way to really learn your chords. Over 300 exercises in it. I usually do anywhere from 2-4 per week, depending on how hard they are.

It takes me about 30-40 minutes each day to get through this part of my practice. I've been doing this for a long while, so it might take longer at first. Then I work on reading (Simandl or Etudes or something like that), then tunes. Lately I've been working with a great book called "The Latin Bass Book". Stuff is not hard to read, but learning the rythyms is a bitch and a lot of fun (at least for me).

 

[IamGroot]

Several pieces of excellent advice above, especially learning to sing scales +++.

Learn to play at least 2 octaves on any scale you learn. Extra points for going up to the 21st fret. Focus on where you make the string switch and where you shift position. Learn this correctly from a book or an instructor as it is a fundamental technique. Practice scales as both ascending and descending. Play scales as eight notes and as triplets. Play scales as ascending or descending group in 8th notes or triplets, going up one note each time.

There are multiple ways to finger most scales (depending on whether you use 3 or 4 finger method). Learn scales withboth open string and without. Take a peek at a Simandl book even if you don't play upright. The five fret stretch method is good for advanced players.

I was taught to learn to play each of the 7 diatonic modes going up the neck. So G maj7, Amin7 dorian, B Phrygian, etc spans 12 frets. This is an essential technique IMO if you are going up the neck playing jazz. The Maj, Dom 7, Dorian, and Minor Natural are used a lot. Lydian, Phrygian and Locrian less so.

Ditto everything said for arpeggios!

I also emphasize learning ALL 5 modes of the pentatonic scale, fingerings up the neck and where you use one mode over an another. Definitely learn the difference between minor and major pentatonic and the associated fingerings. You will probably use more pentatonic scales than diatonic.

I save the harmonic minor for last as its use is less common that the two above. I suppose I shuld know all 7 modes but I don't except for the 1, 5 (freygish) and altered dominant. Shame on me.

Don't practice more than 10 minutes on a particular scale. Move on to another scale as you don't get the any further muscle memory benefit until a short rest period occurs (say 10 minutes).

Finally, don't just practice scales, use them. Practice II V 1 and other patterns and convert scales into walking lines.

Good Luck.

 

[Kelly robinson]

If you are serious - get a good teacher to guide you . I am self taught - have been playing for far too many years to be this bad - I blame my teacher ! Oh , and a distinct lack of musical ability hasn't helped any ! LOL .... Kelly

 

[Slevage]

Many good suggestions have been mentioned.

If you want to expand your skills,
Look at the notes in standard notation-
You will be able to relate what’s on the page to where they are on the instrument.

 

[dab12ax7ef]

Another good twist on scales is working on intervals. Learning the sound of intervals is valuable. Do this by playing an open string as a drone, or a double stop of each interval. Better yet, play one note and sing the interval. If you have a freeze pedal that’s a useful tool.

You’re listening to how each interval interacts and the distinctive sound and feeling of each one.

 

[Rev J]

Even though I'm 42 years old and have been playing since about 16 I still practice my scales on a regular basis. One of the things I do is loop chords (I play a 6) and practice my scales against them to hear the relationships between scales and chords also paying attention to where the tension and release points are for each scale/chord relationship.

C/S,
Rev J

 

[Nephilymbass]

A couple of my current practice routines includes:

1. 2-octave scales, shifting on different strings.
2. Play all notes of the scale but only allowed 3 notes of the scale on each string, then shift up one note.
3. Play all major scales, following the circle of fourths, on E and A strings.

The problem I'm finding, or the worry I've got is, that I'm kinda doing this blind. Is it the patterns I should be "looking at", or the names of the notes?

Maybe the answer is "both!", but maybe there's an order I should be following, ie, note names, pattern, intervals, etc?

I have all the notes on the fret-board basically memorised. And feel like I know C major nearly inside out.

Or are there other good practice routines I could be doing? I obviously don't want to just be good at playing scales.

I've started to modify the "circle of fourths" approach, to include pentatonic, minor, and triads, etc.

Cheers,
Rob

Imo Janek Gwizdala is the master at creating practice exercises based on scales. I highly recommend checking out his lessons. He has a bunch of free stuff on his YouTube channel and if you like it I recommend his pay site and his books

I think the basic thing to understand with bass and playing scales is it’s a symmetrical instrument. So there is a lot of the same patterns that start on different notes. Also it’s good to learn the relative keys as this will put some depth and understanding behind knowing these scales. For example One example I use when trying to help people out with learning scales in person is by playing a two octave C major scale starting on the low C on the b string of a 5 string bass. From that two octave c major scale you can learn handful of other scales damn near instantly when you realize the lower octave of that c major scale is the same pattern as f major and Bb major and the higher octave of that 2 octave c major scale is the same pattern as g major and if you play a D major scale starting on the low D on a 5 string it’s also the same. Also if you can play c major and know it’s relative key is “a minor” you can instantly knock out A minor knowing the notes that are in c major. I think where people get overwhelmed with scales is when they don’t connect the dots so to speak.

 

[Sid s]

Do a [...] three octave scale on one string

You must have really long arms and a bass to match.

 

[Dabndug]

Lots of great advice here. My additional 2 cents:

When you have them down, Major scales over two octaves at various tempos are still a great warm up or dexterity exercise.

If you're into any music with harmonic complexity, understanding the melodic minor scale is extremely useful. Apart from the minor major 7 chord, the melodic minor is applicable to the various colourations of the dominant chord - such as #11, b9, #9 and alt7.

As an aside, my bass teacher insisted that I didn't have a scale down until I could have a conversation with him whilst playing the scale over two octaves. It remains a memorisation benchmark me for chord progressions and licks.

 

[popcat]

I don't always practice. But when I do, I prefer a cycle of fifths.

 

[BAG]

You're more dedicated than me. I don't do enough of that kind of practice however i do put that little practice of the scales that i do to backing tracks quite a lot to get riffs and connecting patterns working from the scales and arpeggios.

There are quite a lot of good ones on the 'net that go through all 12 keys via the circle of 4th's or 5th's. It's a good way to put it all into practice.... and then play along with songs that you know...... and don't know so well.

 

[toddbooster]

I'm 44 and I've been playing since I was 14, and I don't think I've ever practiced a scale. After two weeks of owning a bass and two lessons, I was in a band learning Led Zeppelin and CCR tunes in the drummer's living room. Soon that got boring, so I started writing my own songs. Probably they were terrible, and we almost certainly didn't sound very good, but I fell in love with playing music with people and had great motivation to get better. Now, I'm not saying be like me, practice is probably good, and maybe I could have gotten to where I am a lot faster if I had followed my lessons, but my point is start playing with others who are also starting out and learn together, have fun, and don't worry too much about being all things to everybody.

 

[Whippet]

I am not trying to be a smart arse or make fun of you guys but please, do watch this video.

 

[StatesideRambler]

When drilling with scales are you checking your right hand/left hand coordination? IOW are your fretting and plucking happening completely together? Are your shoulders relaxed or tightening up as you play? Are you checking out your dynamics? e.g. Is the loudness consistent when moving from one string to the next, both up and down the scale? These are a few things that scales help with as long as you're observant.