Advanced Bass Scales 1
If you are a Rock, Country, Southern Rock, Metal, Soft Rock, Country Rock, or Pop bass player, and you want to become proficient with your bass playing, then the information below will get you headed in the right direction. Advanced Bass Scales 1 will show you scales that you can start using right away in your playing. This info will show you the “easy to learn” scales that you can use right away, and not waste time on scales that you may never use. There’s no reason to learn a “Phrygian” scale mode if you are never going to use it? So here’s what I recommend – learn the information here in Advanced Bass Scales 1 and learn scales that you can start using right away in your playing, get proficient at these scales, then move on to more intense scale modes – if that’s the direction you want to go in – Check out our Advanced Bass Scales 2 Page.
Note: There are only a few Bass Scale video clips ready as of yet, but we are working on it. Sorry for the inconvenience – the bass scale video clips will be coming soon to advanced bass scales 1…
Let’s get started…
The main scales that you should focus on if you are a beginner or intermediate are the following:
Start with these scales – these may be all the scales you will ever need?
1. The “Minor Pentatonic” scales
2. The “Blues” scales
3. The “Major Pentatonic” scales
Minor pentatonic, blues, and Major pentatonic scales
First, let’s start with the minor pentatonic, the blues, and the Major pentatonic scales – which are pretty much the most well known and used scales. Each of these scales will have at least 5 patterns that you will need to learn. The good thing is that once you learn the “minor pentatonic” scales, then the “blues” scales and Major pentatonic scales will be a piece of cake. Why? The blues scale is exactly like the minor pentatonic scale, but with “one” extra note added. The Major pentatonic scales are exactly the same as the minor pentatonic scales, but they just start at different positions on the fret board (same scale, they just start at different frets).
The “Minor Pentatonic” Scales
Here are the 5 basic “minor pentatonic” scale positions – Each Scale will have a Video Clip attached to it. As you will soon discover, they will all fit together like a puzzle…All scales will be shown in the key of “A” unless specified. Used in Rock, Metal, Southern Rock, Pop
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Position #1 – Video Clip |
Position #2 |
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Position #3 |
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Position #4 |
Position #5 |
All the Minor Pentatonic Scales Handout!
Here is a video clip example of a Minor Pentatonic Scale over a Chord Progression – played very slowly at first so you can hear the notes over the chords.
NOTE: This Video Clip demonstrates a Guitar using a Minor Pentatonic scale over a chord progression. The “Bass Guitar” example will be available as soon as possible to advanced bass scales 1.
Minor Pentatonic Scale Over a Chord Progression – Guitar Example – Video Clip
The “Blues” Scales
Here are the 5 basic “Blues” scale positions – Each Scale will have a Video Clip attached to it. As you will soon discover, they will all fit together like a puzzle (as shown in the above diagram). All scales will be shown in the key of “A” unless specified. Used in Blues, Slow Rock, etc.
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Position #1 – Video Clip |
Position #2 |
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| Position #3 |
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Position #4 |
Position #5 |
Notice that the “Blues” scales are exactly the same as the “minor pentatonic” scales, but they have an extra note added (this is the note that adds the bluesy sound to the scales).
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| Minor Pentatonic Scale #1 | Blues Scale #1 |
Note: The added note is called a “passing note” because you really won’t land on it when soloing (it’s just a note to get you to other notes).
All the Blues Scales – Handout!
Here is a video clip example of a Blues Scale (Guitar) being played over a Chord Progression – played very slowly at first so you can hear the notes over the chords.
NOTE: This Video Clip demonstrates a Guitar using a Blues Scale over a chord progression. The “Bass Guitar” example will be available as soon as possible to advanced bass scales 1.
Blues Scale over a Chord Progression – Guitar Example – Video Clip
The “Major Pentatonic” Scales
Here are the 5 basic “Major Pentatonic” scale positions – Each Scale will have a Video Clip attached to it. As you will soon discover, they will all fit together like a puzzle…All scales will be shown in the key of “A” unless specified. Used in Country, Country Rock, Southern Rock, Rock.
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Position #1 |
Position #2 |
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Position #3 |
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Position #4 |
Position #5 |
All the Major Pentatonic Scales – Handout
Here is a video clip example of a Major Pentatonic Scale (Guitar) being played over a Chord Progression – played very slowly at first so you can hear the notes over the chords.
NOTE: This Video Clip demonstrates a Guitar using a Major Pentatonic scale over a chord progression. The “Bass Guitar” example will be available as soon as possible to advanced bass scales 1.
Major Pentatonic Scale over a Chord Progression – Guitar Example – Video Clip
Notice that the “Major Pentatonic” scales are exactly the same as the “minor pentatonic” scales, but they will start at different positions on the fret board.
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| Minor Pentatonic Scale #1 | Major Pentatonic Scale #5 |
The root notes are also different – make sure you memorize the root notes…
The “Puzzle”
In advanced bass scales 1 we keep talking about how each of the 5 scale patterns in each mode fit together like a “Puzzle” on the fret board – so I will explain the puzzle thing now. First I will play all the minor pentatonic scales down the fret board, then up the fret board (see video clips below). Then show you a diagram showing all the minor pentatonic scales on the fret board (as best as I can). This information should give you a better idea of what I mean by the “Puzzle.”
NOTE: These Video Clips are using a Guitar for the demonstration – The Bass Guitar version will be available as soon as possible to advanced bass scales 1.
All Minor Pentatonic Scales Down the Fret Board – Video Clip
All Minor Pentatonic Scales Up the Fret Board – Video Clip
| Now let’s take a look at a Diagram of the Scale “Puzzle” |
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Practice Tips for improving your playing skills – Scales.
1. Play each scale over and over, up and down the fret board and back.
2. Take your time, always get a good, clean sound from each of the notes you play.
3. Use the One / Two picking sequence consistently – don’t cheat.
4. Don’t try to play too fast – too soon, or you will develop bad habits (the notes will sound sloppy).
5. As you play a scale be aware of the root notes (all of them).
6. Once you are comfortable with a scale, start practicing by playing them over chord progressions. Bass Chord Progressions Menu Section!
7. Set aside some time each day to practice, a consistent practice plan is essential to developing your skills.
8. Improvise, try different notes over different chords, understand what notes sound best to land on, play notes in different order, etc. Be creative, use your imagination.
Experimenting and Improvisation will be the Key…
If you want to develop your playing skills, you first must be able to play each scale with ease (you must memorize all the scales). Then, you have to do a lot of jamming – whether it’s with guitarists, drummers, use recorded chord progressions or even use drum tracks.
You must memorize the sound that each scale has, which chords the scales work best over, and which notes sound best to land on, etc. You must experiment, don’t be lazy or boring. Don’t play the same notes the same way every time you Jam – experiment with different notes (understand which notes sound right, and which notes don’t sound right). You have to memorize the scales to the point where you actually start to see them on the fret board – recalling them with ease. Sounds like its pretty difficult, but actually, after a lot of practice, it will usually just come to you.
Common Mistakes made by Bassists
1. Trying to play a scale too fast, too soon. Practice a scale only as fast as you are capable of, get a good, clean sound from each note (sloppy sounding notes will get you nowhere).
2. Trying to do it all on your own – Many players waste a lot of time trying to figure things out on their own. I can assure you that a couple lessons with a good bass teacher can get you moving quickly in the right direction. It may be just what you need?
3. Understanding when your teacher just cannot help you anymore! If you are not being challenged by your bass teacher, then it’s time to move on. Don’t be timid about changing teachers, it’s your future, do what’s best for you.
4. Make it Interesting! Yes, practicing scales for hours will be boring, but will eventually be very beneficial to your development. But you also have to try to keep it fun. So learn some songs that are interesting for you to play, that make you feel good. You have to create a balance between hard core practicing and playing some songs that are interesting (fun).
5. Playing with other Musicians, use Chord Progressions, or Drum Tracks – Don’t put a time frame on this, play with other musicians as much as possible (whenever you can, and wherever you can). It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes when you are jamming, as long as you are fixing the mistakes. Jamming with others will not only show you how and where you are progressing as a bassist – it will also help to point out your “flaws” and what you need to work on.
Do it now, don’t make excuses, find someone to play with…or Jam to Bass Chord Progressions! Or try Jamming with the Drum Tracks!
6. What on earth are you playing? One of the hardest things a bassist can do is to be honest about their playing. What I mean by this is that you really need to “listen” to what you are playing. Sometimes you will see bassists playing along with songs, and they are so loud, you can’t even tell if they are playing the song correctly (and most likely they aren’t playing the song correctly). Are you in tune? Are you playing the scale correctly? Do the notes sound sloppy? All things to listen for when you are playing (and practicing). Be a good listener, and be honest about your playing – and most of all, slow down if you need to.
Hopefully this Advanced Bass Scales 1 page has given you some insight on scales. Again, I cannot stress enough that there is really no other way to become highly skilled at playing scales other than lots of practice. The more time you put into it, the more you will get out of it. Lots of repetition and hard work is the only way!
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