The series is available in two levels for violin, viola, cello, bass, and piano accompaniment. Reviewed in the united states on february 18, 2002. Nov 22, 2011 with both the major bass guitar scale and the minor bass guitar scale tabbed out for you to make it easy to learn. Scales for strings is to be used as supplementary material for any string class method or as interesting training material for the development of a string orchestra. Great scale practice tips for bass guitar study book of scales talkingbassmark 20171106t16. Press the middle finger of your left hand down on the root of the chord on the e or a string and play the note. Following are three books we especially suggest you consider. Most scales can be played in more than two positions, so that i would suggest to find all possible roots and play the same fingering. Start your free scottsbasslessons academy trial here. Please use the studybass study guide to navigate the lessons. The collection of material of this book is, in our opinion, the basics to playing bass guitar for some event. This book provides the pentatonic scale fingerings, diagrams, lessons and licks that every guitarist needs to know. How to play the major pentatonic scale on bass guitar. Learning scales and modes and being able to identify their sounds will give you a better command of the fretboard.
Practice the scale until you can play it continuously and fluently. Parts of the bass a bass is made up of three main sections. Learning your triads on bass will help you move beyond the root. The bass scales chart below shows three common bass scales pentatonic minor, blues and major as patterns on a fretboard. A beautiful photo of a fourstring electric bass is labeled with string numbers, open string names. Scales and arpeggios by jp dias gustavo lopez segura. Just hover your mouse over bass lessons in the top menu for all of the subsections. Bass guitar scale manual paperback january 1, 1992. You get seven scales for the price of one, among which ar. Diatonic chords of the major scale bass lesson block.
Pentatonics on electric bass ebookpdf version pentatonics on electric bass was written to provide a focused and musically satisfying approach for electric bassists to learn the major and minor pentatonic scales in all 12 keys. The lessons contain diatonic, modal, pentatonic, whole tone, and diminished scales as well as modes of both the harmonic and melodic minor scales, eastern, middle eastern, and other exotic scales of jimmys own invention. Mark smith and subscribe to receive the free scale reference manual. It is designed to help the bass player acquaint himself with using the scales as tools to expand his musical dimension. If you are not familiar with these terms, dont fear. Unfortunately, hes never really taken notice of musical terms, notes, scripts, etc, so the score line is a bit difficult for him to interpret, often asking me what different characters mean. This creates a great deal of tension which usually resolves when the dominant moves to the tonic chord. Bunny brunels xtreme bass and power bass books illustrate using modes, scales and chords and linking them together for fluid bass lines and solos all over the fretboard. The hungarian minor is also the fourth mode of the double harmonic scale. However, as he said, he wanted the book for the scales, not the score.
It has all the different varieties of way the scales are played. Pickups are also mounted to the body and work like little microphones that pick up the sound from the strings. That being said, it should be quite obvious that the two go hand in hand. The major 2nd and minor 3rd of the hungarian minor provide a. Scales are one of the foundations of good playing and essential scales for. Your understanding of harmony theory will always be linked to these 7 basic chords. Fretboard navigation method for 5string bass low b based on an instrument specific modification of the caged guitar method, using octave shapes rather than open position chord shapes for ease and simplicity of use. This is a chromatic note that leads into the 5th from the 4th and creates a nice bit of tension and release. The half whole diminished scale is one of the most commonly used scales in jazz soloing. The gig bag book of bass scales plastic comb 14 april 1997 by mark bridges author visit amazons mark bridges page. This book is a fast and fun way to learn how to use scales and modes. The construction of each scale and mode is covered in detail and the reader is encouraged to learn the content of the scale rather than the prescribed fretboard patterns found in other books.
Pentatonic, of course is the shortened scales eliminating the offsounding scale notes we sometimes have problems with. Im tired of making music tabs so i thought id perhaps share with you guys some music theory. So, you can practice scales by changing the order that you play the notes, or playing the notes in different combinations. Heres an article i wrote back in the day about why learning songs makes more sense for the bass guitar than the rote learning of scales. The book starts with the basic major scales, then delves into the modes lydian, phrygian, etc. See all 3 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Isbn 18973111 this electronic edition, isbn 18973111, may be copied and distributed without prior written permission of the publisher provided that this edition is not altered in any way, shape, or form, and that it is distributed for free. Despite this modal relationship, the double harmonic scale tends to exude a more middle eastern flavour due to the distinctive minor 2nd scale degree.
The pentatonic minor is one of the most commonlyused scales in rock and pop music. Awesome bass books to transform you into a bass ninja. The purpose of this book is to help beginner bassist to find the easiest way to play scales, triads and arpeggios. In every major key there are 7 basic chords around which most songs revolve. In each key the basic iivv7 chord progression is shown in four different. Oneoctave major pentatonic scale bass scales studybass. The blues scale is a popular variation of the minor pentatonic and contains just one extra note an augmented 4th also called a diminished 5th. Further information on playing the pentatonic minor scale on bass including additional tabs and patterns can be found on this page. Personally ive used the jamie abersold books and the improvisors bass method both of which have a much wider range and better explanation of scales, but. Pay attention, burn through this as fast as you can, and you. Still a very good book with a massive variety of scales.
Containing a huge amount of bass guitar information, this book gives you the tools you need to master the fretboard. Jun 06, 2012 pentatonics on electric bass ebookpdf version pentatonics on electric bass was written to provide a focused and musically satisfying approach for electric bassists to learn the major and minor pentatonic scales in all 12 keys. Scales are one of the foundations of good playing and essential scales for electric bass is a quick and simple guide for music students of all levels, specifically tackling this important topic. Four different scale and chordal arpeggio forms are shown for each major, minor, and dominant seventh chord. Why learning songs makes more sense than practicing scales. The best books for a bassist to read and learn from.
For example, the minor pentatonic scale is shown in five different positions, plus an example of how the minor pentatonic is used is shown in examples from stanley clarke and billy sheehan. This week im looking at two of my favourite bass guitar books. Bass lessons this section contains all of the online bass lessons on. Scales and chords for the upright bass desert bluegrass. Nov 12, 2016 you cant go wrong by learning the ecclesiastical modes. The book i mentioned, scales and modes by hall and manus does have the scales in many positions. Diatonic chords of the major scale studybass fundamentals. Gear bass guitar shop, recommended bass guitars and amps, bass books and more. Memorizing just a few scale shapes will give you the ability to write bass lines, improvise and understand music in a totally different way.
Since bass is a harmony instrument, the better you know these essential chords, the better you will play bass. Best bookmethod to learn scales and modes and whatnot. This scale is very versatile, is easy to play on the bass, and contains a very pleasingtohear group of. Scotts top 15 books for bass players scotts bass lessons. For this lesson, ill be explaining the pattern for a music scale. The main goal of this book is to introduce, reinforce, and provide musical applications of the major and minor.
In diatonic world, however, practical means following the rules of note naming in bookwall chart. In youre unfamiliar with that term it may sound daunting, but theyre actually all the same scale just starting on different notes. Sep 24, 2017 the most important tip for memorizing and playing bass scales is to always use the correct fingers when playing scales. The importance of not playing anything spacesilence.
As you already know, a scale is a selection of notes within an octave. Followed by extending scales over two octaves, and then two octave arpeggios. All of the other parts of the bass are mounted on these three sections. This book will give bassists insight into many of the scales used in jazz. Scroll down to download a printable pdf version of the chart, with no login or signup required. All scales, chords and arpeggios are presented in diagram form.
You cant go wrong by learning the ecclesiastical modes. Strings are vertical while imaginary frets are shown horizontally. Learn the major scale and see why this scale is the building block for all scales in major keys. Use it to compose riffs and bass lines and also to improvise bass solos. In this lesson we discuss the creation of a walking blues bass line and how to utilize the low b string to. The first section describes the scale or mode, lists the chords it works well with, musical styles it is most commonly used with. The main goal of this book is to introduce, reinforce, and provide musical applications of the major and minor pentatonic scale from an electric bassists perspective. They show the scales as played on a 4 string bass with standard tuning. Pentatonics on electric bass was written to provide a focused and musically satisfying approach for electric bassists to learn the major and minor pentatonic scales in all 12 keys. So, we can use scales to open up our ears, we can use scales to learn the fingerboard of the bass better, and we can use scales to hear harmony and music in different ways.
Take a look at the structure of the major pentatonic scale. Encyclopedia of bass chords, arpeggios and scales book. Press your pinkie down on the same string and play the note. The melodic bass library scales and modes for the bass guitar an indispensable book on scales and modes for the bass guitarist. Most people who start playing the bass guitar do so for one or both of the following reasons.
Bass guitar total scales techniques and arpeggios mark john sternal. Each scale is presented with standard notation, tablature, and fingering patterns forboth one octave and two octaves. Bass lessons major scale lesson bass tab im tired of making music tabs so i thought id perhaps share with you guys some music theory. By learning any one of the following movable pentatonic scale bass patterns, youll be able to play the scale with any tonic note by moving the pattern to the desired position on the fretboard. Encyclopedia of bass chords, arpeggios and scales book mel bay publications, inc. For example, the minor pentatonic scale is shown in five different positions, plus an example of how the minor pentatonic is used is shown in. This bass scales chart gives you the basic shapes and box patterns to start with to begin playing and learning scales and their degrees. When you take the time to memorize bass scales, it gives you more tools in your musical arsenal when you create music by yourself or with other musicians. Books on bass guitar scales you can find plenty of bass guitar scale pdfs on the internet, and a good book on the subject will have bass guitar scale charts to study. This book is excellent in that it takes you by the hand, explains whats going on, why and how and then gives you step by step excises to complete as you go along. Bass guitar scales major and minor bass scales youtube.
Scales and chords for the upright bass the following keys should be learned in the order presented. Neck diagram with pitches neck diagram with scale degrees. Bass scales chart a free printable bass guitar scales. However obvious it may be, guitarists tend to overlook both the importance of practicing scales and the importance of practicing scale application. He totally understands the tabs, i just have to keep helping every so often if there are questions about timing, etc. The first section describes the scale or mode, lists the chords it works well with. The bridge is the assembly that anchors the strings to the body. All the examples are written in the key of c in order to make easer the scale comparison.
Its main function is to add alterations to dominant 7 chords. There are different kinds of scales major, minor, etc. Hes really good, but wanted to learn new scales to broaden his knowledge. Mel bay presents the most commonly used scales and modes with fretboard diagrams for fourstring bass. Free guitar scales ebook scale and arpeggio patterns pdf. The tonic note of a scale is the first note of the scale, and the note in the scale s name, i. Prime members enjoy free twoday delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, tv shows, original audio series, and kindle books. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1. I bought this book for my partner, who is a selftaught bass player. Scales are also shown in one octave in notation and tab starting on c. Learn how to play the c minor pentatonic scale on bass guitar with our free tab, sheet music, neck diagrams, and more. When playing these scale shapes, the notes and frets youre playing will change but the fingers you use will remain constant, so the easiest way to memorize these scales is to make sure youre using the correct fingers.
Apr 01, 2014 this book is a complete reference manual featuring all of the scales, modes and arpeggios used by the modern bass guitarist. Great scale practice tips for bass guitar study book of. Major scales and arpeggios scarsdale public schools. For when you have to learn to play the bass right now.
Nov 24, 2015 the half whole diminished scale is one of the most commonly used scales in jazz soloing. Encyclopedia of bass chords, arpeggios and scales book mel. Bass scale wall chart wall chart mel bay publications, inc. The scales are easy to read if you use tab or read music. Symmetric scales are different animals than diatonic ones, so the diatonic rules of scale naming do not apply. Slap it funk studies for the electric bass by tony oppenheim should be on every bass players book shelf. Major and minor bass guitar scales bass books and music.
Bass tablature for pentatonic scales by bass lessons. Mel bay this is a very valuable study and reference book for the bass player. The suggested fingering for the scale is to the left of the diagram. A beautiful photo of a fourstring electric bass is labeled with string numbers, open string names, and the fret location of all the natural notes on the fretbo. Microsoft word the study book of scales for bass guitar.