scales...

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Benjamin

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Hey all.

For the majority of the time I've been playing bass, I've played with a band. I started because of my first bands request of a bassplayer, and since, I've been with different bands, and playing songs already written.
When I got my first warwick right before christmas, I actually started playing a lot more. I play and play everyday now. And althou I'm still in cover bands, I'm challenging the other band members to start writing our own stuff. And therefore, It would be a good thing to know scales, wouldn't it?
Anyone got a link where I can find different scales (prefferably in tablature, I can't interpret notes :P ) on the internet? A bass book I should buy?

Thanks!
 
I started thinking when I read the Slap and pop posts on these forums.
I can do my slap technique quite well. I play Rio Funk f. ex. but I don't know the G Major scale..
 
elpelotero said:
https://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=385805

practice with a metronome!
Click to expand...

but dont become relient on one. Its very important to internalize good timing with out the metronome.
 
Michael J said:
elpelotero said:
https://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=385805

practice with a metronome!
Click to expand...

but dont become relient on one. Its very important to internalize good timing with out the metronome.
Click to expand...

+1 to both of you guys.
 
Hey Benjamin. A very important thing is to keep the right position for the left hand when you are playing. That way you will learn much faster enerything, and you will able to play anything more accurate.
- fingers curled
- press the strings with your fingertips
- the palm parrallel to the frettboard
- fingers close to the fingerboard
 
Florin said:
Hey Benjamin. A very important thing is to keep the right position for the left hand when you are playing. That way you will learn much faster enerything, and you will able to play anything more accurate.
- fingers curled
- press the strings with your fingertips
- the palm parrallel to the frettboard
- fingers close to the fingerboard
Click to expand...

+1 million! Proper position is one of the greatest things I developed!

Make sure your not squeezing with your thumb too...
 
Yea, I wathec a lot of great bass players early and figured all that, my only problem may be that I squeeze my thumb sometimes. But my hand has the right position ;)
Thanks guys.
 
Benjamin said:
Yea, I wathec a lot of great bass players early and figured all that, my only problem may be that I squeeze my thumb sometimes. But my hand has the right position ;)
Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Heres a great exercise for not sqeezing (and you can do it in front of the tv or somthing!)

Place all of your fingers down on the G string, with pointer finger on the 9th fret, middle on 10th, ring on 11th and pinky on 12th. now keep your fingers all down on the strings and move your thumb off the back of the fretboard. Now pluck the g string and let it ring for four beats. After four beats, lift your pinky off, but keep it as close to the string as possible. Then do the same with your ring, and middle until you get to you pointer finger. do the same with your pointer finger, and than after giving your pointer finger its four beats stretch your pointer to fret 7, while trying to keep your other fingers in place, than repeat until your back at your pinky. Make sure all your fingers are depressed down so they build strength and keep your thumb off the back off the neck! Once your fingers start getting stronger, move to new strings and down the fret board to say frets 1-5.

To clarify, if your on your pinky finger, all your fingers should be held down. if your on your ring finger, your pinky should be hovering but all the rest of your fingers should be depressed on their frets and so on.

Alot time when im playing walking basslines in school i will try to keep my thumb off, ill try to do the same while practicing scales and such. After a short while you'll notice your fingers getting much stronger and your thumb becoming... well pretty much useless.
 
I can't agree more with the importance of good hand position. It has so much to do with efficiency, and in essence, what your hands can be capable of and how long in a lifetime they will last you as a musician.

Musicians use their hands in ways that a bricklayer certainly wouldn't, yet the demands made on a musician's hands exceed those of a bricklayer.

Playing relaxed, or overcoming the habit of 'death grip' can be a challenge, as the adrenaline we get from the joy of playing music causes this natural response. Learning to minimize the force necessary to stop strings requires a delicate balance of finger and thumb pressure. Too much of either wastes energy and eventually produces fatigue. Finger pressure alone uses the muscles of the arm in a different way than when the opposing grip is used.

The fingers flex and extend because of the muscles in the arm that control the flexor and extensor tendons. Strengthening our fingers by and large is really strengthening these muscles. Tiny muscles in the hand (abductors and adductors) enable us to spread and group our fingers so as to span frets and such. Even smaller muscles (lumbricles) allow us to fine tune these motions, like when we control the finger height over a string just released.

Tendons pass through sheaths in the wrist (synovia) to control the fingers. Playing with a straight wrist minimizes wear and tear on the synovia, and the surface of the tendons themselves. This too is a consideration of hand position.

It's a lot to ask of one's hands even to play a major scale. Without efficiency, balance, and economy of motion, just think what a four-hour gig can do to your hands.

FWIW,

Omar
 
Bass Books

If you want a run down of what books are available to learn Music Theory, check out my book reviews at:
 
I think you at least should know every major and minor scale, the most common chords and what chords that most often is used within each scale. This is quite simple as soon as you have understood "the system" and a great help both when you play cover tunes and selfwritten tunes. Why don't you contact a bass teacher to get a few lessons? It may be much easier to understand how to apply the music teory in your bass playing when a bass teacher can show and learn you some examples. Good luck! (...andsorry about my bad english :) )
 
is a nice link for Bass Scales.

page has a nice 'scale calculator' that will show you the position of all the notes in the scale along the entire fretboard. The home page has a good bit of other info as well.

As others have said, it may be worth the few extra coin to have someone give you lessons on theory to go along with just learning the scales.

I knew the vast majority of scales over 15 years of playing before I ever had my first theory lesson, and I've kicked myself in the butt ever since. Tthe lessons really opened my eyes to how all the notes and scale patterns relate to each other. Once you do, transcribing a song becomes so much easier, as you almost know what you can expect. Of course it opens doors to writing as well...while you're guitar player is plodding along on the root note you'll be able to know what sounds good with that root note and be able to give the music more mood, more depth.

Anyways...don't be embarrased to walk into a music store and talk with the instructors. I was, but I knew I had hit a rut after so long and needed to improve, so I did...then found my teacher was still taking lessons, his teacher was too, and the teachers teacher was taking some courses at Berklee. Always room to grow.
 
Word. ALWAYS. And experiencing performances by the great players out there can serve as a lesson as well. Every time I watch Jonas Hellborg play, it's like having my own ass handed to me with a little note on it: "NOW GO PRACTICE."

WhiteKnuckles said:
Anyways...don't be embarrased to walk into a music store and talk with the instructors. I was, but I knew I had hit a rut after so long and needed to improve, so I did...then found my teacher was still taking lessons, his teacher was too, and the teachers teacher was taking some courses at Berklee. Always room to grow.
Click to expand...
 
Benjamin said:
......... I'm challenging the other band members to
start writing our own stuff. And therefore, It would be a good thing to
know scales, wouldn't it?

Anyone got a link where I can find different scales (prefferably in
tablature, I can't interpret notes :P .........
Click to expand...
`

Music has something in common with literature: If you can't read, you
can't write. I can barely read, and thus I make no attempt to write. I
have heard numerous performances of originals "written" by illiterates,
and it definitely tells. Reading and writing go together. Don't add to the
layer of metamusical sludge already "written" by nonreaders. Read first,
write later. You're only 15. It's the easiest and best time to learn.

I mean, sh*t, if you can read Norwegian ... you could read music !!!!

`
 
sethsbase said:
Word. ALWAYS. And experiencing performances by the great players out there can serve as a lesson as well. Every time I watch Jonas Hellborg play, it's like having my own a** handed to me with a little note on it: "NOW GO PRACTICE."
Click to expand...
[/quote] I get that alot... But it's a great incentive to practice! Due to a bit more spare time lately, I've started working through Jaco's "Modern Bass"; a couple hours a day really helps! It has some brilliant exercises with scales and arpeggios, albeit hard to do at Jaco's speed...
 
have never played a musical instrument,

Hey, I'm 35 years old and have never played a musical instrument, but I'm ready to learn. I want to play mainly guitar. What's the best way to learn how to play guitar DVD or lesson? I prefer a DVD, Can anyone recommend one? I just recently got an Ovation Guitar and I want to learn to play. I have a little confusion about this lesson. I need your opinion. Thank you in advance.
 
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