Introduction My purpose for writing t his book is to include everyt everythin hing g I have learne learned d about abou t musi m usic c in the last 30 years.I years.I was a guitar player player or iginally igi nally and swi tched tch ed to bass after after a spinal chor d nerve injury inj ury t hat left permanent permanent nerve damage damage in my m y entir e right arm.I was was fortun for tun ate enou enough gh to still sti ll be able able to use my ind ex and and middle fin gers to pluck with .My bass in fluences fluences are Billy Sheehan,Geezer Butler,Randy Coven,Dave Larue,Beaver Larue,Beaver Felton,S Felto n,Stu tuart art Hamm Hamm,Ja ,Jaco co Pasto Pastorio rious,Bob us,Bob Daisley,Ale Daisley,Alex x Webster,C ebster,Cliff lif f Burt Bu rton on,Adam ,Adam Nit Nitti ti,S ,Steve teve Harr Harris is,G ,Geddy eddy Lee,Les Lee,Les Claypool,Da Claypoo l,David vid Ellefson,Duff Ellefso n,Duff McKagan and and Rex Brow n.A lot of my bass lines li nes and and p atterns atterns are adapted adapted from guitar licks as well as other instrum ents.I do no t believe believe in put ting limitations on playing and believe believe that as lon g as we enjo enjoy y what wh at we are are playing,that is all that matters. matters.II hope this b ook w ill b e useful useful to o thers and that p eople lea learn from fro m it.I i t.I also believe that that w e shou ld li sten to and learn learn the t he music we w e like. If you hate jazz jazz and count co untry,don' ry,don' t waste time listening t o or learni learning ng it. i t. I have seen seen a lot of beginni ng mu sicia sici ans get discouraged discouraged and quit from b eing f orced to learn learn stuff stu ff t hey did no t like. li ke.II have have alw alwa ays lo ved all all genre g enres s of Hard Hard Rock and Heavy Heavy Metal Metal as well as fi lm sco s cores res and Classic Classical. al.To To this day that is all I list en to and
learn! learn! Another Anot her thing thin g to remember remember also is that a note not e is a note. If you h ear a 'G' note on a viol in y ou c an pi ck up yo ur b ass and and f ind a 'G' 'G' note. no te.II am am saying t his because because one should n ot be limit ed to what he or sh e learns learns based on there chosen cho sen instrument.I instr ument.I still sti ll stu dy Paganini Paganini Caprices and and transfe transf er certain p arts to my bass just for fu n.I pick out different different inst ruments in symphon symp honies ies and lea l earn rn there parts.Ye parts.Yes,sometimes some of the stuff is near near impo ssible to transfer transfer to bass,but bass,but there is also a lot of music that fits very very w ell on b ass. It It is u p to us to find n ew and inventive techniq ues to make it h appen.R appen.Re emember,playing member,playing any instr ument is s uppos ed to be fun and enjoyable. enjoyable.IIf yo u get discour disc oura aged,put it d own and w alk away.I away.I promise,it pro mise,it will still sti ll be b e there when you g et back.H back.Have ave fun and enjoy.
The first section of this b ook will focus o n learning learning scales scales all o ver the neck.I have includ inc luded; ed;
Major
Melodic Minor
Harmonic Minor
Harmo Harmonic nic Major
Hungarian Mino Minorr
Hungarian Major Major
Neapolitan Neapolitan Minor
Neapoli Neapoli tan Majo Majorr
Enigmatic Minor Enigmatic
Persian
Major Pentaton Pentatonic ic
Minor ino r Pentatoni Pentatoni c
Kumoi
Hirajoshi
Whole Tone
Au g m ent en t ed
Pelog
Diminished
8 Ton Tone e Spanis Spanish h
Now,sca ow ,scales les are are scales scales no matter whi ch way w ay you sl ice it.There it.There are are hund reds of scale books out there and and they all con tain the th e same same thing.I thin g.I learned learned all of my scales from the famous Guitar uit ar Grim Grimoir oire e Se Series and develop developed ed my own patterns to pr actice cti ce from fro m that. Lets start start of f by j umping right in and lea learning some scales! I want to p oint o ut th at I am am a " 2" finger player player and play almo almost st everyt everythin hing g alternating alternating my mid dle and and index ind ex finger or in dex and and mi ddle. ddl e.W Whatever hatever works work s best for you! The first firs t 7 exampl exampl es are are the C Major Major s cale and and the th e modes mod es that are derived.
The notes in the C majo majorr sc ale are C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C Now,if we were to pl ay th e exact exact same notes but starting startin g and finish fin ishing ing on o n a note rather rather than C, we would then have have what what is i s called called a " mode" for example xample if w e played D-ED-E-FF-G-AG-A-B-C-D B-C-D w e wou ld have a D
Dorian scale. s cale. Let's look l ook at a C major sc ale first. firs t.
Now,if Now,if w e start o n th e second second note not e of the C Major Major sca sc ale we have the D Dori an scale sc ale..
Now,to Now,to g et familiar wit h th e enti entire re fretboard I have written wri tten out all poss ible ibl e positi pos itions ons on o n the C Major scale.
C Ion Ionian ian
D Dor Dorian ian
E Phryg Phrygian ian
F Lydian
G Mixo Mixolydi lydia an
A Aeo l i an
B Locrian
Af t er t h e 12th 12t h f r et w e wo w o u l d s t art ar t o ver j u s t o n e oc o c t ave higher.
Af t er t h at l ast as t exam ex amp p l e,we e,w e ru r u n o u t o f r o o m ! Th T h at
should give you a good start on learning learning your w ay around the neck. Now t here is no n o us e in lea l earni rning ng scale s cales s and arpeggios unless we start to create create something mu sical with them.I fou nd o ver the years years t hat develop develop ing exercises with di fferent fferent intervals intervals and and posit ions wi ll start to bring out new music al ide id eas. How abou aboutt practic ing the alrea already dy mentioned menti oned scales but combining different different positions! I have have ascended ascended in the 1st 1st posi p ositio tion n th en descended descended in the 2nd 2nd po sition sit ion.P .Practici racticing ng these t hese type typ e of exerci exercises ses will definitely definitely get you around the fretboard fretboard fro m the beginning.
How about ascending ascending with 2nd p ositio n and descending descending wit h th e 3rd? 3rd?
As c end en d i n g 3rd 3r d t h en d esc es c end en d i n g 4th 4t h .
Take Take it up u p 1 octave!
Groups of '4'
This is a fun exerci exercise se that I saw saw may years years ago and was usually played played on th e guitar.I gui tar.I figu red why not t ry and adapt adapt i t for fo r the t he bass?It is a '6' note pattern pattern ascendi ascending ng w ith the C major major scale. scale.
The next next exampl examples es are are going goi ng to be the Major Major scales
writ wr itten ten out in every key.Sin key.Since ce I have alr alrea eady dy covered c overed the key of C, I am go ing to m ove on to t o the th e key key of G and go f rom there.I there.I have have alw alwa ays li ked to w ork any scale or exercise xercise using the circle of f ifths.
Working w ith the circle of fith s helps to break break up t he monot ony a bit and pushes us to play in keys we normally woul d not.Working not.Working clockw ise the order would be;C-G-D-A-E-B-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb-Bb-F.If we work count er-clockwise it would be reverse;F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-B-E-A-D-G-C. Either way is fine and and it is up t o you! With that being being s aid,I am goin g to work throug h the major scales clockw ise.Our ise.Our first after after the th e key of C will wi ll be G. G Ion Ionian ian
A Dor Do r i an
B Phry Phrygian gian
C Lydian
D Mixol Mixol ydian
E Aeol Aeolian ian
F# Locrian Loc rian
Notice for the last scale I had to u se the 1st 1st o ctave for the pattern pattern!! Did you also notic no tice e that in th e key key of G there there is an F# now included?
The next next key wi ll be b e D. D. D Ion Ionian ian
E Dor Dorian ian
F# Phrygian Phryg ian
G Lydian
A Mix Mi x o l ydi yd i an
B Aeolian
C# Locrian Loc rian
That covers t he D Majo Majorr scale sc ale and its it s modes.I mo des.In n th e key of D Major Major w e now have h ave the th e F# F# note not e as well as th e C# note. no te.
Before me move on to the next key,lets key,lets take some of the th e patterns pattern s we have learn learned ed and and deve d evelo lope pe some som e
exerci exercises ses and and l icks. icks . Repea Repeatin ting g lick l ick in D Ma Major Remember Remember to st art slow s low ly and alternate alternate your i ndex and middl e fingers fin gers throug thr oughou hout.R t.Repe epea ating tin g exercises exercises are designed to b uild uil d stamina and and accura accur acy!
G Major run
Here Here is a lick lic k fro m one of my tu nes 'Dino 'Dinosaur saur Island'i Island'i t is all 16th 16th n otes and in the key of G major major..
G Major Major arpeggio li ck
