ShredEternal
05-13-2004, 02:12 PM
This will help any bass player with both technique and theory.
First lets do some finger exercise. Remember to stretch as much as possible, spread your fingers apart using your thunb and index from your other hand; stretch your wrist by pulling on your fingers back toward you, do it with both wrists pulling so your fingers point up then so they point down; massage all your muscles from your shoulders to finger tips. Do not crack your knuckles or any other joint for that matter because we are trying to get stronger, agile and enduring playing muscles. After you have stretched up good, hear ar some chromatic exercises.
Fingers:
i-index
m-middle
r-ring
G|-------------------------1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-------------------------|
D|-----------------1-2-3-4-----------------5-4-3-2-----------------|
A|---------1-2-3-4---------------------------------5-4-3-2---------|
E|-1-2-3-4-------------------------------------------------5-4-3-2-|
FG:i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m etc.
G|-------------------1-2-3-4-3-2-------------------|
D|-------------1-2-3-------------4-3-2-------------|
A|-------1-2-3-------------------------4-3-2-------|
E|-1-2-3-------------------------------------4-3-2-|
FG:i m r i m r i m r i m r i m r i m r i m r i m r etc.
G|----4-1-------2-3----|
D|---3---2-----3---4---|
A|--2-----3---4-----5--|
E|-1-------4-5-------6-|
FG:imim imim imim imim etc.
Okay, now practice these going up the neck as far as it goes (using the whole neck is vital to understand it) and back down again, all the exercises at least twice each. Don't worry so much about speed, you should really just get all the notes clean and steady, this is very important to your technique.
Next we get into Diatonic scales, or modes. The bass is a bit easier to understand theoretically but staying in key is much more important on bass.
First I will show you the Major scale, or Ionian.
A major scale:
G|------------------
D|-----------4-6-7-
A|-----4-5-7-------
E|-5-7-------------
IN:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
The A major scale is built like this:
1: A
2: B
3: C#
4: D
5: E
6: F#
7: G#
The notes are broken up into intervals, 1 being the root, 2 the second, 3 the third, etc. So by remembering what note is what interval and studying the patterns in the next section you will be able to play in any key any where on the neck!
Here are all 7 patterns of the major scale in A 3 notes per string:
1:-Ionian-A------------------2:-Dorian-B-----------------
G|-------------------4-7-9-|--------------------7-9-11-|
D|-------------4-7-9-------|--------------7-9-11-------|
A|-------5-7-9-------------|-------7-9-11--------------|
E|-5-7-9-------------------|-7-9-10--------------------|
3:-Phrygian-C#----------------------4:-Lydian-D--------------------------
G|-------------------------9-11-13-|----------------------------11-13-14
D|-----------------9-11-12---------|-------------------11-12-14---------
A|---------9-11-12-----------------|----------11-12-14------------------
E|-9-10-12-------------------------|-10-12-14---------------------------
5:-Mixolydian-E--------------------------
G|----------------------------13-14-16-|
D|-------------------12-14-16----------|
A|----------12-14-16-------------------|
E|-12-14-16----------------------------|
6:-Aeolian-F#-(relative minor)------------
G|----------------------------14-16-18-|
D|-------------------14-16-18----------|
A|----------14-16-17-------------------|
E|-14-16-17----------------------------|
7:-Locrian-G#------------------------------
G|------------------------------16-18-19-|
D|---------------------16-18-19----------|
A|-----------16-17-19--------------------|
E|-16-17-19------------------------------|
When a song is in a new key, say C minor, the root scale would be C Aeolian because that is the relative minor of the Eb Ionian. Lost? Well I've shown how a major scale works, now a minor scale is the same basic principal just different pattern.
Alright finally, learning to do legit basslines under a composition. Here are some basic chord progressions and each have two possible basslines, one that stays right with the roots and one that adds lines to build melody:
In C major:
---C----------------G---------------Dm--------------Am------B/G-----
1:
G|------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-3---3---3---3--------------------5---5---5---5------------2---2--|
E|------------------3---3---3---3--------------------5---5----------|
2:
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---2-------2---5------------------------3---7-------------------5---|
A|-3---3---3---5-----2-3-5---2-3-2-5---5---5---5-3---7-----2-5--------|
E|-----------------3-------3-------------------------5---5------------|
G 8 bar blues
---G7---------C7---------G7--------D7----------C7---------G7---------
1:
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------------3--3-3--3-------------5--5-5--5--3--3-3--3---------------|
E|-3--3-3--3-------------3--3-3--3-------------------------3--3-3--3---|
2:
G|-------------------------------------5-----------5------------------|
D|--------------3-5----------------------7-----------7--------5-4-3---|
A|----3-5----3-------3-----5-3-----5--------5--3-------3--3---3-3-3---|
E|-3-------3------------3--------3------------------------------------|
All right, here it is a bass lesson. Remember practice is the only thing that makes one player better than the next, not only how much you practice but also what you practice, so keep on pushing open your musical box until you can freely break out of that sucker!
First lets do some finger exercise. Remember to stretch as much as possible, spread your fingers apart using your thunb and index from your other hand; stretch your wrist by pulling on your fingers back toward you, do it with both wrists pulling so your fingers point up then so they point down; massage all your muscles from your shoulders to finger tips. Do not crack your knuckles or any other joint for that matter because we are trying to get stronger, agile and enduring playing muscles. After you have stretched up good, hear ar some chromatic exercises.
Fingers:
i-index
m-middle
r-ring
G|-------------------------1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-------------------------|
D|-----------------1-2-3-4-----------------5-4-3-2-----------------|
A|---------1-2-3-4---------------------------------5-4-3-2---------|
E|-1-2-3-4-------------------------------------------------5-4-3-2-|
FG:i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m i m etc.
G|-------------------1-2-3-4-3-2-------------------|
D|-------------1-2-3-------------4-3-2-------------|
A|-------1-2-3-------------------------4-3-2-------|
E|-1-2-3-------------------------------------4-3-2-|
FG:i m r i m r i m r i m r i m r i m r i m r i m r etc.
G|----4-1-------2-3----|
D|---3---2-----3---4---|
A|--2-----3---4-----5--|
E|-1-------4-5-------6-|
FG:imim imim imim imim etc.
Okay, now practice these going up the neck as far as it goes (using the whole neck is vital to understand it) and back down again, all the exercises at least twice each. Don't worry so much about speed, you should really just get all the notes clean and steady, this is very important to your technique.
Next we get into Diatonic scales, or modes. The bass is a bit easier to understand theoretically but staying in key is much more important on bass.
First I will show you the Major scale, or Ionian.
A major scale:
G|------------------
D|-----------4-6-7-
A|-----4-5-7-------
E|-5-7-------------
IN:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
The A major scale is built like this:
1: A
2: B
3: C#
4: D
5: E
6: F#
7: G#
The notes are broken up into intervals, 1 being the root, 2 the second, 3 the third, etc. So by remembering what note is what interval and studying the patterns in the next section you will be able to play in any key any where on the neck!
Here are all 7 patterns of the major scale in A 3 notes per string:
1:-Ionian-A------------------2:-Dorian-B-----------------
G|-------------------4-7-9-|--------------------7-9-11-|
D|-------------4-7-9-------|--------------7-9-11-------|
A|-------5-7-9-------------|-------7-9-11--------------|
E|-5-7-9-------------------|-7-9-10--------------------|
3:-Phrygian-C#----------------------4:-Lydian-D--------------------------
G|-------------------------9-11-13-|----------------------------11-13-14
D|-----------------9-11-12---------|-------------------11-12-14---------
A|---------9-11-12-----------------|----------11-12-14------------------
E|-9-10-12-------------------------|-10-12-14---------------------------
5:-Mixolydian-E--------------------------
G|----------------------------13-14-16-|
D|-------------------12-14-16----------|
A|----------12-14-16-------------------|
E|-12-14-16----------------------------|
6:-Aeolian-F#-(relative minor)------------
G|----------------------------14-16-18-|
D|-------------------14-16-18----------|
A|----------14-16-17-------------------|
E|-14-16-17----------------------------|
7:-Locrian-G#------------------------------
G|------------------------------16-18-19-|
D|---------------------16-18-19----------|
A|-----------16-17-19--------------------|
E|-16-17-19------------------------------|
When a song is in a new key, say C minor, the root scale would be C Aeolian because that is the relative minor of the Eb Ionian. Lost? Well I've shown how a major scale works, now a minor scale is the same basic principal just different pattern.
Alright finally, learning to do legit basslines under a composition. Here are some basic chord progressions and each have two possible basslines, one that stays right with the roots and one that adds lines to build melody:
In C major:
---C----------------G---------------Dm--------------Am------B/G-----
1:
G|------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-3---3---3---3--------------------5---5---5---5------------2---2--|
E|------------------3---3---3---3--------------------5---5----------|
2:
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---2-------2---5------------------------3---7-------------------5---|
A|-3---3---3---5-----2-3-5---2-3-2-5---5---5---5-3---7-----2-5--------|
E|-----------------3-------3-------------------------5---5------------|
G 8 bar blues
---G7---------C7---------G7--------D7----------C7---------G7---------
1:
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------------3--3-3--3-------------5--5-5--5--3--3-3--3---------------|
E|-3--3-3--3-------------3--3-3--3-------------------------3--3-3--3---|
2:
G|-------------------------------------5-----------5------------------|
D|--------------3-5----------------------7-----------7--------5-4-3---|
A|----3-5----3-------3-----5-3-----5--------5--3-------3--3---3-3-3---|
E|-3-------3------------3--------3------------------------------------|
All right, here it is a bass lesson. Remember practice is the only thing that makes one player better than the next, not only how much you practice but also what you practice, so keep on pushing open your musical box until you can freely break out of that sucker!