+ Basic Scales

                                    Basic Scales

Here we'll cover some basic scales to get you started playing bass lines before we move on, to a more comprehensive study of scales, chords, and harmony.

The Minor Pentatonic Scale
The minor pentatonic scale is used extensively in blues and rock music. It's easy to learn and its a great first scale for soloing. The name "pentatonic" comes from its five notes. It contains the R, -3, 4, 5, and -7 degrees of the minor scale. The example below starts on the fifth fret of the E string (i.e. A), so it is the A minor pentatonic scale

|---|---|---|---|
|-0-|---|-X-|---|
|-0-|---|-0-|---|
|-X-|---|---|-0-|
  5

The Blues Scale
The blues scale is used extensively in blues and rock. It is very similar to the minor pentatonic scale. The only difference is the addition of the flat five (b5) also known as the "blue note." The example below is in A.

|---|---|---|---|
|-0-|---|-X-|---|
|-0-|-0-|-0-|---|
|-X-|---|---|-0-|
  5

You will probably instantly recognize the sound of this scale, as many blues walking bass lines make use of it extensively. Here's a little repeating riff you can play for hours while your guitarist friends go on extended solos. Play each note as a quarter note in 4/4 time. I've written out the count below the tab.

 Am                            Am            

|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
|--------5--6--|--7--6--5-----|--------5--6--|--7--6--5-----|
|--5--8--------|-----------8--|--5--8--------|-----------8--|  etc.

   1  2  3  4     1  2  3  4     1  2  3  4     1  2  3  4  

The Major Pentatonic Scale
This scale is used extensively in rockabily, country, and some sorts of blues. It contains the R, 2, 3, 5, and 6 degrees of the major scale. The scale is written starting on A, so it would be referred to as the A major pentatonic scale (and will work over an A major chord).

|-0-|---|-0-|---|
|-0-|---|---|-X-|
|-0-|---|---|-0-|
|---|-X-|---|-0-|
      5

You can play a hokey little rockabilly-ish walking line using the major pentatonic.If you keep messing with this one long enough, you'll come up with a bassline that you known very well.

|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
|-----------4--|--7--4--------|-----------4--|--7--4-----4--|
|-----4--7-----|--------7--4--|-----4--7-----|--------5-----|
|--5-----------|--------------|--5-----------|--------------|  etc.

   1  2  3  4     1  2  3  4     1  2  3  4     1  2  3  4 

Blues Bass 101
Now that you know a few basic scales, you can learn how to play a simple bass line to a blues progression. What follows is an expanded version of our minor pentatonic walking line. The chords are written in above the line.

  Am                    
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|-------5--6-|-7--6--5----|-------5--6-|-7--6--5----|
|-5--8-------|----------8-|-5--8-------|----------8-|


  Dm                        Am
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|-------5--6-|-7--6--5----|------------|------------|
|-5--8-------|----------8-|-------5--6-|-7--6--5----|
|------------|------------|-5--8-------|----------8-|


  Em           Dm           Am
|------------|------------|------------|------------|
|-------7--9-|-------5--7-|------------|----5--7--5-|
|-7--10------|-5--8-------|-------5--6-|-7----------|
|------------|------------|-5--8-------|------------|

Thank you guys keep on practice,there's alot off scales,chords out there. 

Ryno.Jacobs .....your friend at Bass Guitar tips for Beginners.