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Wheat's BassBook: A Comprehensive Method & Resource for the Electric Bass Guitar

Book Two

Overview of Book Two

Book one focussed mostly on sounding notes and on right and left hand techniques. Now that you've had a tour of the mechanics of making music on the bass, we'll move on to the theory behind playing bass lines, soloing, and songwriting. We'll cover scales, chords, harmony, and many other topics which will be usefull to you as a working bassist (and as a musician in general).

The Major Scale & The Modes of the Major Scale

Let's start with some scales which are all derived from the major scale (all examples are in the key of C major/A minor):

The Major scale (a.k.a. the Ionian mode)

-----------2-4-5---
-----2-3-5---------
-3-5---------------
-------------------
 C D E F G A B C note names
 R 2 3 4 5 6 7 R scale degrees

|-0-|---|-0-|-0-|
|-0-|-0-|---|-0-|
|---|-X-|---|-0-|
|---|---|---|---|
      3

The major scale is the "Do Re Mi..." scale you learned in grade school. It works over major chords and major 7 chords (e.g. C, Cmaj7). It is great for guitar-based pop songs (e.g. R.E.M.), and is used extensively in all forms of western music (with the exception of most metal songs).

The Dorian Mode

------------4--5-7---
--------5-7----------
-5-7--8--------------
---------------------
 D E  F G A B  C D
 R 2 -3 4 5 6 -7 R

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

Dorian is preferred by many jazz players when playing over a minor chord or a minor seven chord (e.g. try this one over Dm or Dm7). Many rock guitarists like it as well. The -3 and -7 make give it a minor sound but its major 6 sets it apart from the pure minor scale (described below)

The Phrygian Mode

-----------------7-9-10---
---------7-9-10-----------
-7--8-10------------------
--------------------------
 E  F  G A B  C  D E  F
 R -2 -3 4 5 -6 -7 R -2

|-0-|---|-X-|-0-|
|-0-|---|-0-|-0-|
|-X-|-0-|---|-0-|
|---|---|---|---|
  7

I wrote this one up to the -2 past the octave because I always play it when I play this scale. This is the perfect scale for a metal sound over a minor chord. The -2 gives it a sinister, diminished quality (though it is not diminished). It is also great for speed licks using hammer-ons and pull-offs since there are three notes within easy reach on each string. Try this one over Em.

The Lydian Mode

--------------7-9-10---
------7--9-10----------
-8-10------------------
-----------------------
 F G  A  B C  D E  F
 R 2  3 #4 5  6 7  R

|-0-|---|-0-|-X-|
|-0-|---|-0-|-0-|
|---|-X-|---|-0-|
|---|---|---|---|
      8

Lydian is the same as a major scale with a sharped 4th degree. This gives it a different sound, though you can still use it over major scales. This particular one fits over F or Fmaj7.

The Mixolydian Mode (a.k.a. the Dominant scale)

---------------9-10-12---
-------9-10-12-----------
-10-12-------------------
-------------------------
 G  A  B C  D  E  F G
 R  2  3 4  5  6 -7 R

|-0-|-0-|---|-X-|
|-0-|-0-|---|-0-|
|---|-X-|---|-0-|
|---|---|---|---|
     10

The Mixolydian mode can also be thought of as a major scale with a -7. It outlines the dominant 7 chord (R 3 5 -7) so it is useful over those chords. This one fits over G7.

The Pure Minor Scale (a.k.a. the Aeolian Mode or the Minor Scale)

-------------------12-14---
----------12-14-15---------
-12-14-15------------------
---------------------------
 A  B  C  D  E  F  G  A
 R  2 -3  4  5 -6 -7  R

|-0-|---|-X-|---|
|-0-|---|-0-|-0-|
|-X-|---|-0-|-0-|
|---|---|---|---|
 12

Aeolian minor is my favorite scale. It works perfectly over minor chords and minor 7 chords (though some players prefer Dorian for m7 chords). You can also use it over some major and dominant 7 chords (for a bluesier or more dissonant sound). This one fits over Am.

The Locrian Mode

-------------------14-16-17---
----------14-15-17------------
-14-15-17---------------------
------------------------------
 B  C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C
 R -2 -3  4 -5 -6 -7  R -2

|-0-|---|-X-|-0-|
|-0-|-0-|---|-0-|
|-X-|-0-|---|-0-|
|---|---|---|---|
 14

I also like to practice this one up to the -2nd above the octave. Take a look at all of those flatted notes. This is a dark, dissonant scale. It works over m7b5 (minor seven flat five; R -3 -5 -7) chords (also called half-diminished chords) and not much else.

Here's a chart containing neck diagrams of all of the modes we've discussed thus far. You might want to print this out and keep it near where you practice until you've committed the modes to memory. The number below each diagram indicates the begining fret. Roots are indicated by black circles.

Playing the Same Scale in Different Places

In the above examples, I've shown you seven scales/modes starting on seven different frets, but these are not the only places on the fretboard where these scales can be played. Often, you can play the exact same scale in several places. This makes reading music confusing, but it helps you to be able to play a given note having to move too far up or down the neck. The C major scale (a.k.a. ionian mode) can be played with a root on the E string, starting at the eigth fret.

--------------------
-------------7-9-10-
------7-8-10--------
-8-10---------------
 C  D E F  G A B  C  (note names)
 R  2 3 4  5 6 7  R  (scale degrees)

If you have a long enough stretch, you can also play it this way:

----------------------
-----------------9-10-
---------8-10-12------
-8-10-12--------------
 C  D  E F  G  A B  C  (note names)
 R  2  3 4  5  6 7  R  (scale degrees)

If you don't mind playing the scale in a higher octave, you can also play it at the 15th fret of the A string, using this pattern:

----------------14-16-17-
-------14-15-17----------
-15-17-------------------
-------------------------
  C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C  (note names)
  R  2  3  4  5  6  7  R  (scale degrees)

Or this one:

-------------------16-17-
----------15-17-19-------
-15-17-19----------------
-------------------------
  C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C  (note names)
  R  2  3  4  5  6  7  R  (scale degrees)

As you can see, there will be several workable patterns for any scale. You don't have to know all of them for each scale, but it is helpfull to try several and decide which one you like best.

A Note on Moveable forms
All of the scales that have been presented so far (and most of the ones that will be presented in this book) are movable forms. That is to say, you can play these same patterns starting from different root notes in order to produce different scales in the same family. Think back to the first major scale we covered. It started on the note C on the third fret of the A string. We've just seen how it can be played in lots of other possitions, starting on the same root, but we can also play that same pattern of notes strarting from other root notes in order to derive different scales. Try this example:

-----------3-5-6-----------
-----3-4-6-----------------
-4-6-----------------------
---------------------------

Here's one more:

-----------4-6-7-----------
-----4-5-7-----------------
-5-7-----------------------
---------------------------

What you should notice is that the pattern of notes (the shape you see on the fretboard) remains the same, while the pitches (and the key) change. If you know the notes of the neck (which we covered in the Basics section) you will be able, with a little practice, to play the major scale in all twelve keys: C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb, & B. By knowing the major scale in one key, you have the potential to quickly learn it in all of them. And the same goes for all of the scales we've studied. If you learn all seven scales (or modes) in all twelve keys, you go from knowing seven scales to knowing eighty-four of them.

Chord Progressions & Diatonic Harmony

Now that you've played though the Major scale and all of its modes, you have enough information to play some pretty complex diatonic harmonies. Whenever you learn scales, you should try to associate them with chords (i.e. learn what chords you can play them over). If you experiment on you own, you will find chord/scale combinations which do not fit textbook harmony but which sound good to your ears. Let your ears be your guide. This chapter will be devoted to learning how to the scales you've learned to create harmonies, but first we'll need to talk a bit about chord construction.

An Introduction to Chord Construction & Music Theory
You can construct chords by taking particular notes from a given scale. If, for example, you wanted to create a C major chord from the C major scale, you'd only have to know that the R, 3, and 5 of any major scale will form a major chord. You could say that the formula for a major chord is R, 3, 5. Take a look at the C major scale:

C D E F G A B (note name) 
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (degree)

Folowing our formula, a C major triad (i.e. a three-note chord) would be C (the root), E (the third), and G (the fifth) played simultaneously. Normally, all three notes would be in the same octave. C would the be lowest note, E would be next lowest, and G would be the highest note. This is what is called the "root position" of the chord. You can play chords which extend beyond one octave (extended chords) or in which the tones are not ordered in this way (inversions or voicings). Here's a C major triad in root position (this might not sound great, but it illustrates the principle):

--0--  [Fifth, G]
--2--  [Third, E]
--3--  [Root, C]
-----

You could also play it with the root on the E string:

-----
--5--  [5]
--7--  [3]
--8--  [R]

Take a quick look at where the chord tones fall in a C major scale and you'll understand the challenge of playing chords on the bass. R=the root, C. The numbers represent scale degrees (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7):

|-6-|---|-7-|-R-|
|-3-|-4-|---|-5-|  
|---|-R-|---|-2-|  
|---|---|---|---|
      3

As you can see, in our typical C major pattern, the 3rd and 5th degrees are on the same string, so we can only sound one of them at a time in this pattern. There are several solutions. We can pick a pattern where we can play all three at once (if such a pattern exhists, and in this case it does), we can omit one or more of the notes and imply the chord with what's remaining, or we can play one or more of the notes an octave higher or lower (which will complicate the nameing of the chord, but we'll get to that).

It's generaly okay to leave out the five of any chord, so long as the chord doesn't specify a flat or augmented (i.e. "sharped") five (e.g. Cm7b5, or C#5). Most chords have a regular five, which is called a "perfect five." So long as the five is perfect, we can leave it out. In fact, it's the first to go. In the following example, I've left in the octave of the root because just playing the root and third can sound a little thin, and becuse I wanted a three note chord :

|---|---|---|-R-|
|-3-|---|---|---|  
|---|-R-|---|---|  
|---|---|---|---|
      3

If we move up the neck to the eighth fret, we can find a C root on the E string and can build a different kind of implied C major chord:

|---|---|-3-|---|
|---|---|---|-R-|
|---|---|---|---|  
|---|-R-|---|---|  
      8

This is, technically, a C major 10th (without the fifth). If you count the octave root as the 8th of the scale, then the note above that is the 9th (same as the 2nd, but an octave up) and the note above that is, technically, the 10th (same as the third but an octave up). For our purposes, a C major chord is a C major chord no matter what octave the scales notes occupy, but sometimes it helps to know the difference.

Chord Inversions
You've probably noticed, in all of the chord examples above, that the root note is the lowest note of each chord. If you know your neck fairly well (or happen to be looking at a neck diagram like I am) you might have noticed that you can sometimes find all three notes of the chord in a given possition if you were liberated from having to put C on the bottom. You can do this. Each chord can be "inverted." That is, it can be played starting on a note other than the root. You'll hear people speaking of chord "voicings" or of "voicing" a chord in a particular way, and these inversions are one of the things they may be refering to. The inversions, as you might have guessed, have names. Consider these three three chords (numbers represent the degree of the chord):

   Root Position     1st Inversion         2nd Inversions
   (R, 3, 5)         (3, 5, R)             (5, R, 3)
 
 5 |---|---|---|     |---|---|---|---|     |---|---|---|---|
   |---|-3-|---|     |-R-|---|---|---|     |-3-|---|---|---|
   |---|---|-R-|     |-5-|---|---|---|     |---|-R-|---|---|
   |---|---|---|     |---|---|-3-|---|     |---|-5-|---|---|
             3                 12                15

Understanding chord voicings give you a lot more options. The voicing of a chord will often be up to you. Some of these inversions aren't especially practical on the bass, but they're worth knowing anyway. The naming convention isn't very hard on this one. The first inversion starts on the 3rd, and the second inversion starts on the fifth. The lowest note is what determines the inversion. Whenever you play a third or a fifth instead of a root under someone else's chord, you are, in effect, causing it to sound like an inversion. That's one of the strenghts of playing the bass. You can have a big effect on the chordal complexity of a song even just playing single notes.

Minor Triads
Now I'd like to show you some basic types of chords. Major triads (R, 3, 5) have already been explained in some detail. To get a minor triad, you flat the 3rd, which gives you R, b3, 5:

   Root Position     1st Inversion          2nd Inversions

 5 |---|---|---|     |---|---|---|---|     |---|---|---|---|
   |b3-|---|---|     |-R-|---|---|---|     |b3-|---|---|---|
   |---|---|-R-|     |-5-|---|---|---|     |---|---|-R-|---|
   |---|---|---|     |---|b3-|---|---|     |---|---|-5-|---|
             3             11                        15

You could also play that 2nd inversion an octave down, at the 3rd fret.

Augmented Triads
An augmented triad is a major triad with a sharped fifth (you might not encounter these much, but at least learn the root positon):

   Root Position     1st Inversion          2nd Inversions

   |#5-|---|---|     |---|---|---|---|     |---|---|---|---|
   |---|-3-|---|     |-R-|---|---|---|     |-3-|---|---|---|
   |---|---|-R-|     |---|#5-|---|---|     |---|-R-|---|---|
   |---|---|---|     |---|---|-3-|---|     |---|---|#5-|---|
             3                 12                    16

Diminished Triads
A diminished triad is a minor triad with a lowered fifth:

   Root Position     1st Inversion          2nd Inversions

 b3|---|---|---|     |---|---|---|---|     |---|---|---|---|
   |---|---|b5-|     |---|-R-|---|---|     |b3-|---|---|---|
   |---|-R-|---|     |b5-|---|---|---|     |---|---|-R-|---|
   |---|---|---|     |---|---|b3-|---|     |---|b5-|---|---|
         3                     11                3

Major Seventh Chords
We built major triads by starting on the root and progressing up the scale, picking every other letter (i.e. R, 3, 5). If we'd continued one note higher, we'd have had a major seventh chord (i.e. R, 3, 5, 7). Since seventh chords have four notes, they're challenging to play on the four-string bass, but if you know your theory, you can leave out certain notes (usually the 5, sometimes even the root) and create beautiful voicings. Seventh chords can also be inverted (and they can have three inversions since you can also build them off of the seventh), but since they're hard to voice in the first place, we'll just go with whatever is handiest and sounds best:

CMaj7

|---|-3-|---|---|
|---|-7-|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|
|-R-|---|---|---|
  8

Minor Seventh Chords
To change a major seventh chord to a minor seventh chord, you flat the third and the seventh degrees:

Cmin7

|b3-|---|---|---|
|b7-|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|
|-R-|---|---|---|
  8

Dominant Seventh Chords
If you take a major seventh chord, flat the seventh degree but leave the third alone, then you get what's called a dominant seventh chord (e.g. C7). This sound is very popular in jazz and blues. Here are two great voicings:

C7                   C7

|---|-3-|---|---|    |---|---|---|---|
|b7-|---|---|---|    |---|b7-|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|    |-3-|---|---|---|
|-R-|---|---|---|    |---|-R-|---|---|
  8                        8

Half-Diminished Seventh Chords
Another important seventh chord that you should know about is the half-diminished seventh, also called the "minor seven flat five." A min7b5 chord is, like the name says, a minor seventh chord with a flatted fifth degree. If you want to think of chord building with the Major seventh chord as a reference, then you could say a min7b5 chord is what you get when you take a Maj7 chord and flat the third, seventh, and fifth degrees. Here's an examples:

Cmin7b5

|b3-|---|---|---|
|b7-|---|---|---|
|---|b5-|---|---|
|-R-|---|---|---|
  8

Remember, They're Movable!
If you commit to memory only one voicing of each chords I've presented in this section, you'll have learned eight different chords, all in C major. But if you know your neck and remember that these chords are all movable forms, you should be able (with a little practice) to play each of these chords in all the other keys as well. For instance, to play all of these chords in D, you'd just need to use D as the root note of each chord. A quick clance at the neck diagrams will show you that D can be found (among other places) on the fifth fret of the A string and on the 10th fret E string. Since there are twelve musical keys, you are well on your way to a very powerful knowledge of chords (8 chords X 12 keys = 96 chords).

A Quick Review of Chord Basics:
We've covered a lot of ground, so I'd like to take a moment to recap. Here are the formulas we've covered for the various chords we've studied up to this point:

The Triads:
C Major                  R,  3,  5
C Minor                  R, b3,  5
C Augmented              R,  3, #5
C Diminished             R, b3, b5

The Seven Chords:
C Major Seven            R,  3,  5,  7
C Minor Seven            R, b3,  5, b7
C Dominant Seven         R,  3,  5, b7
C Half-Diminished Seven  R, b3, b5, b7

Playing Diatonically

I've presented you with each of the scales we've covered and with the primer on chords because I'd like to show you how to play diatonically before we move on to scale substitutions and progressions with non-diatonic chords. Diatonic means "of the scale." Earlier, we built a CMaj7 chord by taking every other note of the C scale, begining with the root (C). Thus, our formula for a CMaj7 chord is the R, 3, 5, 7 of the C Major scale. We can also build chords off every other note in a scale, and due to the intervalic construction of the C Major scale, we will get certain sorts of chords on each interval.

This can be very confusing, and I'd like to make it very clear, so lets take a look at the C major scale again:

C   D   E   F   G   A   B   C   (note names)
R   2   3   4   5   6   7   R   (note interval names)
  W   W  1/2  W   W   W  1/2    (intervalic construction)

The notes of the C major scale are not equally spaced. Some notes are a whole step apart (indicated with the W, above) and some are only a half-step apart (indicated with a 1/2, above). Take a look at a C major scale played on only one string of your bass and this pattern of whole and half steps will become clear:

|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
          3       5       7   8      10      12      14  15

You'll notice that there is a whole step between most notes, but there is only a half-step between two pairs of notes (E & F; B & C). This pattern of whole and half steps is what gives the major scale it's characteristic sound. But there are lots of other sounds lurking in the C major scale. If you build a scale off of each note of the C major scale, you get the modes we discussed earlier:

            B C D E F G A B  (locrian)
          A B C D E F G A  (aeolian)
        G A B C D E F G  (mixolydian)
      F G A B C D E F  (lydian)
    E F G A B C D E  (phrygian)
  D E F G A B C D  (dorian)
C D E F G A B C  (ionian)

If you build seventh chords off of each of those modes (using the every other note method), you get something like this:

                        (B)  C  (D)  E  (F)  G  (A)  B    (locrian)
                    (A)  B  (C)  D  (E)  F  (G)  A    (aeolian)
                (G)  A  (B)  C  (D)  E  (F)  G    (mixolydian)
            (F)  G  (A)  B  (C)  D  (E)  F    (lydian)
        (E)  F  (G)  A  (B)  C  (D)  E    (phrygian)
    (D)  E  (F)  G  (A)  B  (C)  D    (dorian)
(C)  D  (E)  F  (G)  A  (B)  C    (ionian)

Extract those chord tones (the ones in parethesis above) and you get this sequence, which we number with roman numberals, starting with Cmaj7:

Chord Tones  Mode         7 Chord   Tritone   Degree

B, D, F, A   (locrian)    Bm7b5     Bdim      vii
A, C, E, G   (aeolian)    Am7       Am        vi
G, B, D, F   (mixolydian) G7        G         V
F, A, C, E   (lydian)     Fmaj7     F         IV
E, G, B, D   (phrygian)   Em7       Em        iii  
D, F, A, C   (dorian)     Dm7       Dm        ii
C, E, G, B   (ionian)     Cmaj7     C         I

This is sometimes called the "harmonization of the major scale." You can harmonize any scale and you can harmonize this one in different ways, but this is any easy example that will help you understand music theory. Some people like to use upper-case roman numerals for the major and dominant chords while using lower-case roman numerals for minor and half-diminished chords. When someone says they're playing the "one" chord in the key of C, they're refering to C or Cmaj7 (depending upon the musical context). The "two" chord would be Dm(7). The "three" would be Em(7). I'm sure you get the idea.

It's best if you can hear these chords played on the piano or on a guitar, but in case that's not an option, I've notated them here for the bass (using 7th chords and omitting the 5th degree in most cases):

-4---5---7---9---10---12---14------
-2---3---5---7----9---10---15------
-3---5---7---8---10---12---14------
-----------------------------------
 I   ii iii IV   V7   vi  vii7b5

Using E-string roots, you could play it this way:

-9---10---12---14---16---17---19----
-9---10---12---14---15---17---19----
------------------------------20----
-8---10---12---13---15---17---19----
 I   ii   iii  IV    V   vi   vii

What to Play over a Given Progression
There are many interesting theories about which scale fits over which chord. But just sticking with what we've already covered here, we can play some very musical melodies over these chords. Suppose you are playing (or writing) a song which contains the following progression (one bar per chord, ad nauseum):

C    F     Em     G
I    IV    iii    V

You can approach a progression like this at least two different ways. You could just look at the chords and play a major scale (Ionian mode) over all the major chords and a minor scale (Aeolian mode) over the Em. In that case, you'd think of the progression like this:

C     F     Em      G     (chord in progression)
I     IV    iii     V     (degree of chord)
Cmaj  Fmaj  Eminor  Gmaj  (scale)

Another way to approach the progression (and IMHO a more melodic way) is to use the modes we learned above and play a different mode for each chord:

C         F         Em         G             (chord in progression)
I         IV        iii        V             (degree of chord)
C Ionian  F Lydian  E Phygian  G Mixolydian  (scale)

Note that some things remain the same with either approach. We still played a C major scale over the C (a.k.a. the "I" chord or the "one" chord), but for each of the other chords, we used a different mode. Each approach has its advantages, and you will probably use both. When I don't have time to analyze a progression fully, I use the first approach (we might call it the major/minor approach). When I have more time to think about the chords, or when I need a more melodic line, I use the modal approach.

At this point, you might say to yourself, if all of the modes come from the major scale, then I'm not really switching scales at all when I play over these chords; I'm just playing C major and starting on different notes. On one level, of course, you'd be right. A minor is, after all, just C major starting on the sixth degree, but the sound changes dramatically. To my ears the modal approach is more melodic, but to some people it is sickeningly melodic, and it doesn't work all that well over chord progressions which contain (or are mainly composed of) non-diatonic chords. This brings us to the next topic.

What to Play over Non-Diatonic Chords
Most of the songs that I write or play over are built out of diatonic progressions, so I'm no expert on non-diatonic playing (though I'm working on it). Therefore, you should take what I have to say with a grain of salt. Jazz players are the most adept with non-diatonic progressions, since jazz composers are very fond of these. Still, I can offer a few pointers and you can ask the friendly people on the bass newsgroups if you need more specific advice.

1. The easy way to tackle a non-diatonic progression is to use an expanded version of the major/minor approach we learned earlier when working with diatonic progressons. It can be summarized as follows:

Play a major or lydian scale over any major chords
Play minor or dorian over any minor chords
Play mixolydian over any dominant 7 chords
Play locrian if any m7b5's rear their ugly heads

2. If the progression looks mostly diatonic, but with an odd non-diatonic chord thrown in between two diatonic chords, try using the same mode that you would use on the chord directly preceding the non-diatonic chord, or the one directly after it. That is, use the same pattern, but position the pattern so that it starts on the root of the non-diatonic chord.

Expanding your grasp of the Neck

All this knowlege you've learned about chords and scales would still be useful even if your bass only had the first seven frets. Many bassists prefer to stay in the lower registers of the neck, and in many forms of music, that's a perfectly acceptable choice. But if you'd like to add more variety to your playing, a solid way to do so is to expand your understanding of the entire neck of your bass. Learning to apply what you know about scales and chords to the entire neck is quite a challenge, but it is a study that pays great dividents. We'll take a look at a few approaches you can use to expand your grasp.

Using Two-Octave Scales
Once you have a one octave version of the seven scale/modes memorized, it's time to branch out. You can do this in a number of ways. Some people prefer to learn a two octave version of each scale they know. This usually involves using a different fingering than the one you might employ when playing a scale in one octave (in the examples below, a slash [/] signifies a slide).

Our C Major scale:

-----------2-4-5---
-----2-3-5---------
-3-5---------------
-------------------
 C D E F G A B C (note names)

Becomes:

----------------------------10-12-14/16/17---
-----------------9/10-12-14------------------
---------8-10-12-----------------------------
-8-10-12-------------------------------------
 C D  E  F G  A  B C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C

Two octave scales are good to know. I recommend that you take some of your favorite scales and work out two octave fingerings for them. Practice playing them up and down and then try different sequences of the same notes.

Using the Pattern Approach
I prefer a different approach to learning the neck (sometimes called the pattern or box approach). To use this approach, you break up the neck into five patterns, each of which contains the notes of the notes of the scale in question (but not necessarily sticking to any one octave). This approach is inherently specific to the bass, and it will lead you to certain note choices to the exclusion of others (which, in the beginning will help you sound "like a bass player" but which may eventually limit your creativity if you rely on this approach to the exclusion of other approaches).

So that we won't have to play so high on the neck, I'm going to write this example in G major instead of C major (though you can play it in C major simply by sliding the root up to the eighth fret). In each pattern the root note of the scale (G major) is in parenthesis. In order to make each pattern sound like a part of a G major scale (and not some other mode of G major) you need to emphasize the root in your solo's and bass lines (emphasizing it generally means playing it often and/or on the first down beat of a measure):

The Five Patterns of the G Major Scale:

Pattern I

-----------------------2-4-5-
---------------2-4-(5)-------
---------2-3-5---------------
-2-(3)-5---------------------

This pattern puts all of the notes in G major in the four-fret span from the second fret to the fifth fret under your fingers. Try to visualize the pattern on your fretboard. If you really absorbed the previous material on modes, this pattern should look familiar to you. It should look a lot like F# Locrian, but try not to think of it as F# Locrian. Think of it (and play it) as G major with one extra note below the low G and three extra notes above the higher G.

Pattern II

-------------------4-5-7-----
-----------4-(5)-7-----------
-------5-7-------------------
-5-7-8-----------------------

This pattern repeats some of the notes in pattern I, but extends your range two more frets up the neck (to the 7th fret). Once you have the first two patterns down, practice moving between the two of them (thinking of them both as one large pattern covering six frets). If you recognized the similarity between this pattern and A dorian, give yourself a gold star. If it *sounds* like A dorian, you're not emphasizing the root enough.

Pattern III

------------------------7-9--
-----------------7-9-10------
--------7-9-(10)-------------
-7-8-10----------------------

Taken by themselves, the first three patterns let you cover nine frets.

Pattern IV

-------------------------9-11-(12)-
-----------------9-10-12-----------
-------9-(10)-12-------------------
-10-12-----------------------------

Pattern V

---------------------------11-(12)-14-
---------------------12-14------------
------------12-14-15------------------
-12-14-(15)---------------------------

After the fifth pattern, the cycle repeats itself (begining again with Pattern I).

Pattern I (up an octave)

--------------------------------14-16-17-
---------------------14-16-(17)----------
------------14-15-17---------------------
-14-(15)-17------------------------------

It is important to think of these patterns not just as scales (to be played from the lowest note to the highest and back down) but as guides to the available notes within a given range of frets. *You* should pick the notes; the pattern merely shows you which notes are available. Visualize the pattern on the neck and strive to choose the notes in different orders (these orders can be dictated by sound or merely by the geographic location of the note on the fretboard).

Using Arpeggios:
Another excellent way to expand your range on the neck (and your melodic range in general) is through the use of arpeggios. To play an arpeggio you simply play the notes of a chord in a set sequence (usually ascending and then descending) instead of all at once.

To use arpeggios requres some basic knowlege of chords. You need to know the basics of chord construction. We already hit some of this in the section on harmony, but here's a quick rundown of the formulas for some common chords:

Chord Name	Formula	Example
C Major	R, 3, 5	C, E, G
C minor	R, -3, 5	C, Eb, G
CMaj7	R, 3, 5, 7	C, E, G, B
Cmin7	R, -3, 5, -7	C, Eb, G, Bb
C7 (Dom7)	R, 3, 5, -7	C, E, G, Bb

Now here are some examples of common arpegios based on the above chords (play these as triplets, at first). All of these are movable forms:

C Major Arpeggio

-------5--------
---2-5---5-2----
-3-----------3--
----------------
 C E G C G E C
 R 3 5 R 5 3 R

Cmaj7 Arpeggio

-------4--------
---2-5---5-2----
-3-----------3--
----------------
 C E G B G E C
 R 3 5 7 5 3 R

C Minor Arpeggio

--------5--------
---1--5---5-1----
-3-------------3-
-----------------
 C Eb G C G Eb C
 R b3 5 R 5 b3 R

Cm7 Arpeggio

--------3---------
---1--5----5-1----
-3--------------3-
------------------
 C Eb G Bb G Eb C
 R b3 5 b7 5 b3 R

C7 (i.e. Dominant 7) Arpeggio

--------3---------
---2--5----5-2----
-3--------------3-
------------------
 C Eb G Bb G Eb C
 R b3 5 b7 5 b3 R

Applying Arpeggios
So how do you use them? The simplest way to employ arpegios is to simply outline the chord of a progression. If you progression is one bar each of C, F, and G (all major), you can play a C major arpegio over the first chord, an F major arpeggio over the second chord, and a G major arpegio over the third chord. You can use them as part of your bass line, or you can use them as licks in a solo. A well executed fast arpeggio can catch your audience's attention, and it also adds some horizontal movement to your line (by encouraging you to use larger intervals).

An Assortment of Bass Chords

Some hold that the bass is not a chordal instrument (like the piano or the guitar). Obviously, no one ever told that to Marcus Miller, or if they did, he didn't believe them. While most of your playing with others will probably involve mostly single note lines and an occasional two note chord (a.k.a. double stop or interval), you'll also spend a lot of time playing the bass by yourself. Whether or not you incorporate chords into your bass lines, you can have a lot of fun (and practice a lot about theory) by knowing how to play them on your bass. Here is a small collection for your entertainment. All are in C and all are movable forms. Most omit one note of the chord, sometimes leaving the voicing somewhat ambiguous. Sometimes I've included intervals which function well as chords, even if they are not, in the most technical sense, chords. In the brackets after each note are the name of the interval (R, 2, 3, etc.), followed by the name of the note (C, D, E, etc.). Before the assortment is a table showing note names and their corresponding interval names in the key of C:

Note Names	C	D	E	F	G	A	B	C	D	E	F
Interval Names	R	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11

Five Chord Voicings (a.k.a. Power Chords):

-----
-----
--10- [5,G]
--8-- [R,C]

-----
--10- [R,C]
--10- [5,G]
--8-- [R,C]

-----
--5-- [5,G]
--3-- [R,C]
-----

--5-- [R,C]
--5-- [5,G]
--3-- [R,C]
-----

Major Chord Voicings (a.k.a Major Triads):

-----
--5-- [5,G]
--7-- [3,E]
--8-- [R,C]

--5-- [R,C]
--2-- [3,E]
--3-- [R,C]
-----

--9-- [11,E]
-----
-----
--8-- [R,C]

[Major] 6 Chord Voicing(s):

-----
--7-- [6,A]
--7-- [3,E]
--8-- [R,C]

--9-- [3,E]
--7-- [6,A]
-----
--8-- [R,C]

--9-- [6,A]
--9-- [3,E]
-----
-----
--8-- [R,C]
-----

Minor 6 Chord Voicing(s):

-----
--7-- [6,A]
--6-- [b3,Eb]
--8-- [R,C]

--8-- [b3,Eb]
--7-- [6,A]
-----
--8-- [R,C]

--9-- [6,A]
--8-- [b3,Eb]
-----
-----
--8-- [R,C]
-----

Major 7 Chord Voicings:

--9-- [3,E]
--9-- [7,B]
-----	
--8-- [R,C]

--4-- [7,B]
--2-- [3,E]
--3-- [R,C]
-----

--4-- [7,B]
--5-- [5,G]
--3-- [R,C]
-----

--11- [7,B]
--9-- [3,E]
-----
-----
--8-- [R,C]
-----

Minor Chord Voicings (a.k.a Minor Triads):

-----
--5-- [5,G]
--6-- [b3,Eb]
--8-- [R,C]

--5-- [R,C]
--1-- [b3,Eb]
--3-- [R,C]
-----

Minor Seven Chord Voicing(s):

--8-- [b3,Eb]
--8-- [b7,Bb]
-----	
--8-- [R,C]

--10- [b7,Bb]
--8-- [b3,Eb]
-----
-----
--8-- [R,C]
-----

Dominant 7 Chord Voicing(s):

-----
--8-- [b7,Bb]
--7-- [3,E]
--8-- [R,C]

--9-- [3,E]
--8-- [b7,Bb]
-----
--8-- [R,C]

--10- [b7,Bb]
--9-- [3,E]
-----
-----
--8-- [R,C]
-----

Diminished Chord Voicing(s) (a.k.a Diminished Triads):

-----
--10- [R,C]
--9-- [b5,Gb]
--8-- [R,C]

Augmented Chord Voicing(s) (a.k.a. Augmented Triads):

-----
--10- [R,C]
--11- [#5,G#]
--8-- [R,C]

Minor 7 flat 5 Chord Voicings (a.k.a. half-diminished chords):

-----
--8-- [b7,Bb]
--9-- [b5,Gb]
--8-- [R,C]

--11- [b5,Gb]
--8-- [b7,Bb]
-----
--8-- [R,C]

Diminished 7 Chord Voicing(s):

-----
--7-- [bb7=6,A]
--9-- [b5,Gb]
--8-- [R,C]

Major 9th Chord Voicing(s):

--7-- [9,D]
--9-- [7,B]
--7-- [3,E]
--8-- [R,C]

Minor 9th Chord Voicing(s):

--7-- [9,D]
--8-- [b7,Bb]
--6-- [b3,Eb]
--8-- [R,C]

Dominant 9 Chord Voicing(s):

--9-- [9,D]
--8-- [b7,Bb]
--7-- [3,E]
--8-- [R,C]

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