Spring Bass Training

Spring has sprung and training has begun! Just because we use our fine motor skills and not the gross ones does not mean we don’t work as hard as any of the ball players out there. They run laps and throw balls, we drill scales!

In this weeks lesson I am tying in some old and introducing some new scale practice techniques. I have found these helpful in not only building dexterity and training my ears but also in building my own bass lines and/or learning others. These patterns of notes are found everywhere in all styles of basslines.

If I go to a restaurant, eat a great meal and then decide I want to try and make it at home, the first steps I take are 1. finding a recipe and 2. gathering ingredients. The scale exercises below are the ingredients. You may not use each exercise depending on the style you play but I’m almost positive you’ll recognize some of the intervals and remember, bass playing is intervals.

A- G major scale ascending and descending

B- Scale in 3rds. Pay special close attention to these as they are the primary building blocks in chords.

C- Scale in 4ths. Each one is a perfect 4th except for the 4th degree which is a raised (#) 4

D- Tetrachords. Play using 16ths and shred the hell out of them.

E- Root to every scale note. Ditto!

These exercises can become familiar quickly. Do them as warm-ups. Play them while watching TV. However you decide will be helpful as you are constantly building your muscle memory.

Enjoy your BASS!!!