Pdf bass scales complete fretboard diagram daniel oscar. To play the blues is a fascinating undertaking because it can be both simplistic and yet intangibly tricky to. This will help you to pick the right scale for practicing along with any of our backing. The symbol of the bass clef is derived from the old german way of writing f. Learning bass scales is a great way to get comfortable on your instrument, and to. I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in order to memorize the blues scales in all keys. As im sure you have heard before, practice makes perfect. Video bass lessons 1 comment in this lesson we look at the blues scale or minor blues scale. Often these blues progressions will contain dominant chords such as 7th chords. Free bass tabs printable, downloadable pdf bass tabs.
There is slight variations in how you use this scale depending on the harmony behind it. Major and minor bass guitar scales bass books and music. In these bass pdf we present you different fingerings to play this. The notes above are all natural however any of this notes can be raised or lowered a half. To derive the minor pentatonic scale from the natural minor scale, use the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th notes of the minor scale.
When playing a twelve bar blues in the key of bb, use the bb blues scale anywhere in the chord. Its often used for rock riffs, funk grooves, bass fills and solos. Music notation is a great system, but it isnt the most modern, or best system for learn modern bass guitar songs. Our collection of tabs, guitar chords, and video lessons is constantly growing, so check back often to find your favorite songs. Here is the basic bass pattern you will play over the e7 chord. The blues scale, which as you can probably guess from its name, is a commonly used scale in the blues. Pentatonic scales to derive the major pentatonic scale from the major scale, use the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th notes of the major scale. A nice combination are the chords am7, dm7 and e7 together with the a pentatonic blues scale. This pattern system allows us to play the scale in multiple places and in different keys, but it doesnt teach us how to move into other positions or play across more than one octave you might notice that some players are able to whizz around the neck.
Practice the scale until you can play it continuously and fluently. The additional note is a spice that works great in a blues soup, but too much and it can make your soup a little sour. Minor pentatonic technical technical exercises bass clef exercises. A very famous example of the minor blues scale at work is in the smoke on the water riff the above shapes are one octave. Below are listed the twelve minor dorian minor, major, and dominant 7th scales. This is a simple variation on the minor pentatonic from the previous lesson and is very common in all styles of pop, jazz and blues music.
Further information on playing the blues scale on bass including additional tabs and patterns can be found on this page. Dedicate at least 3060 minutes each day to playing the bass. You can get more charts in with custom tunings using my interactive scale generator here. After browsing our selection of free bass tab pdf, view our video lessons to help you get started learning your favorite songs from start to finish. The minor pentatonic, along with the blues scale, are quite likely the most used. Scales and chords for the upright bass the following keys should be learned in the order presented. Bass scales regardless what instrument you play, learning to play scales is a rite. Since the blues scale is only one note added to a pentatonic scale and seeing as the major and minor pentatonic scales are related, just learn your pentatonic shapes and know where to add the blues note. Use the e minor pentatonic scale when soloing over 12 bar blues in either e. By comparing the two scales youll notice that the only difference between them is that the blues scale contains an additional note. Blues scale is a great tool when soloing over a 12 bar blues progression. Bass guitar scales pdf free download bass scales are successions of notes with a relationship between them and it is necessary, for any instrument, to know and master them in ours concretely, they will allow us to create bass lines or to improvise in an efficient way. They are written in treble and bass clef in all twelve keys.
Bass scales chart a free printable bass guitar scales reference. Chords are often made into minor 7th chords, and the v chord may or may not be major in this case, it is. The major pentatonic scale for bass or any other instrument is an important scale to know. The collection of material of this book is, in our opinion, the basics to playing bass guitar for some event. Free printable guitar scales and bass scales in easy to use pdf format. For when you have to learn to play the bass right now. Minor pentatonic scales can work well for bass lines and improvisation. For more information and licks using the blues scales check. Jul 06, 2019 blues scale is a great tool when soloing over a 12 bar blues progression.
To play the blues is a fascinating undertaking because it can be both simplistic and yet intangibly tricky to master. Bass scales chart a free printable bass guitar scales. Get acquainted with the minor and major blues scales. The sixnote blues scale is one of the most commonly used scales in soloing. The blues scale consists of the root, a minor third, perfect fourth, a tritone, a perfect fifth, and a minor seventh six notes in total. Bass exercises an easytoplay and common scale used heavily in rock, blues, funk and jazz. Strings are vertical while imaginary frets are shown horizontally. This pdf contains the scale charts for the blues scale in all keys for guitar in standard tuning.
Feb 09, 2018 in this lesson though, youll learn exactly how to sound like a blues scale pro on bass by avoiding the 2 biggest mistakes that beginners make. The minor and major blues scales on bass guitar with. The two dots on the right of the bass clef symbol surround the line on which f pitch is written. To derive the minor blues pentatonic scale from the natural minor scale, use. Apr 22, 2019 learning your scales is how you learn to avoid wrong notes and play things that fit in well with the rest of the music. Its made up of the root, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees of an e major scale for all of you music theory buffs out there. This pattern system allows us to play the scale in multiple places and in different keys, but it doesnt teach us how to move into other positions or play across more than one octave. Pay attention, burn through this as fast as you can, and you. Pentatonic scales are killer scales to play over blues and over iivv changes. James porter is a freelance writer specializing in bass guitar tutorials who is also the bassist for a band called locust street taxi in seattle, washington. Heres a blues in a jam track you can use to practice with. Pentatonic scales continued for 5string bass guitar starts on 3rd of the pentatonic scale starts on 5th of the pentatonic scale starts on 6th of the pentatonic scale. Although this scale has its origins in the blues, thats not the only place youll encounter it.
Its just like a major scale, minus the 4th and 7th degrees, making it pentatonic five notes. How to play the blues scale on bass guitar dummies. Blues, minor pentatonic, major, major pentatonic in every key. Here are some tips to aid you in mastering these bass blues licks. Remember to study this bass blues scale tab fingering with a metronome at 607080 and then increase the speed. Here are pictures and notes of the major pentatonic blues scales. What is a blues scale bass lesson blue note and blues. Please visit for auxiliary study material, pdf ebooks, and info. Once youve begun to get familiar with the note names, its time to start learning some bass scales. Its a system that takes weeks or even months to learn the basics, while guitar tab can be learned in a matter. Or, in the same way, the g blues scale with the chords g7, c7 and d7.
One that can be opened with guitar pro 6, and one with guitar pro 5. Along with the major scale and the pentatonic minor scale, the blues scale is among the first scales a rock pop jazz bassist should learn the blues scale is in fact no more than a slightly modified pentatonic minor scale. Often new players are drawn to the instrument because of a desire to play the blues. What is a blues scale bass lesson blue note and blues scale. Oneoctave minor pentatonic scale exercises bass scales. Blues scales blues is an irresistible tonality for a guitar player.
The bass scales chart below shows three common bass scales pentatonic minor, blues and major as patterns on a fretboard. Oct 15, 2016 blues scales bass tab by lessons scales. Use the pattern below to play blues scales all over the fretboard. In this lesson though, youll learn exactly how to sound like a blues scale pro on bass by avoiding the 2 biggest mistakes that beginners make. E blues scale bass tab e blues scale bass tab blues scale pattern for bass.
The minor blues scale is a very common scale used in blues, rock, jazz and funk. Below is the bass tablature for the basic blues in e bass line. Minor blues here is a very simple minor blues in a minor. It is a smaller scale but is valid for larger chords if we want to generate blues sound. The blues scale is so popular because its comfortable to play, its easy to move around, and it sounds great. Jul 03, 2019 the bass scales chart below shows three common bass scales pentatonic minor, blues and major as patterns on a fretboard. Bassists can learn to read music notation, chord lyrics charts, or bass tablature. Piano pentatonic blues scales overview with pictures. The blues scales are a fun group of scales used in blues and other types of music. The bass pattern for the a7 chord is the same shape as the one you played over the e7, but shifted a set of strings so that you. Use online or download a free printable bass scales chart pdf for your. As there are different bass scales it is very easy to get lost in this world so lets establish some guidelines to begin to dominate the bass keys and scales if you are a novice on the bass you will probably have a 4string electric bass, so lets concentrate for now on exercises for a 4string electric bass. How to use this scale is essential for the bass player.
They just ooze that minor bluesy vibe or sweet major vibe. Bass guitar scales pdf free download bass scales are successions of notes with a. Bass guitar scales made easy learn guitar for free. The suggested fingering for the scale is to the left of the diagram. In this video, we talk about blues scale and blue note in general. This scale is magical because it has many options, we will be able to play it on any blues chord.
The simplest is to play all the notes of the scale from bottom to top, and perhaps back down again. All of our bass tab pdf is printable and downloadable so you can enjoy it for years to come. Then you just keep repeating that same 12bar pattern over and over for the length of the song. Instruction books to help learn scales and modes a. For more information and licks using the blues scales check out my two books on mastering the blues scales. Consequently, learning how to play the blues scale on bass guitar is essential.
Other common blues progressions include the 8 bar, 16bar, and 24bar blues. This is a simple variation on the minor pentatonic from the previous lesson and. It simply adds one note to the minor pentatonic and is also pretty easy to play. The blues scale talkingbass free online bass lessons. Below you will find tab for playing blues scales with various common tonic notes. Alexander mcqueen scarf, guitars, blues scale, minor scale, bass guitars, vintage. The isbn of the full jazzhacker scales and modes for 4string bass ebook is. They show the scales as played on a 4 string bass with standard tuning. Learn bass scales for beginners and advance, scales patterns for jazz scales, pentatonic scales, blues scales, modesall bass scales pdf and for free. Dorian pentatonic blues bass line ideas guitar pro zip file mp3 jam track. When we learn scales, we tend to learn one basic fretboard pattern or box shape that we can easily move around the neck.
Similar to the minor pentatonic scale, the blues scale which just adds a tritone to the minor pentatonic scale is an important tool in any bass players toolbox. A blues scale practice this over an a minor and a c major chord. The 12bar means that the song or jam is divided into 12 parts or measures. They are based off of the pentatonic minor scale but with an added flattened 4th scale degree.