Pentatonics on bass
- Thread starter Mortichro
- Start date
rylche
New member
Ascending in G (minor)
G--------------
D---------3 5
A-----3 5-----
E 3 6----------
This the minor pentatonic , or more commonly known as THE pentatonic scale.
Ascending in G (major)
G---------------
D ---------2 5
A ----2 5------
E 3 5-----------
Feel free to improvise or create your own exercises based on this!
G--------------
D---------3 5
A-----3 5-----
E 3 6----------
This the minor pentatonic , or more commonly known as THE pentatonic scale.
Ascending in G (major)
G---------------
D ---------2 5
A ----2 5------
E 3 5-----------
Feel free to improvise or create your own exercises based on this!
pentatonic scales
Penta means 5 so basically penta-tonic would mean 5-tonic or 5 note scale.
Actually there are many pentatonic scales that people use. Not flaming anyone, rylche dont get me wrong, but the G minor is not THE pentatonic scale.
To get a short cycle of pentatonic scales take a C major scale C D E F G A B C and take out your 4 and 7 notes, you will get C D E G A C, thats your major pentatonic, the relative minor to this would be starting at the 5 note of this or the 6 note of the original scale, the A. A C D E G A.
To play this start with your middle finger on your A string 3 fret, or your C note and just move down your strings;
A STRING 3 fret 5 fret, Played with middle and last finger
D STRING 2 fret 5 fret, played with pointy and last finger
G STRING 2 fret 5 fret, Played with pointy and last finger
The A minor works on the same principle as this remember 1 finger per fret, isolate the 4 frets that you will be using at first to train you muscle memory.
Starting on the D E G notes will provide you with another 3 pentatonic scales.
D E G A C D
E G A C D E
G A C D E G
these 5 scales are the pentatonic scale modes and all of them can be used over most modal songs, or songs that dont change key in simple terms in C. The fingerings for all of the scales are different but they are all basically the same scales. remember use tastefully to prevent sounding like chinese music everytime you use it. For listening go and buy a few stanly clarke albums and have a listen, victor wooten as well.
sorry for the long post. cheers
Penta means 5 so basically penta-tonic would mean 5-tonic or 5 note scale.
Actually there are many pentatonic scales that people use. Not flaming anyone, rylche dont get me wrong, but the G minor is not THE pentatonic scale.
To get a short cycle of pentatonic scales take a C major scale C D E F G A B C and take out your 4 and 7 notes, you will get C D E G A C, thats your major pentatonic, the relative minor to this would be starting at the 5 note of this or the 6 note of the original scale, the A. A C D E G A.
To play this start with your middle finger on your A string 3 fret, or your C note and just move down your strings;
A STRING 3 fret 5 fret, Played with middle and last finger
D STRING 2 fret 5 fret, played with pointy and last finger
G STRING 2 fret 5 fret, Played with pointy and last finger
The A minor works on the same principle as this remember 1 finger per fret, isolate the 4 frets that you will be using at first to train you muscle memory.
Starting on the D E G notes will provide you with another 3 pentatonic scales.
D E G A C D
E G A C D E
G A C D E G
these 5 scales are the pentatonic scale modes and all of them can be used over most modal songs, or songs that dont change key in simple terms in C. The fingerings for all of the scales are different but they are all basically the same scales. remember use tastefully to prevent sounding like chinese music everytime you use it. For listening go and buy a few stanly clarke albums and have a listen, victor wooten as well.
sorry for the long post. cheers
Actually I think if it's practice for fretboard memory and ear training, it's better to use the major and minor scales, or the modes. The way I see it, pentatonics are derived from "bigger" scales anyway.
As for practice on the standard major and minor pentatonics... I believe you should easily get whatever you might need to do on the pentatonics if you have done your scales/modes well.
Maybe one application of pentatonics in practice is on right hand plucking. Most likely, you'll play exactly 2 notes on each string when you run up and down a pentatonic scale. I see it as good training for your right hand, especially when you go up in speed, and incorporate various right hand fingering patterns.
As for practice on the standard major and minor pentatonics... I believe you should easily get whatever you might need to do on the pentatonics if you have done your scales/modes well.
Maybe one application of pentatonics in practice is on right hand plucking. Most likely, you'll play exactly 2 notes on each string when you run up and down a pentatonic scale. I see it as good training for your right hand, especially when you go up in speed, and incorporate various right hand fingering patterns.
vic_bass504
New member
just wanna add
actually there are many pentatonics....
pentatonic is a basic musical "feel" around the world, i think before the 7 notes we know nowadays the "old" people used pentatonics...
like arabic, japanese, chinese pentatonics... if u hear like "aqueous transmission" by incubus..that one using a chinese pentatonic...or the classic "come out and play" by offspring it's use like an arabic pentatonic... (anyway this is just my analysis)
im from indonesia, and there are javanese pentatonic, sundanese pentatonic, balinese pentatonic, bataknese pentatonic,etc...it's a wonder how only five notes arrangement can make different ethnic group, sounds different...
anyway this is what i know..feel free to correct me...
actually there are many pentatonics....
pentatonic is a basic musical "feel" around the world, i think before the 7 notes we know nowadays the "old" people used pentatonics...
like arabic, japanese, chinese pentatonics... if u hear like "aqueous transmission" by incubus..that one using a chinese pentatonic...or the classic "come out and play" by offspring it's use like an arabic pentatonic... (anyway this is just my analysis)
im from indonesia, and there are javanese pentatonic, sundanese pentatonic, balinese pentatonic, bataknese pentatonic,etc...it's a wonder how only five notes arrangement can make different ethnic group, sounds different...
anyway this is what i know..feel free to correct me...
