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Scale Shape (beginner Graal)


Jazz Ad

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Some things are so obvious that we never talk about them.

Do you ever visualize scales this way on your fretboard ?

 

scaleshape.jpg

 

This is for the key of C. Your bass being a symetric instrument, the same shapes can be found in every key.

The idea is to remember the position of the root in them (greyed fret).

----------

Starting from there, you never have to wonder what notes you can play or not.

Also, you instantly know if the 3rd is major or minor, the 6th diminued or not, etc.

The whole fretboard can be represented with an alternance of these 2 shapes :

 

scaleshape1.jpg

scaleshape2.jpg

 

The first drawing is just them together.

If you know where you are in the shapes AND realize which degree it is, you can hardly get lost.

----------

You can mentally "slide" the next drawing around the upper chart and you instantly know which degrees can be used.

Of course, it's only useful for one note at a time, so it's only important to remember the position of one note compared to the root.

 

notesaround.jpg

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Originally posted by Jazz Ad

Actually, the whole fretboard can be represented with these 2 shapes.


scaleshape1.jpg

scaleshape2.jpg

The above drawing is just them together.

If you know where you are in the shapes AND realize which degree it is, you can hardly get lost.

i may be incoroporating a bit of that at present

i tend to use a linear scale shape since the top string can be a bit thin when moving from the A string across the neck..

i only occasionally go for the full octave stretch on one string except to get a glide up or down the music.

however these look a bit more concise...

where you getting all this stuff now.:cool:

 

ps you asked me some time ago about saxes and jazz..??

i didnt give you a very positive feedback i dont think

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I'm getting this stuff fom my head.

Just playing with Excel for now. :)

 

When I have students I always make them draw these shapes. Way to remember them.

I also have them filling big annoying tables with all degrees in all tonalities.

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Originally posted by meegaleedo

That's cool JA. Could this be slid into the FAQ?

Sure.

I could keep on.

Actually, I realized yesterday at the practise that my mind was not as sharp as it used to be on scales, degrees and all.

We should discuss it more on the board, so I would exercise theory the same way I do with my english.

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Originally posted by Jazz Ad

Sure.

I could keep on.

Actually, I realized yesterday at the practise that my mind was not as sharp as it used to be on scales, degrees and all.

We should discuss it more on the board, so I would exercise theory the same way I do with my english.

 

 

English and theory discussions work for me.

 

For me, the one largest leap in my theory knowledge was learning, from this board was that a scale was the representation of the Key. And the concepts of modes helped also. Before all I was confident to do was roots, 3rds and 5ths.

 

I am still a theory neophyte but I really try and absorb as much as I can.

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for a good blues scale try this (eg. is in G) Hold the pattern and play wherever you want. It's basically a natural minor with no 2nd or 6th and the flat 5th incorporated.

 

-----------------------------------

---------------------3--5-------------

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

----3--6-----------------------------

 

Mouse

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Originally posted by Jazz Ad

We're all neophytes. Most of us, at least.

Usually, the day you understand modes, it's like discovering the way the whole universe works.

It was for me at least.
:)

 

+1

That's exactly what happened to me. And led me to learn how much deeper the subject is.

 

As far as exercising the theory, you have not had anyone to argue with about it.

 

CoughFlamewarcough

 

;)

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Originally posted by the_grouse_mouse

for a good blues scale try this (eg. is in G) Hold the pattern and play wherever you want. It's basically a natural minor with no 2nd or 6th and the flat 5th incorporated.


-----------------------------------

---------------------3--5-------------

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

----3--6-----------------------------


Mouse

 

 

Yea thats part of a G blues scale I found for guitar that I just play just the first octave on with bass

 

its a really cool lick, I actually wrote a bassline bassed on it..kinda cool. its a powertab file.

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Originally posted by Jazz Ad

What about this one ?

You can mentally "slide" it around the upper chart and you instantly know which degrees can be used.

Of course, it's only useful for one note at a time, so it's only important to remember the position of one note compared to the root.


notesaround.jpg

 

I like that one, too. The nice thing about that is that the 5ths, 6ths are "diminished" as opposed to flattened or minored. Good tool to not only learn the positions and relations to the root and the correct terminology.

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i vote we put info like this in a"sticky".

i'm a 36 year old novice,and my brain doesn't just snap this stuff up.

thanks for the color chart JA;my lefty mind accepts this better than numerical tabs.-;)

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Originally posted by tonru

i vote we put info like this in a"sticky".

i'm a 36 year old novice,and my brain doesn't just snap this stuff up.

thanks for the color chart JA;my lefty mind accepts this better than numerical tabs.-
;)

Ask and thou shall receive.

scaleshapelefty.jpg

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Originally posted by meegaleedo

I like that one, too. The nice thing about that is that the 5ths, 6ths are "diminished" as opposed to flattened or minored. Good tool to not only learn the positions and relations to the root and the correct terminology.

It's because 3rds and 7ths directly define chords (minor or major, minor or major 7th, etc).

Once you have those the rest of them come automatically, unless you say they're not (which leads to chords like C 7M dim5)

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Originally posted by the_grouse_mouse

for a good blues scale try this (eg. is in G) Hold the pattern and play wherever you want. It's basically a natural minor with no 2nd or 6th and the flat 5th incorporated.


-----------------------------------

---------------------3--5-------------

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

----3--6-----------------------------


Mouse

I have seen this referred to as pentatonic. Try using the same notes in b flat major with the Csharp as a passing tone. You can do quick trills on the C-C sharp notes prior to resolution. Very jazzy..

-------------------------------3------

---------------------3----5------------

------(1)----3----5----------------------

-------6------------------------------

 

and then down with some extras

 

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

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

--------------------------6--5--3---(1)-----------

--------------------------------------(6)-----

you can bend up to the 6s from the 5s for a bluesier sound...

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