all majore scales!

Here you have example for C major scale.

C major

C major

And good to know is to play 2 octave major scales: here is an example for two octave major scale

G major 2 octave

I suggest you to check the lessions here on activebass. You can find there all major scales and circle of five!

Good luck!

thank you!

Welcome to AB Holly.

IMO... The first thing you should learn are all the modes. Which would be:

Major
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Minor
Locrian

After you have that all down it doesn't hurt to know the "Blues Scale". You didn't have anything listed for focus on your Homepage. So, if you are planning on playing in a Blues band that might be the first one you want to learn, assuming you don't know it. I use some other ones as well like:













Also a "Harmonic Minor" scale is a good one to know. It's used in classical a good bit. Yngwie Malmstein uses it quite a bit as well. I wrote 3 or 4 songs using that scale, so it's a pretty handy one to have in your arsonal.

There are a ton of scales listed in the Bassics section of this site. You can learn them forever, but most you will probably never use.

Dave

Steady :-)

The *first* things you should learn are the major scale and the
minor scale, definitely not the modes. The modes have a great
deal of subtlety. The application of them is difficult to explain
even to an advanced player, and I suspect someone asking which
major scales they should learn is not an advanced player.

I would say to learn to play the major scale accurately (which
means start slow) in all keys. To do that find out about the circle
of fifths and play them all around the circle. Do it anti-clockwise
though which is often called the circle of fourths and makes
more sense on a bass (as it is tuned in fourths). So play C, F, Bb,
Eb, Ab, Db, F#, B, E, A, D, G and back to C. When you can do that
do the same with the minor keys. Then, have a look at major and
minor pentatonics and the blues scale. You can stretch just this
information quite a long way!

I agree with you!

I respectfully disagree, she wasn't asking which ones to learn. (but even if she was I still think you should learn them) She was asking which scales a bass player should know. I don't consider the modes to be advanced at all. For me they made the whole neck make sense. I've taught them to begginers in no time. I did list the major scale first, but come on... after you learn that, the rest fall into place. At least they did for me.

I would say to learn to play the major scale accurately (which means start slow) in all keys.

I must have learned differently because that doesn't make any sense to me. Once you know it you know it and it's just a matter of playing it at a different position. Am I missing something or was I just a fast learner. I find that hard to beleive...hehehe.

Of course I taught myself. I didn't have any formal training. I'm not trying to bust your chops Howard, I just didn't find the modes all that difficult. I consider them something a begginer should learn.

Maybe I'm wrong but that's the way I learned.

Dave

Essentially, there are "scale patterns", such as this one for a G Major Scale:

G Major

Once you know this pattern, then you can just move it around the neck (on the E and A strings). There are similar patterns for minor scales, the blues scale, modes, etc. If you look up each type of scale in the ActiveBass scale-finder (Under Bassics Tab), you can find the basic pattern. From there, you just need to know the names of the notes on the E and A strings to find the right starting position. Just start with the root note (lowest note in the above pattern; 4th string/3rd fret) on the appropriate string/fret, and play the same pattern. For example, F# major would start on the 4th (E) string at the 2nd fret while D Major would start on the 3rd (A) string at the 5th fret.

The only time this won't work is if you want to play scales in the open position (E Major, for instance). You can also expand this by learning the pattern across all four strings from the E string and/or learning the 2-octave version given earlier.

Check out the "Name that Note" utility under Bassics and refer to their fretboard diagram.

Hope this helps and makes some sort of sense.

If you weren't new here I'd probably be insulted....hehehe (I'm kidding).

I've been playing since 1978, I've got about 1,000 or so gigs under my belt. Trust me I know my scales QUITE well. Maybe I just view it differently. I see not only the G Major scale, but all the modes within that scale when I'm playing it.

What I couldn't understand is learning a Major scale in every position. Once you've learned it for a G it's the same thing as an A only a different spot on the neck, with different notes, but it's still the same pattern. I mean it's the same thing only up a step. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what he was saying. As a matter of fact it's a bit foggy. I can't understand why you wouldn't want to learn your modes. If you're playing a G Major and you're playing EVERY single note within that scale on your neck, then you are playing though modes. Why not learn them. It sure makes it easier to comunicate a musical thought as well. I don't go to my guitarist and say I wrote a new song here's the notes. I say I wrote a new song, it's in G Mixolydian, whith an A minor chorus, and the jam is a D Dorian... it goes like this.

Am I making any sense or am I just sounding like an idiot...LOL!

But I commend you for your explanation David. Very well done!

I'm outta here... I gotta go pick up a case of Heineken and head to band practice. Time to make some noise with the boys!

: )

Dave

Ok...

firstly, I in no way think that learning modes is a bad idea. The
interrelationship between the scales and 'position playing' is one
of those big steps that you take.

But.. without wishing to be patronising to anyone, I am usuming
that the initial poster is very much a beginner and I think you
guys may be forgetting what it is like to be starting out. Yes,
learning the scale patterns takes two seconds but I am
advocating using it around the neck to learn the neck a little
better and reinforce the patterns in all those different positions.

Modes are simple enough in theory but you must have seen all
the posts on AB with people being completely confused as to
how to apply them and how they can use them effectively. I just
think that this is an unneccessary burden for a beginner who
just needs to gain some basic skills and confidence.

Having said all that, I do respect your opinions - I should have
explained myself a little better in the first place.

Gottcha Howard, no harm no foul. You're right sometimes I do forget what it's like just starting out. I mean come on, that was SO many beers ago!

: )

Dave

What a debate. IMHO, I would suggest learning the major and minor patterns first (along with the notes on the E and A strings). I say these first because they are the foundation of everything else (how do you explan that a Dorian mode starts on the second of the major scale if someone doesn't know the major scale?). Then, as an introduction to the modes, point out that the minor is the same thing as an Aeolian mode, which starts on the sixth. I think it's important for beginners to realize that these modes exist, that there is more to music than major/minor. However, using them properly will probably take some time. But why not give beginners the information and let them incorporate it as they mature. Also, in my experience, I only think about modes when I'm writing a piece of music. If I'm trying to learn a cover song, I general just try to figure out the key and listen for the intervals. How much someone will use modes depends on how much they want to study composition.

Like many things, I'm not sure there is just one answer. It really depends on the student. If you have a student that struggles through a one-octave major scale, they are probably note ready to learn modes. Again, how do you explain them? If you have another student that can rip through scales as fast as you can call them out, then they are probably ready. However, the theory and use may take a while to develop.

Another point about modes and AB, if you try to use the "Scale Finder", you have to know at least the names of the modes. There isn't a major or minor scale list, only an Ionian (major) and Aeolian (natural minor).

Anyway, back to the original question as to scales for a beginner to learn, start with the patterns for major and minor scales AND memorize the notes on the E and A string. The basic pattern for major and minor in the key of G (one sharp on F) are:

G Major

E minor

Hope this helps!