Bass Fundamentals

Major Scales, Modes and MORE!

If you're ready to step up your Bass Game then read on and Book a Lesson with me today!

About me

Gregori Hofmann (Celebrity Pedals)

MA in Composition and Ethnomusicology, BMus (Hons), PG Cert in Music Education.

Taught Music from Diploma to Masters level at BIMM University London for over 13 years.

Played on Platinum and no.1 Records. Constantly recording for artists on Warner Brothers, Atlantic, Parlophone, Universal, Polydor, Blue Note Records.

Toured a lot of the world as a Bass Player and M.D for over 15 years.

Some Highlights:

Collaborated with Bootsy Collins (Funk Legend) | Recorded with Kandace Springs (Blue Note Records Recording Artist) | Played TV Shows with Rick Astley (80' Pop Legend) | Played on Jess Glynne's Platinum/UK no.1 Album 'Always in Between'

Is this you?

You're bored of playing the same stuff and practicing doesn't feel fun.
You want to be more creative with your bass playing.
You want to love picking up the bass every day and create an environment where you can improve.

I truly believe I can help! 🤘

BUT you need to be ready to invest in yourself as a musician.

If you are ready to commit to practicing and a 30 minute lesson every week then

DM me today!

Check out what we will cover below! 👇

Watch my tip on how to learn Major Scales containing Sharps! 👉

Lesson 1: MAJOR SCALES WITH SHARPS

F C G D A E B

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle. Thats how you remember the Circle of 5ths on a straight line.

C Major has no sharps or flats. All keys to the right of C contain sharps.

To figure out how many sharps each key has just count from C.

So G Major has one sharp. D Major has two sharps. A Major has 3 sharps. E Major has 4 and B Major has 5.

To know what the sharps are in each key always count all the way from F and add the word 'sharp'.

All keys with sharps in them contain an F #.

Something important to remember is that when it comes to Major Scales.

We do not mix sharps and flats. There are Major Scales which contain sharps and there are Major Scales which contain flats.

We will cover the keys containing flats in the next lesson.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:

1.How many sharps are in this key?

2. What Sharps are they?

Then, Play the Major Scale and say the note names.

Example:

G Major has 1 sharp. It’s F#.

Play and Say: G A B C D E F# G

Lets learn to play the Major Scale Backwards, 3 Notes Per String and across two octaves.

Play those exercises in C Major and all keys containing Sharps.

F C G D A E B

Play Ascending and Descending. Once comfortable then introduce time i.e. Metronome or Drum Groove

Lastly! 5 minutes of creating Bass Lines using 3 notes per string shape. Try challenge yourself to play wide intervals, leave space and vary note length.

Fill in the missing notes 👇

Can you play your Major Scale in the following ways?

👉

Video Below 👇

FUN CHALLENGE!

Let's take the song 'Cuff It' by Beyonce.

The song is in G Major and the chords are : C, Am, Em, D

Challenge yourself to create fills using the shapes you have learnt and use the G Major Scale to play fills.

Try to play fills using G Major on every chord, not just on the final bar.

Pick one chord to try this on for each practice session.

So you could say, I am going to play a fill on the Em chord and resolve to D.

Work on this out of time for a while, then do it slowly, then along to the track.

Practice doesn't have to be performance!

Work up towards that and make sure to resolve to the next chord!

Click the Title to open the track on YouTube 👇

LESSON 2: FLAT KEYS AND TRIADS

F C G D A E B

For flat keys we need to remember F Major has one flat. Bb

All other flat keys have a Flat (b) in their name. Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb

To work out how many flats there are go Right to Left Plus 1.

Eb has 3 flats. Bb EB + Ab

Db has 5 flats Bb Eb Ab Db + Gb

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF:

1.How many flats are in this key?

2. What are they?

Then, Play the Major Scale and say the note names.

Ex: F Major has one flat. It is Bb

The F Major Scale is F G A Bb C D E F

Now, as we did with sharps lets play our Major Scales with flats: Backwards, 3 Notes Per String and across two octaves.

TRIADS:

REPEAT THIS OVER AND OVER:

MAJOR, MINOR, MINOR, MAJOR, MAJOR, MINOR, DIMINISHED

So on a fundamental level. When you play every other note in the major scale you will find the notes in each diatonic triad. When you do this, you will find that these are the Triads in any Major key:

1 is Major

2 is Minor

3 is Minor

4 is Major
5 is Major

6 is Minor

7 is Diminished

Now pick a Major Scale and apply this method to the Major Scale:

F Major has one flat. Bb. The F Major scale is F G A Bb C D E F

The Triads in F Major are

F Maj, G min, A min, Bb Maj, C Maj, D min, E Dim

Now can play all triads in one position. Just play every other note in the scale to find the note names.

F Maj (Start on Middle Finger)

G min (Start on Pinky)

A min (Start on Index)

Bb Maj (Start on Middle)

C Maj (Start on Pinky)

D min (Start on Index)

E Dim (Start on Ring)

Now play all triads across your E String always starting on your index finger.

F Gm Am Bb C Dm Eo F

In this exercise try to use only the index and pinky finger for all triads except Diminished.

You should be able to play all diatonic triads within any key, as we did above AND be able to play each triad starting from the same root. For this exercise it helps to know the formulas, which I have written below.

Major (Maj) = 1 - 3 - 5
Minor (min) = 1 - ♭3 - 5
Diminished (dim) = 1 - ♭3 - ♭5
Augmented (aug) = 1 - 3 - ♯5
Suspended 2 (sus2) = 1 - 2 - 5
Suspended 4 (sus4) = 1 - 4 - 5

Now apply and play these formulas off the same root note. For example, in C:

C Major = C - E - G
C Minor = C - E♭ - G
C Diminished = C - E♭ - G♭
C Augmented = C - E - G♯
C Sus2 = C - D - G
C Sus4 = C - F - G

Fill in the missing triads 👇

Lesson 3: 7TH CHORDS

On a fundamental level. The 7th Chords in any Major key:

1 is Major 7

2 is Minor 7

3 is Minor 7

4 is Major 7
5 is Dominant 7

6 is Minor 7

7 is Half-Diminished OR Minor 7b5

Now pick a Major Scale and apply this method to the Major Scale:

Bb Major has 2 flats. Bb and Eb.

The Bb Major scale is Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

The 7th Chords in Bb Major are

BbMaj7, Cmin7, Dmin7, EbMaj7, F Dom7, Gmin7, Amin7b5

Now play all 7th chords in one position:

In one position:

Bb Maj 7 (Start on Middle Finger)

C min 7 (Start on Pinky)

D min 7 (Start on Index)

Eb Maj 7 (Start on Middle)

F Dom7 (Start on Pinky)

G min 7 (Start on Index) REQUIRES SHIFT

A Half-Dim (Start on Index) REQUIRES SHIFT

Now play all 7th chords across your E String always starting on your index finger.

Fill in all the Diatonic 7th chords 👇

Try these in the following way:

On all Diatonic 7th chords (GMaj7, Amin7, Bmin7, CMaj7, D7, Emin7, F#min7b5)
Same Chord Different Key ( G Maj7, A Maj7, Bb Maj7, D Maj7, Db Maj7)
Different Chord, Different Key (A Maj7, D min7b5, Eb min7, Gb7, Ab min7)

This exercise is particulary helpful when dealing with playing through chord changes and playing bass lines with non-diatonic harmony. Let's take the Michael Jackson song 'Butterflies' and try to create bass lines and melodies which outline each chord using our 7th chord shapes.

Ab Maj7

Db min7

E Maj7

A Maj7

We will take a look at this chord progression when we start learning our Modes. You will see how these new concepts will help you be more creative while still 'dealing with the harmony;'

Below is a list of all possible 7th chord inversions which you can use on all 7th chord types if you alter the formula. Once the new shape is under your fingers, try to make bass lines over a loop of the chord you have chosen. Don't just play the shape up and down.

Lesson 4: Pentatonics

All 5 shapes:

All shapes consist of Tones and Minor 3rds

Shape 1: m3, T, T, T

Shape 2: T, m3, m3, T

Shape 3: T, T, T, m3

Shape 4: m3, m3, T, T

Shape 5: T, T, m3, m3

You may have learnt these shapes and learnt to play groups of 3 or 4 but to me that feels mechanical.

Rather take one motif and play it through the five shapes. Keep the same rhythm and melodic blueprint.

As you expand these blueprints and create more complexity within the order of notes and rhythms you choose, you will develop your own vocabulary. I think that can inspire hours of practice!

Pentatonics off Chord Tones:

Maj 7 -

Minor Pentatonic off : 7, 3, 6

Major Pentatonic off : R, 5, 2 (Lydian)

Min7 -

Minor Pentatonic off : R, 5, 2 (Dorian), 4 (Aeolian)

Major Pentatonic off: b3, 4 (Dorian) , b7

Dom 7 -

Major Pentatonic off : R, 4, b7

Minor Pentatonic off : 2, 5

Practice in all keys:

Here’s a list of minor pentatonic scales built off the 3rd, 6th, and 7th of Major 7 chords in all keys:

C Maj7: B Minor Pentatonic, A Minor Pentatonic, E Minor Pentatonic

Db Maj7: C Minor Pentatonic, Bb Minor Pentatonic, F Minor Pentatonic

D Maj7: C# Minor Pentatonic, B Minor Pentatonic, F# Minor Pentatonic

Eb Maj7: D Minor Pentatonic, C Minor Pentatonic, G Minor Pentatonic

E Maj7: D# Minor Pentatonic, C# Minor Pentatonic, G# Minor Pentatonic

F Maj7: E Minor Pentatonic, D Minor Pentatonic, A Minor Pentatonic

Gb Maj7: F Minor Pentatonic, Eb Minor Pentatonic, Bb Minor Pentatonic

G Maj7: F# Minor Pentatonic, E Minor Pentatonic, B Minor Pentatonic

Ab Maj7: G Minor Pentatonic, F Minor Pentatonic, C Minor Pentatonic

A Maj7: G# Minor Pentatonic, F# Minor Pentatonic, C# Minor Pentatonic

Bb Maj7: A Minor Pentatonic, G Minor Pentatonic, D Minor Pentatonic

B Maj7: A# Minor Pentatonic, G# Minor Pentatonic, D# Minor Pentatonic

PENTATONIC PAIRS and Sequencing:

"This is super fun to practice!"

Maj 7 = Major Pentatonic off the 5th and Minor Pentatonic off the 3rd (AMaj7 = E Maj Pent + C# min Pent)

min 7 = Major Pentatonic off the b7 and Minor Pentatonic off the 5th ( Amin7 = G Maj Pent + E min Pent)

Dom 7 = Major Pentatonic off the Root and Minor Pentatonic off the 6th ( A7 = A Maj Pent + F# min Pent)

min7b5 = Major Pent off b5 and b2 + Minor Pentatonic off b7, b3 and 4th (Amin7b5 = Eb Maj Pent + Bb Maj Pent and G min Pent + C Min Pent and D min Pent)

"Here it is for you to try in all keys! Don't try do this all in one day! Pick one chord type and spend a whole week on the same chord and concept for a concentrated time in each practice session!"

Maj7 Chords

Cmaj7: G Major Pentatonic + E Minor Pentatonic
Dbmaj7: Ab Major Pentatonic + F Minor Pentatonic
Dmaj7: A Major Pentatonic + F# Minor Pentatonic
Ebmaj7: Bb Major Pentatonic + G Minor Pentatonic
Emaj7: B Major Pentatonic + G# Minor Pentatonic
Fmaj7: C Major Pentatonic + A Minor Pentatonic
F#maj7: C# Major Pentatonic + A# Minor Pentatonic
Gmaj7: D Major Pentatonic + B Minor Pentatonic
Abmaj7: Eb Major Pentatonic + C Minor Pentatonic
Amaj7: E Major Pentatonic + C# Minor Pentatonic
Bbmaj7: F Major Pentatonic + D Minor Pentatonic
Bmaj7: F# Major Pentatonic + D# Minor Pentatonic

Min7 Chords

Cmin7: Bb Major Pentatonic + G Minor Pentatonic
Dbmin7: B Major Pentatonic + Ab Minor Pentatonic
Dmin7: C Major Pentatonic + A Minor Pentatonic
Ebmin7: Db Major Pentatonic + Bb Minor Pentatonic
Emin7: D Major Pentatonic + B Minor Pentatonic
Fmin7: Eb Major Pentatonic + C Minor Pentatonic
F#min7: E Major Pentatonic + C# Minor Pentatonic
Gmin7: F Major Pentatonic + D Minor Pentatonic
Abmin7: Gb Major Pentatonic + Eb Minor Pentatonic
Amin7: G Major Pentatonic + E Minor Pentatonic
Bbmin7: Ab Major Pentatonic + F Minor Pentatonic
Bmin7: A Major Pentatonic + F# Minor Pentatonic

Dom7 Chords

C7: C Major Pentatonic + A Minor Pentatonic
Db7: Db Major Pentatonic + Bb Minor Pentatonic
D7: D Major Pentatonic + B Minor Pentatonic
Eb7: Eb Major Pentatonic + C Minor Pentatonic
E7: E Major Pentatonic + C# Minor Pentatonic
F7: F Major Pentatonic + D Minor Pentatonic
F#7: F# Major Pentatonic + D# Minor Pentatonic
G7: G Major Pentatonic + E Minor Pentatonic
Ab7: Ab Major Pentatonic + F Minor Pentatonic
A7: A Major Pentatonic + F# Minor Pentatonic
Bb7: Bb Major Pentatonic + G Minor Pentatonic
B7: B Major Pentatonic + G# Minor Pentatonic

Min7♭5 Chords

Cmin7♭5: Gb Major Pentatonic + Db Major Pentatonic + Bb Minor Pentatonic + Eb Minor Pentatonic + F Minor Pentatonic
Dbmin7♭5: G Major Pentatonic + D Major Pentatonic + B Minor Pentatonic + E Minor Pentatonic + F# Minor Pentatonic
Dmin7♭5: Ab Major Pentatonic + Eb Major Pentatonic + C Minor Pentatonic + F Minor Pentatonic + G Minor Pentatonic
Ebmin7♭5: A Major Pentatonic + E Major Pentatonic + C# Minor Pentatonic + F# Minor Pentatonic + G# Minor Pentatonic
Emin7♭5: Bb Major Pentatonic + F Major Pentatonic + D Minor Pentatonic + G Minor Pentatonic + A Minor Pentatonic
Fmin7♭5: B Major Pentatonic + Gb Major Pentatonic + Eb Minor Pentatonic + Ab Minor Pentatonic + Bb Minor Pentatonic
F#min7♭5: C Major Pentatonic + G Major Pentatonic + E Minor Pentatonic + A Minor Pentatonic + B Minor Pentatonic
Gmin7♭5: Db Major Pentatonic + Ab Major Pentatonic + F Minor Pentatonic + Bb Minor Pentatonic + C Minor Pentatonic
Abmin7♭5: D Major Pentatonic + A Major Pentatonic + F# Minor Pentatonic + B Minor Pentatonic + C# Minor Pentatonic
Amin7♭5: Eb Major Pentatonic + Bb Major Pentatonic + G Minor Pentatonic + C Minor Pentatonic + D Minor Pentatonic
Bbmin7♭5: E Major Pentatonic + B Major Pentatonic + G# Minor Pentatonic + C# Minor Pentatonic + D# Minor Pentatonic
Bmin7♭5: F Major Pentatonic + C Major Pentatonic + A Minor Pentatonic + D Minor Pentatonic + E Minor Pentatonic

NOW LETS TRY THIS ON A SONG!

Heres how you might practice these concepts on the chord progression to Get Lucky by Daft Punk. This is a great track to practice this to as its a fun song and the chord progressions repeats for the entire track.

The progression is Bm7 - D - F#m7 - E. Here's a breakdown of the ones I found the most melodic.

1. Bm7

Minor Pentatonic off the R and 5th :
- B Minor Pentatonic
- F# Minor Pentatonic

- Major Pentatonic off the b3 and b7 :
- D Major Pentatonic
- A Major Pentatonic

2. D

Minor Pentatonic off the 3rd and 6th :
- F# Minor Pentatonic
- B Minor Pentatonic
Major Pentatonic off the R, 5 and 2nd :
- D Major Pentatonic
- A Major Pentatonic
- E Major Pentatonic (a little spicy...)

3. F#m7

Minor Pentatonic off the R and 5th :
- F# Minor Pentatonic
- C# Minor Pentatonic
Major Pentatonic off the b3 and b7:
- A Major Pentatonic
- E Major Pentatonic

4. E

Major Pentatonic off the R, 4th and b7 :
- E Major Pentatonic
- A Major Pentatonic
- D Major Pentatonic
Minor Pentatonic off the 2nd and 5th :
- F# Minor Pentatonic
- B Minor Pentatonic

Lesson 5 : Modes

IDPLMAL (I-Dip-ill-Mal)

Play the corresponding 7th chord before you play the mode to hear the mood and context of each Scale.

I Maj7 - Ionian : Major Scale
ii m7 - Dorian : b3, b7

iiim7 - Phrygian : b2, b3, b6, b7

IV Maj7 - Lydian : #4

V Dom7 - Mixolydian : b7

vim7 - Aeolian : b3, b6, b7

vii Min7b5 - Locrian : b2, b3, b5, b6, b7

Play all modes From Same Root:

C Ionian, C Dorian, C Phrygian, C Lydian, C Mixolydian, C Aeolian, C Locrian

Play All Diatonic Modes within one key:

C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian, A Aeolian, B Locrian

Play 7th Chord Arpeggio then Mode:

F Maj7 + F Ionian, G min7 + G Dorian, A min7 + A Phrygian, Bb Maj7 + Bb Lydian, C Dom7 + C Mixolydian, D min7 + D Aeolian, E min7b5 + E Locrian

Do this in all keys!

The next step is to pick a melodic blueprint and play it through all diatonic modes.

Try play 1 2 3 7 5 3 and apply this blueprint to every mode. Add some rhythm to it and you're creating some beautiful music and using Modes to do it!

Fill in all your modes 👇

A fun way to practice any new musical concept is the following:

Ascend

Descend

Ascend/Descend

Descend/Ascend

You can apply this to all diatonic Intervals, Triads, 7th chords, Pentatonics and Modes.

3 Note Per String Modes and varying permutations.

We can now learn modes as '3 notes per string' shapes. Once we have covered that, we can then apply a variety of patterns to these shapes. Something I like to do is to focus on being able to play each mode from any point on any string. You will find that you easily begin to play new melodies and fills, once you begin to vary the rhythm.

Try these:

123

213

321

312

231

You can also combine these to create some even more interesting melodic cells and odd groupings i.e groups of 3 and 5.

For instance, try to play a 3 note group on one string and a 2 note grouping on the next string:

132 , 21 , 132 , 21 OR 231, 12 , 231, 12 etc

Now, let's return to 'Butterflies' and try to outline each chord using modes and the melodic patterns above.

Ab Maj7 = Ab Ionian

Db min7 = Db Dorian

E Maj7 = E Lydian

A Maj7 = A Lydian

Lesson 6: Spread Triads and Spread 7th Chords

"Rather than playing our triads ascending and in inversions, lets try spread out the voicing like keyboard player. This gives you a far more open and melodic sound."

Spread Triads:

Major : 1 5 3, 3 1 5, 5 3 1

Minor : 1 5 b3, b3 1 5, 5 b3 1

Diminished : 1 b5 b3, b3 1 b5, b5 b3 1

Spread 7th Chords:

Major 7 : 1 5 7 3 , 3 7 1 5 , 5 1 3 7 , 7 3 5 1

Minor 7 : 1 5 7 b3 , b3 b7 1 5 , 5 1 b3 b7 , b7 b3 5 1

Dominant 7 : 1 5 b7 3 , 3 b7 1 5 , 5 1 3 b7 , b7 3 5 1

Minor 7b5 : 1 b5 b7 b3 , b3 b7 1 b5 , b5 1 b3 b7 , b7 b3 b5 1

Something fun to try!

On a C Maj7 Play : Emin7 ; Amin7 ; Bmin7

Lesson 7 : Triad Pairs

"Triad pairs allow you to take something you're familiar with and create totally new sounds and ideas."

Rather than seeing Modes or Chords as an ascending structure, we can re-order the notes and create sets of triads that give us the same notes but in an often more intervallic and melodic way.

For instance, on a Dmaj#11 chord you could think of the D Lydian Mode, The G Major Scale or G Major Pentatonic but you could also think of these two triads : D Maj + E Maj. You could then play those triads in inversions and as spread voicings, vary the rhythm and order of the notes and soon you will be creating amazing music with Triad Pairs.

For a Cmaj7#11 chord, you can use a variety of triad pairs that fit the Lydian sound. The chord tones in Cmaj7#11 are C, E, G, B, and F# (the #11). You could think of C Maj and D Maj or B min and E min triads. Once you get that down on a C Maj7#11 you can work on it in all keys.

This concept is very common in keyboard playing and horn arrangements. The intro to So What by Miles Davis features G Major and F Major triads in the horns over a D min7 chord. Give that a try. Loads more options for minor chords are coming up!

For altered dominant chords, triad pairs can help create melodic and harmonic tension by outlining altered tones. Here are some triad pairs commonly used over altered dominant chords (e.g.G7alt)

1. Major and Minor Triad Pairs

B♭ major and A♭ major
A♭ major and B♭ minor
B♭ minor and E♭ minor

2. Diminished Triad Pairs

D diminished and F diminished
B diminished and D diminished
F diminished and A♭ diminished

3. Augmented Triad Pairs

C augmented and D augmented
E♭ augmented and F♯ augmented

4. Combination of Major and Diminished Triads

B♭ major and D diminished
A♭ major and B diminished

5. Combination of Minor and Diminished Triads

E♭ minor and A♭ diminished
B♭ minor and D diminished

6. Combination of Major and Augmented Triads

A♭ major and D augmented
B♭ major and C augmented

These pairs are useful over altered dominants because they target the altered tensions (♭9, ♯9, ♭5, ♯5) and the root and flat seventh of the chord, adding color and tension to resolutions. You can mix and match these depending on the altered scale you're implying (e.g., diminished whole-tone or altered scale).

Here is a load more of them to try on a C minor Chord: 👇

Now that we have covered Pentatonics, Pentatonic Pairs and Triad Pairs, we could look at how these can form a new Scale. Often referred to as a Hexatonic Scale. Triads consist of 3 notes so when you add two triads together you can create 6 notes scales. i.e Hexatonics. I have created a list of options for you to work on over a Minor 7 chord which will show you how to combine some of the fundamental concepts we have worked on to create new melodic possibilities.

Here’s a full chart that includes triad pairs alongside the other scale options for minor 7 chords in all 12 keys:

Lesson 8 : Dealing with Dominant 7 chords.

"Every note works on a Dominant 7 chord if you know how to create tension and release.

"The secret is rhythm!"

On Dominant 7 chords we generally think of a Static chord in the Funk sense. The James Brown thing, The Prince thing but it could also function as a tension chord, which resolves to either a I Maj7 or imin7.

As it is a chord filled with tension we can really play with that.

The most common fundamental concepts to apply when playing on Dominant 7 chords are the following:

C Dom7 = 1357 or C Mixolydian BUT there is so much more to try!

Remember to try Pentatonics off Chord Tones from our previous lesson 👇

In case you forgot... On a Dominant 7 chord try these:

Major Pentatonic off : R, 4, b7

Minor Pentatonic off : 2, 5

Now let’s try these concepts on E7:

E Mixolydian

D Mai 7

F# Minor Pentatonic

E Minor Pentatonic

E Minor Hexatonic

D Major Hexatonic

E Min Blue

G Mai7

A Melodic Minor

B Melodic Minor

E Dorian

A Mai 7

A Mai + Bmin

D Mai + E Mai

F# Min + G# Min

F Maj

Heres the same concepts on G7 :

G Mixolydian

E Minor Pentatonic

G Major Pentatonic

D min 7

D Dorian

F Maj7

A Minor Pentatonic

G Minor Pentatonic

G Minor Hexatonic

F Major Hexatonic

G Minor Blues

Bb Maj7

Bb Melodic Minor

C Melodic Minor

D Melodic Minor

G Dorian

C Maj7

C Maj + D min

F Maj + G Maj

A Min + B Min

Try to focus on resolving to a chord tone or Scale Degree.

The next step would be to see if you can play these concepts on a V - I.

Either :

V - I Maj7

V - imin7

So you need to resolve your lines to the I chord:

E7 to A Maj7

E7 to A min7

Lesson 9: Harmonic and Melodic Minor :

"Let's focus only on where these might be useful to us" If you live in Spain and play Flamenco Music or you are in a Chick Corea Tribute Band then these scales will be of great use to you. Unfortunately for you I am neither of those things and so I will only touch on these briefly.

I like to think of Harmonic Minor as being like a Natural Minor scale with a Natural 7.

1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 8

The Harmonic Minor Modes I have found most useful are the Harmonic Minor Scale itself and the mode built off the 5th degree. ie Phrygian Dominant, as it works well on a V chord to resolve to a Min7 or Min6 chord.

"A great song to work on playing with this sound in mind is Planet Chia by Chick Corea off the album The Vigil." 👇

I like to think of Melodic Minor as being like the Dorian Mode with a Natural 7.

1 2 b3 4 5 6 7

There are many books and lessons on Melodic Minor but I tend to focus on the Melodic Minor Scale itself and could admittedly go a lot deeper with it. I tend to superimpose the Parent Scale in as many ways as I can.

For instance, on Dominant Chords try playing Melodic Minor off the b9, b7, 4th and 5th.

To work on some even more out there sounds, try using it to replace your diatonic Minor Scales. I suggest start by replacing your Dorian ideas with Melodic Minor as there is only one note difference.

Something else that I find useful is to substitute 7th chord arpeggios and modes that have similarities, which we will go into detail with during the lesson. Let's work with the chart below which shows all the diatonic 7th chords and Modes of Melodic and Harmonic Minor.

A great track to work on Melodic Minor vocabulary is the intro and verse to 'I Can't Help It' by Michael Jackson. Lets look at the harmony and how to use the Melodic Minor Scale and the relevant modes.

|| A9 (13)#11 | AbMaj9 ||

One thing we could look at is to try to use E Melodic Minor on the 1st chord in the progression and then seek out resolve points with voice leading to take us to AbMaj9.

At this point you could also go back to the Dealing With Dominant Chords Lesson as I mentioned where you could use Melodic Minor.

Lesson 10 : BASS CHORDS

"Okay, here we go.."

There are a lot of voicings which work on Bass that have been discussed by Bass Teachers for years but I would like to focus on the voicings that I use to create Bass Lines and Improvise.

Play these Voicings off each Chord in a Diatonic Key. Adjust each voicing to fit the Relative Chord-Scale:

125

157

159

156

145

756

156

137

197

167

536 (Spread)

Play through all diatonic chords of a specific key with one voicing and then try vary the voicings as you change from one chord to another.

For example:

Play the same voicing on all chords in the key of Eb Major

Play from one voicing to another in the same key i.e In the key of Bb, play a 756 voicing on chord vi to a 167 voicing on chord I.

Try this with Melodic Minor too!

Create your own blueprints and move them around!

Creating Harmony with the Pentatonic Scale:

The focus in this lesson is on finding chords within our Pentatonic scale. I'll show you how to do this with the F Minor pentatonic scale. Let's try identify and play various chords like F7sus, F minor, F minor 7, Ab major, Ab6-9, and more by looking at the chords we can see within the scale. This is something keyboard players do a lot ie. Cluster voicings. You can also take a blueprint or shape and move it through the scale.

"As with all chord shapes, you can use these new note groupings as fills too!"

Lesson 11: Chromatics

In my view, chromatics are there to create more tension and delay a resolution. We should always look to aim at chord tones unless you're some sort of modern avant-garde composer... then do your thing! Ha

There are quite a few logical ways to practice this using scales and arpeggios.

It has to do with RHYTHM! Where you start and end a line has an incredible impact on the way you use chromatics.

First! Lets learn to play the chromatic scale both ascending and descending! Learning how these scales fit comfortably on the bass is important. As we are dealing with rhythm and at times, up-tempo playing we need to not be thinking about what fingers to use. Here are my two suggestions:

We ascend and shift our index.
We descend and climb diagonally with our pinky.

Here's 3 of Barry Harris' Chromatic Rules which help us get this in our ears and hands:

Rule #1 - If a line starts on the Tonic (1), 3, 5, or b7, there must be a half step between the Tonic and the 7th.

Rule #2 - If a line starts on 3, 5, or b7, there can be a sequence of half steps from 3 to 2, 2 to 1, 1 to b7

Rule #3 - If a line starts on 2, 4, or 6, it does not require any half steps.

Another common way to approach chromaticism is enclosures and again choosing a note to aim for and delaying the resolution using a combination of notes and rhythm. The Bebop Legends were masters of this. Using Triads and Arpeggios with ornaments and enclosures rather than playing Modes/Scales is what will help you get closer to that sound.

Most importantly you should listen to the Masters of the music for the feel, inflections and real vocabulary. Ultimately all these concepts and words are there to try and describe the sounds these incredible musicians made but the jargon will always fall short of the spirit and sound of the music.

Make sure to find music within whatever genre you are studying that you love to listen to. Focus on that. I never liked listening to Jaco even though everyone was telling me to... BUT I could listen to Havona by Weather Report a million times because I loved the composition. Ultimately, wanting to play that song allowed me to learn to love his music more than his Bass playing and then it was game over!

The second Barry Harris concept we can practice is leading into a chord tone on beat 1 and adding one note at a time. We can do this diatonically but also work on using chromatics.

Lesson 12: Re-Harmonisation &

Playing 'outside'

As Bassists being able to play chords can open up our ears to understanding what keyboard players in Jazz and Gospel Music are doing. Here we will take the chord voicings we have learnt in the previous weeks and focus on using common tones between the melody and new non-diatonic harmony that our melody note could suggest. We can then create some really interesting melodies, bass lines and options for soloing with the new chords we have outlined.

On a D Minor lets look at the note C.

C could be the Maj 7 of Db Maj7

C could be the 3rd of Ab Maj 7

C could be the 6th of Eb Maj 6.

C could be the 5th of F Maj7 or F min7.

C could be the b3 of Amin7.

Now we can play these chords and resolve them back to Dm7. When our ears are able to hear this resolution we can play lines which start on the note C, outline the new chord and then resolve back to Dm7. We can then take the modes and scales we have learnt and apply that to these new chords. ie. DbMa7 to Dm7 then Db Lydian starting on C to Dm7.

Another chordal concept that we can explore is creating a simple melody and then using the same chord quality to harmonise every note in the melody. ie Harmonise every note as the Maj 7 of a Maj chord, as the b7 of a min7 chord or as the 11 of a Sus9 chord. Let's try that in the lesson!

Here's something very specific to work on...

On a Gmin9 chord the 9th is the note A. A could also be the melody note at the top of all the chords below. You could therefore imply all those chords on a Gmin9 and resolve. After that you could work out what scale could work and play around with that. Make sure to really emphasise the note A, the new chord and then resolve!

D Sus 4

Dbm(b6)

C6 / B

A/C#

Bmin7

BbMaj7

G 6/9

F#min7 (b6)

F Maj7

E7Sus

D/F#

EbMaj7#11

D Add9

Gadd9

What is quite amazing is that as long as the note A appears in the key or chord of any chord you are playing over, you could still use these exact same ideas. You would just need to resolve to that chord!

Lesson 13 : Playing Through Chord Changes

Learn the Melody

Step 1: Learn the Melody

Step 2: Embellish the Melody

Step 3 : Embellish the Embellishment!

Learn The Harmony

Outline the Chord Changes using Arpeggios

Ascend One Chord and Descend the next from the closest Chord Tone

Ascend the Arpeggio and Desend The Mode

Take one Motif through the whole Progression using a Melodic/Rhythmic Blueprint

Voice Leading

Start with the 3rd or 7th of the first chord

Outline the Harmony with Triads/7th Chords with the guide tones always moving chromatically or at most by a tone.

Vocabulary

Learn a piece of Vocabulary from your Favourite Solos and apply this to one chord.

Learn how to move the vocabulary to other chord types

Learn how to flow through the changes by altering the vocabulary to fit the new chord, even if the chord changes in the middle of the line

BONUS MATERIAL!!!

Example Practice Plan 1:

1. Must Knows

• G Major Spread Triads

• ii-V-I in Bb using Spread Triads

• G Lydian and G Dorian across two octaves

• Melodic Minor Scale from b2, 4, 5 and b7 of Dom7 chord

• Ie F7 = Gb M.M , Bb M.M , C M.M and Eb M.M

• Pentatonics from chord tones

• Ie CMaj9 = Bmin pentatonic, Emin Pentatonic and D Major Pentatonic.

2. New Exercises

• Maj 7 played in Major 3rds a 5th Apart in Bb, Gb and Ab

• Min 7 played in Minor 3rds a 5th apart in A, E and D

• Adding one chromatic and starting Major scale on the ‘and’

3. Track of the Week

HER – DAMAGE

• What are the chords?

• What does the melody imply?

What Modes could you use?

• What Pentatonics?

4. Groove of the Week

Louis Cole – Dance of Doom

5. Transcribe a line

Chick Corea Bbmin line from Humpty Dumpty

Example Practice Plan 2:

1. Must Knows

• A Minor Spread Triads

• ii-V-I in Eb using Spread Triads

• Ab Dorian and Gb Lydian across two octaves

• Melodic Minor Scale from b2, 4, 5 and b7 of Dom7 chord

i.e G = Ab M.M , C M.M , D M.M and F M.M

• Pentatonics from chord tones

i.e Bmin7 = B Minor pentatonic, F# Minor Pentatonic and D Major Pentatonic.

2. New Exercises

• Maj 7 played in Major 3rds a 5th Apart in Db, Eb and D

• Min 7 played in Minor 3rds a 5th apart in Ab, Db and Gb

• Adding one chromatic and starting Dorian Mode on the ‘and’

3. Track of the week to analyse

Michael Jackson – Rock With You

• What is the Harmony?

• What does the melody imply?

What Modes could you use?

• What Pentatonics?

4. Groove of the Week

Amber Mark – What It Is

5. Transcribe a line

John Coltrane – Moment’s Notice Chromatic ii-V

Example Practice Plan 3:

1. Must Knows

• Db Minor Spread Triads

• ii-V-I in F voice leading with Spread Triads

• Db Dorian and Bb Aelion across two octaves

• Melodic Minor Scale from b2, 4, 5 and b7 of Dom7 chord

i.e G = Ab M.M , C M.M , D M.M and F M.M

• Pentatonics from chord tones

i.e Bmin7 = B Minor pentatonic, F# Minor Pentatonic and D Major Pentatonic.

2. New Exercises

• Maj 7 using 2 notes per string in Db, Eb and Bb off each chord tone.

• Min 7 played using 2 notes per string in Ab, E and D

• Descending modes from the 9th in all keys

3. Track of the week to analyse

B Section of Joe Henderson Inner Urge

• What is the Harmony?

• What does the melody imply?

What Modes could you use?

• What Pentatonics?

• Try arpeggio and spread triad ideas

4. Groove of the Week

Brothers Johnson – 2nd half of Brother Man

5. Transcribe a line

McCoy Tyner on Mr PC Live in Graz Coltrane Concert

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