This lesson covers how to play scales and arpeggios on the bass guitar but only descending from a high root note.
This lesson was inspired by a Skype lesson I was giving recently on walking bass lines and the student was having problems with descending arpeggios. Ascending then descending was fine but descending from any given note was hard.
So this bass lesson is intended to help with getting over that hurdle. The main arpeggios of the major 7, minor 7, dominant 7 and minor 7 b5 are covered along with an assortment of scales.
Descending Arpeggios
We tend to practice scales and arpeggios going up and then back down again. This means that it can be confusing when we only need to descend as we often rely on the ascent to remember the scale. This is fairly common, but can be problematic when it comes to linking chords together to create walking bass lines. To make descending feel more comfortable and natural, you need to practice coming down the scale or arpeggio on its own. This means choosing an arpeggio or scale and descending from the higher octave down to the root.
Again, there are a few different ways to play any one arpeggio. Underneath is the notation and TAB for four different chords and each one is shown with three alternative fingerings.
Once you have these shapes under your fingers you can start moving them around to different starting notes.
Descending Scales
Scales can be played in exactly the same way as arpeggios, the only difference is that they have more notes. Again, there are loads of alternative ways to shape each scale so a few are shown below.
This was exactly what I needed!
Just Great
Hi Mark, thank you for this lesson on how to get around with the arpegios in different positions and the common reliance on going up the arpegios. I think your style of teaching and demonstrating is really good and you give so many great tips with reasons to back them up.
Thanks
Baz
Hi Mark – great lesson and your comment about bread crumbs leading us home is correct (even if I thought it was example quick learning, it is even quicker forgetting). By the time I got the pdf printed out and started playing,I had forgot your comment about staying in position (my hands are small so I am not good about that anyway) and I was wondering why that 5th was when there was an (out of position) one closer and since I am learning the fret board at the same time it seemed like a “smart” thing to learn it both ways. Sometimes I add tasks until I forget what were doing the first place, and then go gets some lunch;-) Your comment about saying the note names is a big deal also, I need to learn them but knowing 24 scales (or 12 twice), is another task. Thanks for the help. I need to find my circle of 5ths or 4ths now.
Serious science, very awesome and technical , and right to the point without any padding or fluff.
Great for the technical mind, THANK YOU
Yep was what i needed.
thanks for the information
Great stuff, extremely logical and best of didactical methods. Talking Bass is to me best online tutorial in the web. Thanks Marc for all the inspiration and support.
Hello Mark,
your videos and articles about walking bass and related topics are the best I have found not only in the web but comparing to (paper-)books and further related material. I thank you very much for your great work!
Is it your opinion, that the best way to master walking lines is to memorize the notes each chord consists of instead of lerning the patterns on the fretboard? There is a very substantial difference between both ways, the fist one requiring pure memorizing capability, the second one is visual oriented, in my opinion easier and more funny to learn. I am very interested in your answer.
Best wishes!