Basic Scales

Today we’re going to teach you the basic scales that any musician should know. These four are the scales that you will use most in your musical career, the Major Scale, the Minor Scale, the Major Pentatonic, the Minor Pentatonic, and the Blues Scale.

First is an A Major Scale:

|-------------------------------4-5--------------------|
|---------------------------5-7------------------------|
|--------------------4-6-7----------------------------|
|--------------4-6-7----------------------------------|
|--------4-5-7----------------------------------------|
|--5-7-------------------------------------------------|

You can take this pattern and move it to whatever note you want the scale to start on. For example: if you were to start it on the third fret, it would be the G Major Scale. The same goes for all of these scale patterns.

Next is the A Minor Scale:

|----------------------------------5--------------------|
|--------------------------5-6-8----------------------|
|--------------------4-5-7----------------------------|
|---------------5-7------------------------------------|
|--------5-7-8----------------------------------------|
|--5-7-8----------------------------------------------|

Now we move on to the Pentatonic Scales, these scales are comprised of five notes take from either the Major or Minor Scale.

First, the A Major Pentatonic Scale:

|-------------------------------5-7--------------------|
|-------------------------5-7--------------------------|
|--------------------4-6-------------------------------|
|--------------4-7-------------------------------------|
|--------4-7-------------------------------------------|
|--5-7-------------------------------------------------|

Now let’s try the A Minor Pentatonic:

|----------------------------------5-8-----------------|
|--------------------------5-8-------------------------|
|---------------------5-7------------------------------|
|---------------5-7------------------------------------|
|--------5-7-------------------------------------------|
|--5-8-------------------------------------------------|

The Pentatonic Scales are used most often in solos; they take the notes out of the Major and Minor Scales that tend to clash with the notes within chords. Now we move to a variation of the Minor Pentatonic Scale, the Blues Scales it, too is used mainly in solos.

Here’s the A Blues Scale

|----------------------------------5-8-----------------|
|-------------------------4-5-8-----------------------|
|---------------------5-7------------------------------|
|---------------5-7------------------------------------|
|--------5-6-7----------------------------------------|
|--5-8-------------------------------------------------|

What we added to the scale is what’s called a flat fifth. It’s the note that gives a blues solo that bluesy sound.

Those are the basic scales that all musicians should know, they’re the same on bass guitar as they are on guitar and you can move them to root (starting) note of your choice. Practice these patterns every day to build finger strength/speed and to memorize the patterns.