Hey you! That beginner bassist!

Hello, are you interested in learning how to play bass? Well, I'm your new best friend!

To start off we'll start with something basic, the major and minor scales. Assuming you've never heard of music at all scales are 8 notes that sound good together. As a bassist it is your job to make sure everything sounds good. You are the link between the drummer and the guitarist. Where you sit is called the pocket, and if the pocket is your desk and the bass is your pen then the scales are your ink for any good walking line. If you play punk, rock, or pop you'll probably just want to do what the guitarist does because that's the cool thing to do nowadays. If you're playing a funk song your best bet is octaves and clicks with slap and pop(Will be thoroughly discussed next week.) and fingerstyle it's best to go with a major scale. Ska is based around a major triad.(1, 3, and 5 of a Major scale) Jazz can be anything from major to minor to any of the modes in between. You need to know your audience, music style, and your scales to get anywhere in the business.

Major Scale

A Major scale(Written with a capital M or Maj) is played starting with a root with numbers 2 through 8. A major scale in A would be A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A. If you're reading tab that's
E-5--7---------------------
A------4-5-7---------------
D------------4-6-7---------
G--------------------------
Now start playing this slowly and get used to using all your fingers. If you start only using the first three(pointer, middle, and ring) you're missing out on a ton. Your pinky finger is a much-needed finger in every style of music and is actually a lot easier to use once you get it strong enough to hold down the strings. You will have much more trouble with your ring finger later on in your lessons anyway, so start using your pinky now.

Minor Scale

A Minor Scale(Written m or Min) is the same as a major only the shape is changed a bit. A Minor Scale in A would be A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A and for those of you that read tabs:
E-5-7-8-------------
A-------5-7-8-------
D-------------5-7---
G--------------------

Again, use your pinky! I can't stress this enough, pinkies are one of your most important fingers and I love using my pinky, it was really tough to get used to at first and now it's second nature.

That's all until next time. Good luck playing!