CHEAT SHEETS!! Scales, modes, chords and arpeggios:

[faiz0802]

I kinda figured after a long time of misconception that shapes are just tools for simplicity and are helpful only after you've perfected a good number of ways of playing a scale. This is how I go about it.

1) I take a scale, and scale, and use the formula. I now play it on groups: 1 string, then wherever I can using 2, then in variations of 3 and then 4. After a few weeks of rigorous practice when I feel that I've gotten the hang of it, the snowball effect kicks in. I reinforce everything by playing in all keys. Another few weeks and I've gotten pretty decent in, say, playing in the major scale in all keys.

Now the tricky part:

2) I take one shape and on a notebook I make a fretboard diagram of that scale. Instead of using notes I use intervals because that way I know how the pattern moves and therefore I can transpose the process into any key. Get the root right and everything falls into place. I find that alternating between saying note names and interval names distributes the work load by half.

3)Now I take any one pattern that I've already jotted down and alter; lets say the 3rd to change it from major to minor. Due to the snowball effect, since I've already mastered the pattern, I only have to move the 3rd by half a step, or one fret lower and I got another pattern nailed. I use 8 patterns for a scale in one octave.

After these steps, if all is right, I've mastered 2 scales with 8 patterns in all 12 keys. This is a great way to learn the fretboard as well.

Now the fun begins:

4) I start mixing patterns up. This is where I turn from a 'one octave man' to a '2 octave stud'. Being mathematically inclined, I have a HUGE fetish for symmetry and permutations/combinations. *cough cough* On with the story... Get the notebook out again, and draw the fretboard diagram for say, P1+P2 (here P stands for pattern)..
Then P1+P3 , P1+P4 and so on. This is completely up to you, it seems like a chore, but as I said, it gives suprisingly easy with time. Keeping a notebook gives the illusion of accomplishing a lot more than just practice, it reinforces confidence and helps in keeping a journal of all your conquests.

5) Next we have modes. Same as scales in my opinion, but I kinda learnt that mode is just a scale turning moody. Just use the same patterns and add the extra notes wherever they pop up.

6)By the time you're done with all this you will have a very strong understanding of how intervals work and where they appear while shifting, fretwise or stringwise. Just pick out the notes from a position and you have arpeggios and chords.

Edited March 16, 2011 by faiz0802

[faiz0802]

Ok I tried copy pasting, but they're notepad files and the editing is getting all messed up, and I dont have the patience to change and edit it here. So you guys are free to download and check. Please feel free to PM me or contact me on fb if there are any queries. Cheers.

Edited March 13, 2011 by faiz0802

[faiz0802]

Ok that file order is in reverse, but you get the drift.

Hope all this helps, and hope you guys don't make the mistake of avioding theory for years, like I did. If you understand how it works, you always do a better job. I rarely follow the rules, but I always where and how I'm breaking them.

Cheers!

[endorka]

That's an interesting approach, and certainly more involved than anything I've done.

At the moment I'm trying to combine jazz and classical styles of scale learning in my double bass practice. First of all I practice a scale in several static positions across the fingerboard, usually starting on the 7th, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th.

e.g. for F major the first position would start on the open E (essentially E locrian), then G (dorian), then A (phrygian), then C (mixolydian) then D (natural minor).

I do this for a while then move onto playing one octave scales up and down a single string.

After a bit of this I try to combine the two approaches by playing 2 octave scales with various fingerings.

A lot of the reason for practicing scales on the double bass is to refine intonation, as well as the other benefits, so we may have different requirements here.

Jennifer

[faiz0802]

Ofcourse. I've tried that method you talk of, and I think its similar in approach to step 5. Wow, upright bass huh? I've always dreamt of playing one...

Some day... sigh...

[faiz0802]

29 downloads and noone has anything to say? I could do with a little feedback folks...

[lucatus]

Wow, looks interesting! Right now, following a minor injury, I tried to go very gently with only stuff from Aebersold's Scalle Syllabus (wich I reccommend), but I'll certainly download and try this one out.

[faiz0802]

[quote name='lucatus' post='1163882' date='Mar 16 2011, 12:41 AM']Wow, looks interesting! Right now, following a minor injury, I tried to go very gently with only stuff from Aebersold's Scalle Syllabus (wich I reccommend), but I'll certainly download and try this one out.[/quote]

Oh. Sorry to hear about your injury. Yes this list is purely a reference I made over the years. Once you nail the flow of intervals around the fretboard for one scale, the rest gets really easy. Hope your injury heals. All the best!!

[faiz0802]

I've found a few cheat sheets on the internet over the years, free content ofcourse. It also includes a fretboard chart for harmonics I think, not entirely sure. Will post soon when free and patient enough to search through the clutter. Cheers.

PS - If you guys have any, please share.

Regards,
Faiz

[purpleblob]

Nice work !

I wrote out almost exactly the same stuff back in my late teens (a long, long time ago) on numerous rolodex cards. As a programmer/mathematically minded individual I also worked more with intervals than notes as I could plug the notes into a formula to get the notes in the scale. Often thought of putting everything on the web including an app. I wrote (although would need updating) which could display all this stuff, but never have time. Anyway keep up the good work - harmonizing the scales next ?

[faiz0802]

[quote name='purpleblob' post='1164906' date='Mar 16 2011, 08:13 PM']Nice work !

I wrote out almost exactly the same stuff back in my late teens (a long, long time ago) on numerous rolodex cards. As a programmer/mathematically minded individual I also worked more with intervals than notes as I could plug the notes into a formula to get the notes in the scale. Often thought of putting everything on the web including an app. I wrote (although would need updating) which could display all this stuff, but never have time. Anyway keep up the good work - harmonizing the scales next ? [/quote]

Ah yes, harmonizing the scales. I'd completely forgotten about that. Will do that too in some time. I had to take a gap of 2 years due to work, so I've gotten very rusty. Will take out my trusty notebook and and go over that as well. But then the whole typing it out part comes in. Maybe I'll just scan them and post it online.

Thanks for the kind words.

[faiz0802]

Hey folks, just so you know, studybass.com has wonderful fretboard diagrams for notes, scales and even harmonics. They also have the diagrams for harmonics i think. Do check that out too. Cheers.

[faiz0802]

Does anyone have Cheat Sheets to share?

[ZMech]

Sounds similar to how I approached things (am an engineer). One thing I'd warn you about now is that patterns can be subtly limiting. Until recently I only really knew how to play each scale using a pattern for each, always accross 3 strings. The switch to jazz has highlighted how annoying this is, especially when playing over Eb. So I'd recommend playing all your various scales in multiple ways, e.g. over 1, 2, and 3 strings, or more if your so inclined, along with using a different fret choice for the way down for the one you chose going up, e.g. if playing an Am on the way up play the D and E on the D string, and on the way down on the A string.

Also a nice exercise for practicing your arpeggios, and linking them into the music as well:

Get a standard e.g. Autumn Leaves, and in steady crotchets play the arpegio of each chord in time with the song. Once you're getting happy, switch the order e.g. to 3rd 7th 5th root. As you no doubt have already worked out there are of course 24 ways in which you can arrange those four notes, and that's without ommitting the 5th in favour of the octave. This has quite quickly helped me understand how note choice effects the character of the chord your playing over, especially as a starting note (having to start every bar on the root is a myth I believed for too long!).

[quote name='faiz0802' post='1160277' date='Mar 13 2011, 10:40 AM']Ofcourse. I've tried that method you talk of, and I think its similar in approach to step 5. Wow, upright bass huh? I've always dreamt of playing one...

Some day... sigh... [/quote]

double basses make great birthday presents! managed to convince my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to all split the cost and just get me the one awesome gift for my 21st a few months ago.

Edited March 19, 2011 by Zach

[faiz0802]

[quote name='Zach' post='1168597' date='Mar 19 2011, 07:39 PM']Sounds similar to how I approached things (am an engineer). One thing I'd warn you about now is that patterns can be subtly limiting. Until recently I only really knew how to play each scale using a pattern for each, always accross 3 strings. The switch to jazz has highlighted how annoying this is, especially when playing over Eb. So I'd recommend playing all your various scales in multiple ways, e.g. over 1, 2, and 3 strings, or more if your so inclined, along with using a different fret choice for the way down for the one you chose going up, e.g. if playing an Am on the way up play the D and E on the D string, and on the way down on the A string.

Also a nice exercise for practicing your arpeggios, and linking them into the music as well:

Get a standard e.g. Autumn Leaves, and in steady crotchets play the arpegio of each chord in time with the song. Once you're getting happy, switch the order e.g. to 3rd 7th 5th root. As you no doubt have already worked out there are of course 24 ways in which you can arrange those four notes, and that's without ommitting the 5th in favour of the octave. This has quite quickly helped me understand how note choice effects the character of the chord your playing over, especially as a starting note (having to start every bar on the root is a myth I believed for too long!).



double basses make great birthday presents! managed to convince my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to all split the cost and just get me the one awesome gift for my 21st a few months ago.[/quote]

Great going!! Enjoy your upright man!!

As for what you've said about the scales over 1,2,3 strings etc, that what I meant by making up patterns and combining them. As you're an engineer, (I am too), you probably know that using 8 patterns in multiple combos comes up to 8! ways, which is quite a bit. However, this is unnecessary, and i just wanted the whole pattern approach for the understanding bit. The whole point is to understand how intervals work and move around on the fretboard, not the scales themselves. I think 8 patters tweak individually to correspond to different kinds of scales gives you a pretty good idea of the whole process.

But yes, its very annoying if you rely on them. I don't. I use them mainly as references. Or as get-out-of-trouble backups.

[faiz0802]

But frankly its all way simpler and clearer if you can sight-read and play the scale using notations. No pattern-dependence there.