Mr Sheehan Major Scale Fingering

[PeteFromCorby]

I've recently read a book called Basic Bass by Billy Sheehan.

He says he likes to use the Major scale to improvise and gives 3 different fingerings.

One of the fingerings involves stretching two adjacent fingers over 3 frets.

I can't personally do this it,s too much for my small hands.

I also like to improvise using the major/minor scale but I use 5 fingerings which
cover the whole neck without the need for stretching 2 fingers over 3 frets.

If anybody else is interested let me know and I'll tell you more.

[Bilbo]

These kinds of details are pretty unimportant. Know the scales and learn to play them musically. That is all that matters. The finger you use is your concern not mine, Billy Sheehan's or anyone elses!! The chances are this will matter only when doing the Sheehan exercises, noever when you are playing a tune!!

[Gazza 2905]

I [size=4]remember Billy [/size]making this same point on a VHS video (which I still have), some 25 years or more ago.
The fact that a major scale can be played by using a mixture of just 3 finger patterns:

A whole step & a whole step,
A whole step & a half step,
A half step & a whole step.

And he advocates practicing these 3 shapes, the result being that you will then be able to play a major scale anywhere / all over the neck.

But yes, a whole step & a whole step is far too big a stretch for me too.
Billy's hands are [size=6][b]massive![/b][/size]

[size=4]I get by with my [size=1][b] [size=2]tiny[/size][/b][/size] hands by pivoting with my thumb and a few well timed position shifts.[/size]

[size=4]Bilbo's quite right in what he says (as always!)[/size]

[PeteFromCorby]

Thanks for the feedback guys

[visog]

The 'whole step & whole step' requires a position shift in the 1-5 fret area depending on the size of your hands but is eminently do-able in higher positions... Also, one shape formed by the major scale has three of these shapes on three adjacent strings making a very simple pattern with hundreds of permutations. E.g. in C major, we get G-A-B on the A-string, C-D-E on the D-string & F-G-A on the G-string... all starting on the 10th fret Uber-box shape heaven!

Edited May 4, 2014 by visog