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Practising your scales


tauzero
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As I am beginning with this "bigger guitar but with two missing strings" jobbie, I worked on something stratightfoward - the bassline to Daydream Believer by The Monkees.

It's in G and the last two bars of the chorus descends thus A, G, F#, E, D, C, B, A. Which is a descending G Major scale, that just starts and finishes on A.

What's not to like?

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5 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

I don't like scales. 

She was very good as Basil’s wife I thought. 

I play a five string: my 10-15 min warm up is mostly arpeggios across two octaves and then moving from minor to major scales on each string, again over two octaves. After that onto the choon of the week (I am not a gigging player but am slowly building my own set list for that eventual gig covering blues / metal / rock and jazz in each set!). Not sure why I posted that but I have. 

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7 hours ago, Deanol said:

As I am beginning with this "bigger guitar but with two missing strings" jobbie, I worked on something stratightfoward - the bassline to Daydream Believer by The Monkees.

It's in G and the last two bars of the chorus descends thus A, G, F#, E, D, C, B, A. Which is a descending G Major scale, that just starts and finishes on A.

What's not to like?

Dorian Mode. 👍

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9 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

Dorian Mode. 👍


I don't think it is really. The whole tune is in G. The line descending from A to A is just a fill in the last two bars of the chorus.

If it were a Dorian mode tune, I would expect the chords to be based around Am but they aren't, they are based around G major.

It's just a 2-bar fill that happens to run down the G major scale that starts and ends with A.

 

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3 minutes ago, tauzero said:

Isn't that the very definition of A Dorian?

I think many people get confused about “the modes”. It really depends on what’s going on underneath. If I were playing the chords of G and C and playing A-A it’d still have a strong ‘Major’ Ionian quality. The chords have power over the scale sound. Switch the chords to Am and D7, the ‘mood’ of the music will change to that of a Dorian sound.

or to put it another way, there’s a huge difference between playing the Dorian mode vs starting on the 2nd step of Ionian.

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1 hour ago, tauzero said:

Isn't that the very definition of A Dorian?

Yes, it is, but there are other 'types', or uses, of modes in general, depending on the underlying context. Personally, I'd agree that, with what the OP describes, I'd call that Dorian, as a bass line. It's all a bit hazy, really, and there's no one, definitive, interpretation in these instances. I'd say it boils down to the intentions of the bass player; was he (or she...) 'thinking' Dorian, or simply playing diatonicaly from the Second..? Dunno, really. Does it matter..? Not very much. ;)

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4 minutes ago, stewblack said:

I'm just starting to learn about modes and scales and chord tones and such. 

It is fascinating, eye opening, fun, difficult, confusing, rewarding and educational in roughly equal parts. 

But my goodness it has improved my bass playing.

I totally agree and I found the more you involve yourself the more things make musical sense 

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9 hours ago, Dood said:

I think many people get confused about “the modes”. It really depends on what’s going on underneath. If I were playing the chords of G and C and playing A-A it’d still have a strong ‘Major’ Ionian quality. The chords have power over the scale sound. Switch the chords to Am and D7, the ‘mood’ of the music will change to that of a Dorian sound.

or to put it another way, there’s a huge difference between playing the Dorian mode vs starting on the 2nd step of Ionian.

This!

You explained the concept properly,, whereas I failed miserably.

I am playing using the bass score I found here... Free Bass Transcriptions - Daydream Believer (PDF)

As you can see the last two bars of the chorus (where the A - A descending run is) are played over A major and D major. The last but one bar (the A major) probably does have a Dorian feel, but it only lasts one bar.

Anyway, it's a nice little tune and knowing where the scale pattern falls under my fingers, means I can more easily play the run.

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If by "practicing scales" people mean aimlessly playing them from root to root all over the neck, then the benefits are going to be minimal. To me, REALLY knowing/practicing scales involves knowing how chords are derived from them, and also being able to harmonise a scale...especially the major one. 

To those who say they don't need to practice scales or to know some basic theory....   Yes, you will get by without either, but IMO theory is beneficial in learning the "nuts and bolts" of music and how it "works".  Knowing a little basic theory never held anyone back...quite the opposite in fact.

 

https://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-chord-patterns/chord-tones-are-primary/

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4 minutes ago, Coilte said:

If by "practicing scales" people mean aimlessly playing them from root to root all over the neck, then the benefits are going to be minimal. 

^^ this

Knowing the scale / mode, how to play it and how it is constructed is important but what I have learnt the frustrating way is that unless you can apply it musically it has no value.

I'm changing my approach to learning sclaes & modes by 1, doing some circle of fifth, two octave and chord tones over chord progression exercises mixed with a big chunk of time just jamming to backing tracks / songs with those scales and getting a feel wmcof what sounds good.

The latter part is what is improving me as a player 

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9 minutes ago, MoJo said:

I've delved into the modes, chord tones, major and minor triads and major and minor pentatonics and it's made no difference to my playing whatsoever

Does knowing the alphabet and how to spell make any difference to how you speak ? 😉

 

Edited by Coilte
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10 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

Yes, it is, but there are other 'types', or uses, of modes in general, depending on the underlying context. Personally, I'd agree that, with what the OP describes, I'd call that Dorian, as a bass line. It's all a bit hazy, really, and there's no one, definitive, interpretation in these instances. I'd say it boils down to the intentions of the bass player; was he (or she...) 'thinking' Dorian, or simply playing diatonicaly from the Second..? Dunno, really. Does it matter..? Not very much. ;)

So it's rather like murder, because you've got to prove intent as well? 😁

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