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Ok, i'll get straight to the point. The exercise I show you within this lesson completely changed the way I play the bass. It forced me to start thinking in way that is much more musical and dynamic – and less in the "paint by numbers" style I was playing in before. I say "painting by numbers", as before I started using this exercise I was just "plugging in" licks into whatever I was doing – this exercise made that impossible to do.
When this exercise was originally shown to me by the great bass educator Bruce Gertz from the Berklee School of Music, I though "Huh, that sounds so easy… why doesn't he show me something 'really' technical… I'm ready for it… I can take it!". I mean seriously, this exercise seemed so simple on paper – but when I tried to put it into action… it brought me to my knees!
I was impossible!
Too hard!
Completely Turned my brain to soup!
I simply couldn't use any of the licks, tricks and dips (hey, it rhymed) i'd been using before.
Because this exercise was about linking my comping lines and soloing lines in a way that was much more organic than i'd ever done before, it meant that I HAD to learn a new way of thinking… and the exercise forced me to do so.
A quick word of warning…
This exercise took me a long time master. I would guess it took at least a month before I felt like I was getting a handle on it, and bare in mind I was using this exercise every day – 5 days a week. So when you first start using it… don't worry, I have been through the same pain! 😉
In closing, If you're just starting out on the bass, you should make a note of this exercise and revisit it at a later date. If you've been playing a while I really recommend you start using this within your practice time as soon as you can as it has the power to completely change the way you play the bass.
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Monster lesson Scott.
Hey cheers Mark, hope ya well man 🙂
Pffffff… Thanks God I play metal so i just need to thrash one string fast enough. 😀
Lol… rock on Alex! Great to see you coming along to hang out man… bass geeks rule! 🙂
+Scott’s Bass Lessons thank you so much for your lessons Scott! You infuence us to go forward.
Man.. you need to check out Viraemia to get some perspective.
+Louis Minett Or get pissed and smash ur bass 😉
and that.
Great lesson Scott. ‘Bass face’ commences @ 16:45.
BASS FACE! 😉
Good lesson. Found myself thinking ahead to work back to a root note when going from soloing back to the walking pattern. Why did you cut away from the chart when you started playing? I wanted to see the chord you were riffing on, so I just wrote it out and set it on the laptop while you played. It helped me to see how you were working back and forth. Thanks for a great exercise. Tricky.
Hey Tony thanks for watching man! If you hit the link in the video you can download the TAB and notation plus the chord sequence too. I’ll tell my dudes who edit my vids to leave the chart in for the next vid. Great to see you coming along and hanging out man! 🙂
Where can I listen to the full intro?
it’s all random notes and no feel
Scott….it would be really helpful if, during your explanations of playing thru the changes that you are using specific scales(actually thinking about them)…such as the F major scale(& it’s relative minor, D minor) as a choice to play against C7 because of the Bb in C7 and the Bb in the F and Dmin scales…….and the fact that since there are 2 b’s appearing in the entire progression (Bb & Eb) that the Bb major scale and it’s relative minor, Gminor, could be used.
And when you go to F# diminished, it is simply an F7 chord(F A C Eb) with a raised F (F# A C Eb). This would be neat for the student to understand.
The D major scale can be used over the Emi7 and A7 chords and the C major scale can be used over the Dmi7 and the G7 chords.
Then , you are also walking chromatically at various times so, given that the student has been supplied with enough specific information to enable him to solve all/any musical questions, then all “grey” area is gone and the student can create lines more intelligently with the strength of the essential knowledge to do so as I have mentioned herein.
Otherwise what you are doing is lovely but, needs to have additional details to completely rid one of those nasty “grey” areas that accompany so many of these online lessons. Soloing will also be much easier when the student is aware of all of his musical options which requires a little work on the music theory subject to completely comprehend “why” everything happens the way it does. Being able to play freely means having both rhythmic, theoretical and all neck positions of all scales and arpeggios fully learned.
outstanding!!!
I don’t want to sound dumb. But how do I play a Gm7C7 chord? Or are they just two different chords that share a measure? I need help. These cords are confusing.
Two different chords sharing a measure bro.
thank you. now I can start jamming.
Hey Scott do you use a foot pedal with that bass or what? I love the sound
I thought the way you described Gertz and sending tapes sounded a lot like like Jeff Berlin and Charlie Banacos. Turns out Gertz studied with Charlie! Small world.
Scott you blow my mind… each time i see one of your videos I feel like resigning my job and just play for a living… then I remember i don’t play good enough and that i have a good job…
But still… cool stuff!
wonderful~!!
Hey Scott, amazing lesson! A question, in this exercise do you want walking only with chord tones? Or can I do a normal walking? Other question, I’m working on repertorie, is this exercise a good way to practice the new tunes I learn?
is there`s only dominant 7-ths in major chords? it`s confusing a little bit
Id rather play with the video, solo over your walking and walking over your solo :D, really helpfull thanks
When you’re soloing, do you then only play the chord tones, or do you work out the key and play notes from said key?
very interesting!!!
dat bass face! awesome stuff. this is exactly what I was looking for. thanks man!
Kind of a pointless question really, but shouldn’t that F#dim7 be a Gb dim7? Because the Gb dim 7 is essentially a F7b9 without the F. The b9 would be a Gb, not a F#. However, while technically correct (Gb Bbb Dbb Fbb) that would make reading it a lot harder than the F#dim7 with all the enharmonic stuff happening because besides the F(F#), all other notes would stay the same.