jaybyname Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Good morning, can anyone point me in the right direction of a good chord/scale book for a 7 string bass. Is there such a thing etc. Im so out of practice with the basics, and now that I have plenty of time on my hands I thought it would be helpful to refresh my memory. Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Do you have it tuned in straight 4ths (e.g. BEADGCF) or like a 7 string guitar (e.g. BEADGBE)? If the former, you may struggle to find many books or at least any decent ones dedicated to 7 string basses, but a chord/scale book for a standard 4 string one can easily be extrapolated across all the strings due to the symmetry of the notes across the fingerboard. There are also loads of books for 5 string and 6 string chords/scales. If the latter, then you may have more luck with getting tutorial books for 7 string guitar or even 6 string guitar for chords/scales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybyname Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Yeah, standard 4ths tuning BEADGCF. Was actually thinking along the same lines as a standard 4 string book. I'm sure I can work something out. Makes a change to play my bass in silence in my living room. Never really had the time to sit and learn the basics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Yea a standard 4 string book would be a good shout - I think it'd be a happy medium between giving you enough information you can use to get started, but not so much info that you manage to escape having to think about it all. When I moved from 4 to 6 string I also spent a lot of time just repeatedly writing out the notes on the fretboard on paper again and again. I used to fill them in in a given scale (e.g. A major), then fill in all the blanks. I started just going through the scale in order, but then started moving to filling in the position of every possible 'A', then every possible 'B', etc etc so that I really started to learn where everything was on the fingerboard rather than just filling gaps like a purely intellectual exercise. I've since moved back down to 5 string, but it means I don't really get lost on 4 5 or 6 string basses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeBrownBass Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Get yourself a standard theory book and learn the notes on your fretboard. If you know your theory, you know the scale and if you know your fretboard you know where to play the notes etc..... Don't rely on patterns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Good advice, though I'd like to add (in the interest of reasoned discussion) that while we shouldn't rely exclusively on patterns that doesn't mean you are prohibited from using them, and they are very helpful to get to grips with different sounds and ideas... but they are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. For example, I see shapes on the fingerboard all the time, the frets I want to use 'light up' in my head so to speak, but I find that there is an awareness of the notes that I want before they are visualised as a shape/pattern on the 'board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 You don't need a 7 string (or bass) specific chord and scale book. If you learn the notes involved,the information is easily applied to the instrument. I understand the above point about shapes,but it is too easy to learn a pattern alone without actually understanding what you are playing-especially if you are 'learning' via a bass book (which would probably include tablature,especially if it was aimed at a specific number of strings). It's not difficult to learn the notes of a C major chord (for example)and play it all over the fingerboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybyname Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 Well.....many thanks for the advice. Again. I'm actually looking forward to 'starting again'. Just out of interest, does anyone actually live in the north east area and is 'up' for some bass teaching? Nothing flash. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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