GregHughes Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Hi There, getting back into playing after a long break but want to learn the more technical side of playing. Got some software with all the chords and scales on it but there is loads and I really don't know where is best to start? Funk is my preferred style so can anyone recommend the best way forward or the best scales/chords to learn first and it going to take ages to learn them all. I would get some lessons but I really can't afford them at the moment. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Start with the major scale and the chords that make it up and everything else will come from that. Learn the language of intervals (the distances between notes) as these are the backbone of most theory. once you get the principles, a lot of it is transferrable to other scales and chords. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisthebass Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1325708248' post='1486517'] Start with the major scale and the chords that make it up and everything else will come from that. Learn the language of intervals (the distances between notes) as these are the backbone of most theory. once you get the principles, a lot of it is transferrable to other scales and chords. [/quote] Bilbo's pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one - once you get into learning your scales, you'll see that Dorian, Mixolydian, Pentatonic & Blues are the main scales used in Funk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregHughes Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 Thanks. I think I need to do some more reading and get my head around the differences between the scales which will then help me understand them better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisthebass Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) [quote name='GregHughes' timestamp='1325715316' post='1486661'] Thanks. I think I need to do some more reading and get my head around the differences between the scales which will then help me understand them better. [/quote] If you want a good book that concentrates on scales (covers arpeggios as well & has examples of each being used in a "real life" musical situation), get The Bass Players Guide to Scales & Modes by Stuart Clayton. I've got this book & I'm still working my way through it - very good book indeed. Edited January 5, 2012 by louisthebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregHughes Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanks Louis, I'll get that ordered I think its not a bad price on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 While there is no doubt that scales are important, chords and chord tones are as, if not more important to know. Ninety percent of the time it is CHORDS as apart from scales that a bassist will play. Below is a great site, and here it deals with chord tones. http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-chord-patterns/chord-tones-are-primary/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 [quote name='GregHughes' timestamp='1325715316' post='1486661'] Thanks. I think I need to do some more reading and get my head around the differences between the scales which will then help me understand them better. [/quote] The best way to understand scales, is to know how chords are made up from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisthebass Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 [quote name='GregHughes' timestamp='1325756987' post='1487030'] Thanks Louis, I'll get that ordered I think its not a bad price on Amazon. [/quote] Hi Greg, As a thought, it might be a good idea to get it directly from Stuart's website [url="http://www.basslinepublishing.com"]www.basslinepublishing.com[/url] £14.99 + p&p. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) [quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1325759422' post='1487078'] The best way to understand scales, is to know how chords are made up from them. [/quote] I had not got the time earlier to expand a little on this. I'll do so now. I am no theory expert, but I had a lightbulb moment when my teacher explained the relationship between scales and chords to me this way : Chords are made up of every other note of a scale, i.e. 1,3,5 7, etc. Take the C major scale for example : CDEFGAB .... 1 to 7 with 8 being the octave. Working our way from the bottom up, we can make up all the diatonic ( meaning consisting of only the notes of that scale) chords of the Cmaj scale. So here we go : CDEFGAB If we now start on the third note (E) we get : EFGABCD CDEFGAB Again starting on the third note of the previous line we get : GABCDEF EFGABCD CDEFGAB Here we have all the triad ( meaning three notes) diatonic chords of the Cmaj scale, reading from the bottom up, from left to right. So Cmaj has the notes CEG, Dmin has DFA etc. This also helps to explain how some chords are minor and some are major. The interval of a third determines this. If we want to get four note chords we repeat the process once more. I would not get too hung up on modes for now. A lot of people think in terms of "what mode do I play over this chord ?" Much easier to just play the chord and not think in terms of modes. When you have really taken in and digested all of the above, then by all means move onto modes. Doing otherwise is like building a house, starting with the chimney. Hope this helps a little. Edited January 5, 2012 by Coilte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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