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Start with owning the diatonic major scale because everything else is built on that

framework. But understand that "knowing" is so very much more than being able to play
it in one key in one position. It means you know its construction
(WWHWWWH), you can figure out for yourself on the fly the correct notes in any key,
you can play it in any key ascending and descending over at least two octaves, and most
important, you know how it SOUNDS. This means as you play it you hear what the next
note should sound like BEFORE you play it.

Then learn the basic chord construction; major is 1,3,5; minor is 1,b3,5; seventh is
1,3,5b7; minor 7 is 1,b3,5,b7; major 7 is 1,3,5,7, diminished is 1,b3, b5; augmented is
1,3,#5; diminished 7 is 1,b3,b5,bb7 (and you know WHY it's a double flatted 7 and not
the 6).
Learn the harmonized major scale so you not only know that I and IV are Major 7, that ii,
iii, and vi are minor 7, that V is a dominant 7, and that vii is a minor 7 flat 5 or halfdiminishwd, but you UNDERSTAND WHY. This will lead to understanding community
chord progressions.
Then go and investigate the pentatonic minor and pentatonic major scales.

BassPatternsbasedupontheMajorScalebox.
Code:
MajorScaleBox.
G|9/2||10/3|11/4|1ststring
D|6||7|8/1|
A|3|4||5|
E||R||2|
4thstring8/1isthebeginningofanewoctave.
BasicChords
MajorTriad=R35
MinorTriad=Rb35
DiminishedChord=Rb3b5
7thChords
Maj7=R357
Minor7=Rb35b7
Dominant7=R35b7
diminished=Rb3b5b7
Fulldiminished=Rb3b5bb7
Seeachordandplayit'schordtones.Aseverykeywillhavethreemajor,threeminorandonediminished
chordit'sagoodideatogetyourmajor,minoranddiminishedbasslinechordtonesintomusclememoryso

whenyouseeachordyourfingersjustknowwhatwillwork.Nowthesongmayonlygiveyouenough
roomfortheroot,orrootfiveadaptandgetasmanychordtonesintoyourbasslineasneeded.Rooton1
andasteadygroovefromtheotherchordtonesplussomethingtocallattentiontothechordchangewill
keepyougigging.
Scales
MajorScale=R234567Homebase
MajorPentatonic=R2356Leaveoutthe4&7
NaturalMinorScale=R2b345b6b7Majorscalewiththe3,6&7flatted.
MinorPentatonic=Rb345b7Leaveoutthe2&6.
Blues=Rb34b55b7Minorpentatonicwiththebluenoteb5added.
HarmonicMinorScale=R2b345b67Naturalminorwithanatural7.
MelodicMinorScale=R2b34567Majorscalewithab3.
Letthemajorscalebeyourhomebasethenchangeafewnotesandyouhavesomethingdifferent.Noneed
tomemorizeazillionpatterns.Letthemajorscalepatternbeyourgotopatternthenadapt/adjustfrom
there.
GenericNotesforyourbassline.
Theroot,fiveandeightaregenericandfitmostanychord.Rememberthediminishedhasaflatted5.
The3isgenerictoallmajorchords.SoR353willfitunderanymajorchord.
Theb3isgenerictoallminorchords.AndRb358willfitunderanyminorchord.Whythe8?Wellthe
8isjustanotherrootinthenextoctave.
The7isgenerictoallmaj7chords.Yep,R357fitsnicely.
Theb7isgenerictoalldominantseventhandminorseventhchords.G7=R35b7orGm7=Rb35b7.
The6isneutralandaddscolor,helpyourselfto6s.LovethesoundofR356withamajorchord.
The2and4makegoodpassingnotes.Dontlingeronthemorstoponthem,keepthempassing.
Inmakingyourbasslinehelpyourselftothosenotes,justusethemcorrectly.
Roots,fives,eightsandthecorrect3&7willplayalotofbass.
Startwithrooton1.Ifthesonggivesyouroomaddthe5.Stillhaveroomthe8willwork.Stillhaveroom
seeifyoucangetthecorrect3and7intothemix.

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