Pacman's sure-fire scale practice method

[mambo4]

You can (and should) practice any and all scales and modes in this fashion.

 

[Lobster11]

Can anyone speak on as to how this applies to the natural minor scale?

Would the same principal apply?

Exactly the same. Whenever you are practicing a major scale this way, you are also practicing that scale's relative minor; they contain exactly the same notes. For example, the notes of the G major scale are the same as the notes of the E (natural) minor scale, so whenever you practice the one you're practicing the other.

 

[Pacman]

Exactly the same. Whenever you are practicing a major scale this way, you are also practicing that scale's relative minor; they contain exactly the same notes. For example, the notes of the G major scale are the same as the notes of the E (natural) minor scale, so whenever you practice the one you're practicing the other.

Well, yes and no. It's best, IMO, to practice major and minor in their own context. Meaning, the relative minor should start on its own "1" not "6."

 

[Lobster11]

Well, yes and no. It's best, IMO, to practice major and minor in their own context. Meaning, the relative minor should start on its own "1" not "6."

Hey, thanks for chiming in. You're right: I should have been more clear. My point was simply that if one follows "your" method -- starting from the lowest available note in whatever scale one is playing -- the notes you play would be the same whether you thought of it as Em (in which case you'd start on the root at the open E) or G major (in which case you'd start on the 6th). But I completely agree that you should always be thinking about what you're doing as one or the other, always being aware of what the root is and how the other notes relate to it.

 

[Pacman]

). But I completely agree that you should always be thinking about what you're doing as one or the other, always being aware of what the root is and how the other notes relate to it.

Yep, that's it exactly!

 

[Rudreax]

Can anyone speak on as to how this applies to the natural minor scale?

Would the same principal apply?

Yup, same principle.

 

[EchoEcho]

I find that it helps if you say or sing the note function (number) as you play it. This gets the sound of each note in your head. It’s far more important to understand what the 3rd of a major scale sounds like, for instance, than to recognize an E when you hear it........

..........................

....all your “C” scales and modes on one day, the next day all of your “C#” scales. Then your “D” scales, etc, etc.

Why not follow the circle of 5ths with G, D, A, E etc?

Also, I'm not sure why saying the scale degree rather than the note is more beneficial (in what way? for what purpose?).

 

[Papageno]

so, I'm not sure why saying the scale degree rather than the note is more beneficial (in what way? for what purpose?).

Both are beneficial for different reasons.

Thinking in terms of scale degrees and roman numeral for chords helps understanding the harmony that underlies the tune. This remains unchanged when transposing to another key.

Thinking in terms of the actual note is necessary to actually play the tune in a given key on the bass. You need to be able to know without thinking what is the 6th degree of Bb melodic minor and where it is located on your fingerboard.

Even more important than the scale degree or note name is to be able to pre-hear and sing the notes you are about to play.

 

[Malcolm35]

Coming in late in the post... I've printed it all and will digest it this afternoon.

Thanks for posting.

 

[Bassguy87]

Great lesson...Im going to try this for 5 string

My questions is...Should I practice the whole scale octave to octave when I first start
out...or is it better to learn the first 2 or 3 boxes and really nail them before moving on?

I'm just thinking learning octave to octave might be a lot of info at once. Interested to know how others
have done it!

 

[punkyb]

Hey everyone, I just finished putting together a Google doc with a EADG fretboard with all the Heptatonic modes for each key. It took me a while to do, so I thought I'd share it here in case it can help someone else. Included is the MILLPAD method which I use to navigate each mode. The way I've been using it is to work with one key and all modes each day, using @Pacman 's practice method. Let me know if it's useful or not and if you have any suggestions of how to make it better. Thanks!

Bass Modes Practice

 

[noeinstein]

Hey everyone, I just finished putting together a Google doc with a EADG fretboard with all the Heptatonic modes for each key. It took me a while to do, so I thought I'd share it here in case it can help someone else. Included is the MILLPAD method which I use to navigate each mode. The way I've been using it is to work with one key and all modes each day, using @Pacman 's practice method. Let me know if it's useful or not and if you have any suggestions of how to make it better. Thanks!

Bass Modes Practice

Wow, thanks!

 

[minikora]

Thanks for sharing.

I am curious how I can extend this method to practice blues and pentatonics scales, and arpeggios. Should I stick to 3 notes per fret or combine it with the standard fingering patterns of those (which is sometimes less than 3 notes per fret)?

 

[Pacman]

Thanks for sharing.

I am curious how I can extend this method to practice blues and pentatonics scales, and arpeggios. Should I stick to 3 notes per fret or combine it with the standard fingering patterns of those (which is sometimes less than 3 notes per fret)?

You can extend the notes per fret, which would teach you to shift up the neck quite easily.

 

[minikora]

You can extend the notes per fret, which would teach you to shift up the neck quite easily.

Thanks a lot Pacman for the answer.

I might have made a mistake in my previous post. I meant 3 notes per string, not 3 notes per fret. For example, if I would like to practice C major7 arpeggio starting with the first box. Combining with the major7 fingering pattern, I understand that I should play like the following:

E string: E (open), G
A string: B, C
D string: E, G
G string: B, C.

And I see that I play only 2 notes per string. Does this correspond to what you have in mind?

 

[mambo4]

if I would like to practice C major7 arpeggio

It's a method for scales, not specifically arpeggios.
"X notes per string" will not allways neatly divide when fingering an arpeggio.
Though the logic of "play all notes in the scale/arpeggio available in the current position"
can still be applied.

The value (for me) of "3 notes per string" is to expand my habitual "4 fret box"
to include a 5 fret stretch when spanning a major 3rd (2 whole steps)
to carry that forward to arpeggios I'd just be conscious when I'm playing a maj 3rd span on one string
like Cmaj7 starting on the E string 3rd fret:

E string: G, B
A string: C, E
D string: G
G string: B, C

Not the most efficient fingering for Cmaj7 arpeggio, but a map we should know nonetheless

 

[minikora]

It's a method for scales, not specifically arpeggios.
"X notes per string" will not allways neatly divide when fingering an arpeggio.
Though the logic of "play all notes in the scale/arpeggio available in the current position"
can still be applied.

The value (for me) of "3 notes per string" is to expand my habitual "4 fret box"
to include a 5 fret stretch when spanning a major 3rd (2 whole steps)
to carry that forward to arpeggios I'd just be conscious when I'm playing a maj 3rd span on one string
like Cmaj7 starting on the E string 3rd fret:

E string: G, B
A string: C, E
D string: G
G string: B, C

Not the most efficient fingering for Cmaj7 arpeggio, but a map we should know nonetheless

Thank you very much for a clarification

 

[El_Cachuflas]

Registered to the site just to say THANK YOU!!
Thank you, PACMAN!!!
I started with this exercise and it is helping me a lot to learn all the notes and shapes on the fretboard!
I'm from Argentina, our currency is quite weak when compared to USD or EUR, so spending all that money on SBL was a no no. But I needed guidance and you gave me just what I needed. THANK YOU MAN!!! You can sleep well knowing you helped someone on the other side of the planet.

 

[Pacman]

Registered to the site just to say THANK YOU!!
Thank you, PACMAN!!!
I started with this exercise and it is helping me a lot to learn all the notes and shapes on the fretboard!
I'm from Argentina, our currency is quite weak when compared to USD or EUR, so spending all that money on SBL was a no no. But I needed guidance and you gave me just what I needed. THANK YOU MAN!!! You can sleep well knowing you helped someone on the other side of the planet.

You are SO welcome!

 

[Azmog]

Registered to the site just to say THANK YOU!!
Thank you, PACMAN!!!
I started with this exercise and it is helping me a lot to learn all the notes and shapes on the fretboard!
I'm from Argentina, our currency is quite weak when compared to USD or EUR, so spending all that money on SBL was a no no. But I needed guidance and you gave me just what I needed. THANK YOU MAN!!! You can sleep well knowing you helped someone on the other side of the planet.