BASS
BREAKING OUT OF THE PATTERN PRISON | Adam Nitti
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO SCALE PRACTICE
Greetings, fellow bass players! Here’ s a confession: When I started learning about applied harmony and theory on the bass, I spent years thinking I“ knew” my scales well because I could play through them in three different positions that I had committed to muscle memory. Although this served me well in my technical advancement, I realized as time passed that I really hadn’ t internalized the sound and character of each scale. I was trapped in these boxes that were the memorized patterns that kept me locked in specific areas of the neck. It wasn’ t until I worked at internalizing each note in each scale that I finally was able to move with freedom across the fingerboard. Sound familiar? If so, welcome to what I call the“ pattern prison.” The good news is that with some focused practice, you can break free and turn your entire fretboard into one connected musical landscape.
THE PATTERN TRAP Don’ t get me wrong; scale patterns serve a very important purpose. They’ re a great starting point for learning where notes live and getting
your fingers familiar with common fingerings. But here’ s the problem: when we only practice scales in memorized box patterns, we develop a kind of musical tunnel vision.
Think about it this way: if you always practice a major scale starting from the same root note and using the same fingering, you’ re not really learning the scale— you’ re learning a finger exercise. You might know where your fingers go, but do you know what each note sounds like in relation to the others? Can you start that scale from any note on any string? Can you play it backwards, skip around within it, or connect it smoothly to the next position? Can you predict what a random scale degree will sound like before you hear yourself play it?
Most importantly, when you’ re creating bass lines, are you thinking about the musical function of each note, or are you just running through familiar finger patterns?
THINKING BEYOND THE BOX True scale mastery means understanding scales as collections of musical relationships rather than fingering patterns. When you know a scale this deeply, you can:
• Start from any note on any string and play through the scale
• Move seamlessly between different areas of the fretboard within the same scale
• Create melodic bass lines that span the entire neck both vertically and horizontally
• Understand why certain notes create tension and others provide resolution
• Improvise confidently because you’ re relating the notes you hear to their respective locations on the fingerboard
CREATIVE PRACTICE APPROACHES Let’ s explore some methods to break free from pattern dependence:
APPROACH 1: STRING-BY-STRING EXPLORATION Instead of playing scales in position, play them one string at a time across the entire fretboard. For example, play a C major scale using only the E string, starting from the open E and going as high as comfortable. See figure 1.
Then do the same on the A string, then D, then G. See figures 2-4.
Figure 1
Figure 2
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