BASS
BIDIRECTIONAL APPROACHES TO LINES | Adam Nitti
In my last installment I presented some more creative ways to connect intervals on the fingerboard . I want to continue with that theme this time around and introduce you to what I refer to as bidirectional shapes and melodic patterns . Before you can understand bidirectional concepts , however , you must first understand what we mean by unidirectional shapes and patterns . Unidirectional approaches are simply the standard ways in which we perform exercises in an ascending and descending fashion . In these types of exercises , we usually take an ascending approach as we move upwards through the shape ( low notes to high notes ), and then a descending approach when we turn around and go back down ( high notes to low notes ). Although this can incorporate all sorts of variations , most of us have been introduced to things like scales and arpeggios in this way . An example of this approach , which is probably one you have played or heard played before is intervallic 3rds applied to a G major scale . See Figure 1 for the shape and Example 1 for the exercise . of the exercise and then ascending 3rds while moving back down through the exercise ? Do you remember my “ contrary motion ” concept from several installments ago ? This is an example of that . We are doing a neat trick which allows us to descend melodically while ascending through the scale , and vice versa . Let ’ s listen to what it sounds like in Example 2 :
Figure 1
Example 1
Notice how example 2 has its own unique character that comes from the use of contrary motion . Even though you are playing the same exact pairs of notes for each of the intervallic 3rds in each exercise , the contrary motion version has its own unique character that stands apart from exercise 1 .
Notice that as the exercise moves from the E string to the G string in its fingering position , each 3 rd that you play is an ascending 3 rd . In other words , it starts with the “ bottom note ” of the intervallic 3 rd followed by the “ top note ”. This is the ascending direction that I am referring to . When you get to the highest note in the pattern on the G string , the direction of each 3rd changes as you move back down towards the starting root note on the E string , “ G ”. Now we switch to descending 3rds . For each 3 rd that is played , now we are moving in a descending direction , because we are starting with the “ top note ” of each intervallic 3 rd and following it with the “ bottom note ”.
Example 2
Example 3
INVERTING THE INTERVALS Now what if we were to invert the approach ? For example , what if we played descending 3rds while moving upwards through the range
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