BASS
INTERVAL LOCATION AWARENESS | Adam Nitti
As I have discussed before in prior columns, the movable shapes and patterns that are born out of the symmetric tuning of the bass can be both an advantage and a crutch. It is awesome to know that a scale or musical phrase you have learned can be transposed by simply moving your hand up or down the fingerboard to a new starting point; however, when we are locked in to only a single pattern’ s solution for a musical shape we can run into limitations quickly. This is especially true if we run out of strings above or below the starting point that would otherwise be needed to play the shape in full.
As bass players, we have a fundamental responsibility to know the harmonic structure of a tune inside and out. Roots are the easy anchors to find of course, but it is knowing the quality, color, and location of every interval above and below that root that gives us the ability to truly be the harmonic foundation of the ensemble and complement whatever is happening musically. For this reason, I feel that it is vitally important for bass players to know multiple locations for every interval, both above and below the root.
Of course, if you asked most bass players to play the fifth above any given root, they could probably do it instantly, but chances are it would almost always be in the same spot on the neck; One adjacent string above and two frets higher: [ Figure 1 ]
place to find it, two adjacent strings higher and 3 frets below: [ Figure 2 ]
The bottom line is that any interval you play on the bass can have more than one location that is ultimately in reach, provided you are using good technique and adaptable fretting hand positions. This article will begin to get you more used to that thinking by using the simple major scale as a map for discovering new intervallic locations.
STARTING REFERENCE: THE MAJOR SCALE Every interval discussion related to the bass benefits from a reference point, and the major scale is a perfect place to start. This is because most every musical component, whether it be a mode, arpeggios, or chord, is based off this scale in some way; either comprised of its member notes entirely, or combinations of modified versions of those notes. So, before we jump into the sounds outside of the major scale, let’ s first get comfortable finding its seven diatonic intervals( plus the octave) in two different locations on the fingerboard relative to any root.
Helpful tip: Because a bass guitar in its standard tuning is tuned in perfect fourths, the locations are consistent no matter where your root sits.
EXERCISE 1: LEARN TWO LOCATIONS FOR EACH INTERVAL IN THE MAJOR SCALE
words, don’ t try to keep your hand in a single position to play both intervallic locations. The whole point is to be able to adapt to different hand positions so that these intervals become navigable in spontaneous musical settings.
Go through each of the following diagrams, learning the two intervallic location options for each major scale interval on your bass. Keep in mind these are not the only locations for these intervals; the options shown are just two of the most practical in terms of reach for a single static hand position.
Helpful tip: The root in each of these examples is set to the 8th fret E string( C note), but you can play and practice these intervals anywhere on the fingerboard that allows you the space to reach them.
Major 2nd
Major 3rd
Perfect 4th
Perfect 5th
But we can’ t ignore the fact that we may have to sometimes play that 5th in a different location in order to keep the rest of the phrase‘ in reach’. This becomes especially relevant when sightreading music, as we cannot always depend on memorized scale patterns or arpeggios to fit the music on the page. Using the example of the 5th again, here is another
The following diagrams show two different locations for every interval in the major scale. The“ R” represents the root in red, and the selected interval options along with their quality( p = perfect, ∆ = major) are shown in black. Keep in mind that you should be using two completely different hand positions to play the two different intervallic locations. In other
Major 6th
Major 7th
112 September 2026 Subscribe for Free...