by Bass players love scales! In fact, I love them myself! They’re unbelievably useful in all kinds of situations. You can use them to:
- Create melodies
- Improve your technique
- Understand music at a deeper level
However, there’s one area where scales aren’t nearly as useful: Making bass lines.
Scales are good for lots of things, but when it comes to making bass lines, scales are usually not the best option.
Why not?
It’s because scales are not particularly musical in and of themselves. Plus, it’s pretty rare to find a bassline that just goes up or down a scale. Most of the time, the bassline is serving 2 other functions that scales can’t do alone.
Check out the lesson to find out what they are and what you should do instead of using scales to make basslines:
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Use this quick quiz to 'test' your own bass lines to make sure they're world-class. If not, the checklist will show you exactly what you need to do to improve it so your bass lines are as good as they could possibly be.
You'll also get all the tabs, notation and practice tracks from the entire Bass Lines From Scratch Series.
There are obviously some exceptions to this – and you saw a few examples in the video. However, harmony and melody are almost always the driving force behind great bass lines.
Can the melodic lines you come up with contain scales or scale fragments? Absolutely! But when you’re actually putting your bassline together, thinking in terms of pure scales is more than likely to leave you with a less-than-stellar line; even if all the notes are ‘correct’.
To make sure any bassline you write is the best it can possibly be, make sure to download the Bass Lines From Scratch Checklist. In it, you’ll get a process for making sure your lines are top-notch and it’s 100% free. You’ll also get the tabs, notation and practice tracks for all the Bass Lines From Scratch lessons.
If you have any questions, let me know in the comment section below. I’m always happy to hear from you and I’d love to help out however I can.
Good luck with the lesson and happy bassline making!
Cheers,
Hey Luke,
You are a great teacher. I’ve been playing bass for over 40 years and your lessons always inspire me to be more creative. Keep up the good work.
Dave
Thanks so much Dave – I really appreciate it.
Luke,
Love your program. My question regarding bass lines and chords is:
What is the Bass in Roundabout by YES (one of my all time favorites) doing? Is it a scale pattern solo? Or is he just jamming with the main Melody?
Thanks again!
Good question John! The bass and the guitar are actually working together quite closely in the main ‘riff’ of the song. See if you can hear the interplay between the two. It’s quite a busy song in general and for that to work, the parts have to work well together – otherwise the song would fall apart.
“When a Man Needs a Woman” and “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” ?
A Whiter Shade Of Pale – great example of a line that runs down the major scale, but outlines a chord with each new step! And did you mean When A Man Loves A Woman? If so, then that doesn’t quite use the whole scale, but it does start off that way. Thanks for the examples!
How about All My Loving by the Beatles.
Descending major scale starting on 2nd degree (F#).
Thanks Luke.
I always liked All My Loving in E major, descending starting on F# (9th or 2nd degree). right out of 2-5-1 jazz walking bass.
Totally – great example!
thanks luke, good lesson
Thanks Jim!
thanks Sir, your really trying for us Good Job
No worries Emmanuel – glad you’re enjoying the lessons!
What about Jaco Pastorius the Chicken ?
The main bass line for this one is almost an entire scale, but it misses out on the 2nd and 7th degrees. Still a great example of a semi-scalar bass line that’s still really musical.
Thanks Luke for every lesson it’s a god send it’s easy to comprehend from you and the information that you give is great again thanks