Funk Riff in E with Major Third

While it’s true that a lot of funk is based on the Minor Pentatonic scale, it doesn’t always have to be. For example, this basic funk riff uses the major third. It is based on the Major Pentatonic scale, with the addition of a few notes.

Watch the video, and pay special attention to which notes are used. Then, learn the notes in order, but not in time. Next, play along with the slow version, until you’ve got it down. Finally, you can play along with the regular tempo version. Continue reading

Relative Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales for Bass Guitar

Did you know that every scale – whether major or minor – has a relative scale? Knowing the relationship between major and minor scales will help you better understand how these scales can be used to create bass lines.

For this lesson, feel free to put your bass down and just watch/listen to the video.

Once you have watched the video, try the exercise outlined below.

 

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Extending the Minor Pentatonic Scale, Part 1

Now that you have learned the two most important fingering patterns for the minor pentatonic scale, and have practiced it in five (or more) keys, it’s time to begin exploring how to extend the scale by adding other notes.

This lesson begins with adding two notes that are often heard in conjunction with the minor pentatonic scale. Continue reading

Comparing the Minor and Minor Pentatonic Scales

In order to move forward in our discussion on the minor pentatonic scale, it’s important to understand a bit of music theory. Don’t get nervous – I’ll do my best to make it simple.

This video shows how the minor scale and minor pentatonic scale are related. Basically, all you do is remove two notes from the minor scale to create the minor pentatonic. To better understand this lesson, it’s important that you know the alternate fingering for the minor pentatonic scale. You can review that here. Continue reading

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