You could be one of two kinds of bass players. One kind has learned to play a few chords and the root notes but has not gotten past that. The other kind of bass player learns the way to properly use bass scales beneath chords and can frequently come up with fresh thoughts about what to play. Which sort of bass player?

If you play bass guitar you're familiar with playing the root note of whatever guitar chord the rest of the band is playing. You also may have learned how to play the triads; or the 3 notes that make up the guitar chord the band is playing. Absolutely nothing wrong with learning and playing those but they just scratch the surface of what really talented bassists do which is to play bass scales beneath guitar chords.

When you play triads you're really playing notes from either a major or a minor scale. These two scales usually are a very good place to start. Bear in mind that despite the fact a tune could be in the key of G, when the players shift to the C chord you need to be playing a C scale, either major or minor, not still playing a G scale. Even though the notes are almost all the same, the key to this is to try to at least get started thinking in scales per chord.

If you want it might be easier for you to first learn two simple 5 note scales. They are usually called pentatonic scales. There's a pentatonic major and a pentatonic minor scale. The pentatonic scales are the three notes that comprise the chord plus two others. If the middle note in the chord is a major note you'd be playing the major pentatonic scale, if your middle note is a minor note you'll be playing the minor pentatonic scale. You may also work with the minor pentatonic scale beneath 7th chords, but we will get into that in a different post.

I can provide you a good example. Your guitar player is playing a C major chord. Those notes are C, E, and G. The most suitable pentatonic scale to play underneath this chord is definitely the major which is C, D, E, G. A. Merely five notes. If the guitar player is playing a C minor chord that is C, E flat, and G; you would play the minor pentatonic scale and that's C, E flat, F, G, and B flat.

Once you mastered the two main common pentatonic scales, the next step in your playing is to try to understand both the total major scale and the complete minor scale. Each of these scales will always make sense underneath certain chords. Do not forget that anytime you play pentatonic scales, it does not matter what key the tune is in, just what chord is being played at that moment, which decides what scale you need to be playing.

Try using these types of basic scales underneath guitar chords the next time you play and you should begin to discover limitless new possibilities for your bass guitar playing.

For a more in depth lesson check out this video clip: Bass Minor Scale