Bass WoodshedScales, modes and arpeggios for bass

Arpeggio · 4-string · Root on E string, 11th fret

D♯ Half-Diminished Arpeggio

D♯F♯AC♯
EADG0123456789101112131415161718192021222324♭3♭5♭7♭5♭71♭5♭71♭3♭71♭3♭51♭3♭5♭3♭5♭7♭5♭71♭3♭5♭71♭31♭3♭5♭71
RootChord toneDefining note (♭5): what sets this arpeggio apartThe same notes elsewhere on the neckNumbers are scale degrees (1 is the root)

Tab & notation

Up and back down · 8 notes in 8th notes · 1 bar of 4/4
Note
Deg
G
D
A
E
Fing
D♯
1
11
1
F♯
♭3
14
4
A
♭5
12
2
C♯
♭7
11
1
D♯
1
13
3
C♯
♭7
11
1
A
♭5
12
2
F♯
♭3
14
4

How it's built

Intervals between chord tones
D♯1Root
m3
F♯♭3Minor 3rd
m3
A♭5Diminished 5th
M3
C♯♭7Minor 7th
M2
D♯8Octave

A diminished triad plus a ♭7. The ii chord of a minor key.

Also called
m7♭5 · 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7
Use it over
m7♭5 chords in minor ii–V–i progressions.
Practice tip
Compare it with the minor 7th: only the 5th drops one fret.
Your best
Complete a loop to log a tempo for this pattern.

Practice routine

Add BPM every loops, up to BPM
every loops
Cycling 4ths is how jazz players drill a shape in all twelve keys.

How to play the D♯ half-diminished arpeggio on bass

The D♯ half-diminished arpeggio has 4 notes: D♯, F♯, A and C♯. A diminished triad plus a ♭7. The ii chord of a minor key.

Interval steps: m3 m3 M3 M2. Formula: 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7.

The root, D♯, is on the 11th fret of the E string and the 6th fret of the A string. On a five-string bass it is also on the 4th fret of the low B string.

D♯ Half-Diminished Arpeggio tab: root on the E string

Start on the 11th fret of the E string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 11 to 14 without moving your hand.

G|----------------|
D|----------11-13-|
A|-------12-------|
E|-11-14----------|

Notes: D♯ F♯ A C♯ D♯
Fingers: 1 4 2 1 3

D♯ Half-Diminished Arpeggio tab: root on the A string

Start on the 6th fret of the A string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 6 to 9 without moving your hand.

G|-------6-8-|
D|-----7-----|
A|-6-9-------|
E|-----------|

Notes: D♯ F♯ A C♯ D♯
Fingers: 1 4 2 1 3

Two octaves from the E string

Start on the 11th fret of the E string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 11 to 20 with 1 position shift.

G|----------------11-14-18-20-|
D|----------11-13-------------|
A|-------12-------------------|
E|-11-14----------------------|

Notes: D♯ F♯ A C♯ D♯ F♯ A C♯ D♯
Fingers: 1 4 2 1 3 1 4 2 4

On a 5-string bass: root on the B string

Start on the 4th fret of the B string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 4 to 7 without moving your hand.

G|-----------|
D|-----------|
A|-------4-6-|
E|-----5-----|
B|-4-7-------|

Notes: D♯ F♯ A C♯ D♯
Fingers: 1 4 2 1 3

Notes and intervals

DegreeNoteIntervalFrets above the root
1D♯Root0
♭3F♯Minor 3rd3
♭5ADiminished 5th6
♭7C♯Minor 7th10

When to use it

m7♭5 chords in minor ii–V–i progressions. Compare it with the minor 7th: only the 5th drops one fret.

How to practise it

Start with the metronome at 60 BPM in 8th notes, ascending and descending, until you can play it without looking. Raise the tempo 5 BPM at a time with the speed builder, then switch on memory mode so the tab hides after the first loop. Earn bronze for playing it through, silver at 4 notes a second, and gold at that speed from memory.

The half-diminished arpeggio in every key

Printable chart of all 12 keys: PDF · print page · every pattern in one PDF

More patterns from D♯

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