Bass WoodshedScales, modes and arpeggios for bass

Scale · 4-string · Root on E string, 7th fret

B Harmonic Minor

BC♯DEF♯GA♯
EADG012345678910111213141516171819202122232445♭6745♭6712♭34712♭3712♭345♭6♭345♭62♭345♭6712♭3♭6712♭345♭6712♭345♭612♭345♭671
RootScale noteDefining note (7): what sets this scale apartThe same notes elsewhere on the neckNumbers are scale degrees (1 is the root)

Tab & notation

Up and back down · 14 notes in 8th notes · 2 bars of 4/4
Note
Deg
G
D
A
E
Fing
B
1
7
1
C♯
2
9
3
D
♭3
10
4
E
4
7
1
F♯
5
9
3
G
♭6
10
4
A♯
7
8
2
B
1
9
3
A♯
7
8
2
G
♭6
10
4
F♯
5
9
3
E
4
7
1
D
♭3
10
4
C♯
2
9
3
·

How it's built

W = whole step (2 frets) · H = half step (1 fret)
B1Root
W
C♯2Major 2nd
H
D♭3Minor 3rd
W
E4Perfect 4th
W
F♯5Perfect 5th
H
G♭6Minor 6th
W+H
A♯7Major 7th
H
B8Octave

Natural minor with the 7th raised a half step. The 7th pulls hard back to the root, and the three-fret gap from ♭6 to 7 gives it an exotic edge.

Also called
Natural minor with a raised 7th
Vs. major
♭3, ♭6
Relative major
D
Use it over
Minor keys where the V chord is major or dominant 7 (E7 in A minor).
Practice tip
Slow down on ♭6 to 7. That gap is a minor 3rd, the stretch your hand has to learn for this scale.
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.

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How to play the B harmonic minor on bass

The B harmonic minor has 7 notes: B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G and A♯. Natural minor with the 7th raised a half step. The 7th pulls hard back to the root, and the three-fret gap from ♭6 to 7 gives it an exotic edge.

Step pattern: W H W W H W+H H (W = whole step, two frets; H = half step, one fret). Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7. Relative major: D major scale.

The root, B, is on the 7th fret of the E string and the 2nd fret of the A string. On a five-string bass it is also on the open string of the low B string.

B Harmonic Minor tab: root on the E string

Start on the 7th fret of the E string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 7 to 10 without moving your hand.

G|-------------------|
D|---------------8-9-|
A|--------7-9-10-----|
E|-7-9-10------------|

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

B Harmonic Minor tab: root on the A string

Start on the 2nd fret of the A string with your second finger. The shape covers frets 2 to 4 without moving your hand.

G|-----------0-3-4-|
D|-----0-2-4-------|
A|-2-4-------------|
E|-----------------|

Notes: B C♯ D E F♯ G A♯ B
Fingers: 2 4 open 2 4 open 3 4

Two octaves from the E string

Start on the 7th fret of the E string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 7 to 16 with 1 position shift and 2 one-fret stretches.

G|---------------------------------12-15-16-|
D|------------------------12-14-16----------|
A|--------7-9-10-13-14-16-------------------|
E|-7-9-10-----------------------------------|

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

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

Start on the open string of the B string. The shape covers frets 1 to 3 without moving your hand.

G|-----------------|
D|-----------------|
A|-------------1-2-|
E|-------0-2-3-----|
B|-0-2-3-----------|

Notes: B C♯ D E F♯ G A♯ B
Fingers: open 2 3 open 2 3 1 2

Notes and intervals

DegreeNoteIntervalFrets above the root
1BRoot0
2C♯Major 2nd2
♭3DMinor 3rd3
4EPerfect 4th5
5F♯Perfect 5th7
♭6GMinor 6th8
7A♯Major 7th11

When to use it

Minor keys where the V chord is major or dominant 7 (E7 in A minor). Slow down on ♭6 to 7. That gap is a minor 3rd, the stretch your hand has to learn for this scale.

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 harmonic minor in every key

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

More patterns from B

Scales

Modes

Arpeggios

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