Bass WoodshedScales, modes and arpeggios for bass

Scale · 4-string · Root on E string, 5th fret

A Major Pentatonic

ABC♯EF♯

Whole neck Left-handed

Tab & notation

Up and back down · 10 notes in 8th notes · 2 bars of 4/4 Bass clef

Note

Deg

Fing

C♯

F♯

C♯

How it's built

W = whole step (2 frets) · H = half step (1 fret)

A1Root

B2Major 2nd

C♯3Major 3rd

W+H

E5Perfect 5th

F♯6Major 6th

W+H

A8Octave

The major scale with the 4th and 7th taken out. No half steps means nothing clashes. A staple of country, soul and Motown lines.

Also called: Major scale without 4 and 7
Key signature: 3 sharps: C♯ F♯ G♯
Relative minor: F♯
Use it over: Major triads and dominant 7 chords.
Practice tip: Play it with the root drone on and notice every note sounds settled. Then add the 4th back and hear the tension it brings.
Your best: Complete a loop to log a tempo for this pattern.

Practice routine

One-bar count-in

Speed builder

Add BPM every loops, up to BPM

Move through keys

every loops

Cycling 4ths is how jazz players drill a shape in all twelve keys.

Memory mode: hide the tab and fingering after the first loop Small speakers: play the bass an octave higher

Bass Click Drone Chords Drums

How to play the A major pentatonic on bass

The A major pentatonic has 5 notes: A, B, C♯, E and F♯. The major scale with the 4th and 7th taken out. No half steps means nothing clashes. A staple of country, soul and Motown lines.

Step pattern: W W W+H W W+H (W = whole step, two frets; H = half step, one fret). Formula: 1 2 3 5 6. Key signature: 3 sharps: C♯ F♯ G♯. Relative minor: F♯ natural minor scale.

The root, A, is on the 5th fret of the E string and the open string of the A string. On a five-string bass it is also on the 10th fret of the low B string.

A Major Pentatonic tab: root on the E string

Start on the 5th fret of the E string with your second finger. The shape covers frets 4 to 7 without moving your hand.

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

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

A Major Pentatonic tab: root on the A string

Start on the open string of the A string. The shape covers frets 2 to 4 without moving your hand.

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

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

Two octaves from the E string

Start on the 5th fret of the E string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 5 to 14 with 1 position shift and 1 one-fret stretch.

G|-------------------------11-14-|
D|-------------------11-14-------|
A|-------------12-14-------------|
E|-5-7-9-12-14-------------------|

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

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

Start on the 10th fret of the B string with your second finger. The shape covers frets 9 to 12 without moving your hand.

G|-----------------|
D|-----------------|
A|------------9-12-|
E|-------9-12------|
B|-10-12-----------|

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

Notes and intervals

Degree	Note	Interval	Frets above the root
1	A	Root	0
2	B	Major 2nd	2
3	C♯	Major 3rd	4
5	E	Perfect 5th	7
6	F♯	Major 6th	9

When to use it

Major triads and dominant 7 chords. Play it with the root drone on and notice every note sounds settled. Then add the 4th back and hear the tension it brings.

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 major pentatonic in every key

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