Bass WoodshedScales, modes and arpeggios for bass

Scale · 4-string · Root on E string, 9th fret

D♭ Major Pentatonic

D♭E♭FA♭B♭
EADG01234567891011121314151617181920212223243563561261261235235235615612356123123561
RootScale noteThe same notes elsewhere on the neckNumbers are scale degrees (1 is the root)

Tab & notation

Up and back down · 10 notes in 8th notes · 2 bars of 4/4
Note
Deg
G
D
A
E
Fing
D♭
1
9
2
E♭
2
11
4
F
3
8
1
A♭
5
11
4
B♭
6
8
1
D♭
1
11
4
B♭
6
8
1
A♭
5
11
4
F
3
8
1
E♭
2
11
4
·
·
·

How it's built

W = whole step (2 frets) · H = half step (1 fret)
D♭1Root
W
E♭2Major 2nd
W
F3Major 3rd
W+H
A♭5Perfect 5th
W
B♭6Major 6th
W+H
D♭8Octave

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
5 flats: D♭ E♭ G♭ A♭ B♭
Relative minor
B♭
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

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♭ major pentatonic on bass

The D♭ major pentatonic has 5 notes: D♭, E♭, F, A♭ and B♭. 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: 5 flats: D♭ E♭ G♭ A♭ B♭. Relative minor: B♭ natural minor scale.

The root, D♭, is on the 9th fret of the E string and the 4th fret of the A string. On a five-string bass it is also on the 2nd fret of the low B string.

D♭ Major Pentatonic tab: root on the E string

Start on the 9th fret of the E string with your second finger. The shape covers frets 8 to 11 without moving your hand.

G|----------------|
D|-----------8-11-|
A|------8-11------|
E|-9-11-----------|

Notes: D♭ E♭ F A♭ B♭ D♭
Fingers: 2 4 1 4 1 4

D♭ Major Pentatonic tab: root on the A string

Start on the 4th fret of the A string with your second finger. The shape covers frets 3 to 6 without moving your hand.

G|---------3-6-|
D|-----3-6-----|
A|-4-6---------|
E|-------------|

Notes: D♭ E♭ F A♭ B♭ D♭
Fingers: 2 4 1 4 1 4

Two octaves from the E string

Start on the 9th fret of the E string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 9 to 18 with 1 position shift and 1 one-fret stretch.

G|---------------------------15-18-|
D|---------------------15-18-------|
A|---------------16-18-------------|
E|-9-11-13-16-18-------------------|

Notes: D♭ E♭ F A♭ B♭ D♭ E♭ F A♭ B♭ D♭
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 2nd fret of the B string with your second finger. The shape covers frets 1 to 4 without moving your hand.

G|-------------|
D|-------------|
A|---------1-4-|
E|-----1-4-----|
B|-2-4---------|

Notes: D♭ E♭ F A♭ B♭ D♭
Fingers: 2 4 1 4 1 4

Notes and intervals

DegreeNoteIntervalFrets above the root
1D♭Root0
2E♭Major 2nd2
3FMajor 3rd4
5A♭Perfect 5th7
6B♭Major 6th9

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

More patterns from D♭

Scales

Modes

Arpeggios

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