Bass WoodshedScales, modes and arpeggios for bass

Arpeggio · 4-string · Root on E string, 6th fret

B♭ Minor 7th Arpeggio

B♭D♭FA♭
EADG01234567891011121314151617181920212223245♭75♭71♭31♭3♭71♭35♭75♭35♭71♭3♭71♭35♭71♭351♭35♭71

Tab & notation

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

How it's built

Intervals between chord tones
B♭1Root
m3
D♭♭3Minor 3rd
M3
F5Perfect 5th
m3
A♭♭7Minor 7th
M2
B♭8Octave

A minor triad plus a ♭7. The most common minor sound in funk, soul and jazz.

Also called
1 · ♭3 · 5 · ♭7
Use it over
ii and vi chords, minor vamps.
Practice tip
Root on E, the ♭7 lands right under your hand on the D string. Learn that landmark.
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 B♭ minor 7th arpeggio on bass

The B♭ minor 7th arpeggio has 4 notes: B♭, D♭, F and A♭. A minor triad plus a ♭7. The most common minor sound in funk, soul and jazz.

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

The root, B♭, is on the 6th fret of the E string and the 1st fret of the A string. On a five-string bass it is also on the 11th fret of the low B string.

B♭ Minor 7th Arpeggio tab: root on the E string

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

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

Notes: B♭ D♭ F A♭ B♭
Fingers: 1 4 3 1 3

B♭ Minor 7th Arpeggio tab: root on the A string

Start on the 1st fret of the A string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 1 to 4 without moving your hand.

G|-------1-3-|
D|-----3-----|
A|-1-4-------|
E|-----------|

Notes: B♭ D♭ F A♭ B♭
Fingers: 1 4 3 1 3

Two octaves from the E string

Start on the 6th fret of the E string with your first finger. The shape covers frets 6 to 16 with 1 position shift.

G|--------------------13-15-|
D|-----------------15-------|
A|-----------13-16----------|
E|-6-9-13-16----------------|

Notes: B♭ D♭ F A♭ B♭ D♭ F A♭ B♭
Fingers: 1 4 1 4 1 4 3 1 3

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

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

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

Notes: B♭ D♭ F A♭ B♭
Fingers: 1 4 3 1 3

Notes and intervals

DegreeNoteIntervalFrets above the root
1B♭Root0
♭3D♭Minor 3rd3
5FPerfect 5th7
♭7A♭Minor 7th10

When to use it

ii and vi chords, minor vamps. Root on E, the ♭7 lands right under your hand on the D string. Learn that landmark.

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 minor 7th arpeggio in every key

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

More patterns from B♭

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