Minor Pentatonic Scale for Bass
Learn the box first: A minor pentatonic in fifth position, index finger on fret 5. On the E string use fingers 1 and 4, on the other strings fingers 1 and 3. Play it up and down with a metronome, then play the sequences: groups of three notes and groups of four notes, each group starting one scale note higher.
Minor pentatonic box 1, up and down
Sequence in groups of 3
Sequence in groups of 4
Goal
Know the minor pentatonic box on bass by heart and turn it into musical lines. This five-note scale is behind countless rock, blues and funk bass lines and fills.
A – C – D – E – G
Sequences
How to practise
- Metronome at 60–70 BPM. Play the box in quarter notes, then eighth notes.
- Groups of 3 fit naturally as triplets; groups of 4 as eighth or sixteenth notes.
- Play every sequence back down as well: start from the top and move each group one note lower.
- Name the degrees as you play: 1, b3, 4, 5, b7. The root A is on the E string fret 5 and the D string fret 7.
Self-check
Can you play each sequence up and down without stopping at the string changes? Are all notes even in volume, including those played with the little finger?
Next steps
Read the lessons on pentatonic and blues scales and scales and modes on bass. Move the box to other roots in the scale explorer, and continue with G major in three positions.