making patterns musica1.doc

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MAKING PATTERNS MUSICAL, PART 2

Greetings to you, fellow 'holders-of-the-bottom-end!'

Last time around, we talked about using sequencing and intervallicconcepts to enhance our use of scalar patterns. Remember: The idea isto apply these ideas to scales and other musical forms in order toinspire ideas that are more MUSICAL in nature. What you end upplaying on the gig is directly related to what you spend your timepracticing in the "woodshed." Therefore, it is vitally important to getout of the monotony of a stale practice routine and start to replace old habits with newideas. Hopefully, these concepts will inspire some new lines in your bass playing, andgive you a little more of an edge in your usage of scales.

In this installment, I will be introducing some new approaches to working your scalepatterns that build off of the sequences and intervals presented to you last timearound.

NOTE: If you haven't checked out my last article, "Making Patterns Musical, Part 1," youmight want to do so before continuing. Part 1 outlines and explains the concepts thatevolve into the material provided in this installment.

HYBRID APPROACHES

Hybrid approaches combine two (or more) different elements from our sequences andintervals and incorporate them into unique musical patterns. Examples of hybridapproaches might combine 2 different intervallic shapes, 2 different sequences, oreven a mixtures of a sequence and an interval into one pattern. They are great to usein your playing, because their abstract and very unique sound.

HYBRID INTERVALLIC APPROACHES

Once again, let's use our major scale reference pattern as the basis for our examples,utilizing a 3 note per string approach to cover as many notes as possible in oneposition:

Now let's go over an assortment of hybrid patterns which we will use over a G majorscale. (Remember that these can be applied to any other scale or mode; just transferthe fingerings to your new scalar pattern and position.)

Note: In each of these exercises, the numbers represent the scale degrees, or orderedpositions of the notes in the pattern. Keep in mind that using a 3 note per stringapproach will give you 12 total notes in a single position for a 4 string, 15 notes totalfor a 5 string, and 18 notes total for a 6 string bass. These notes are numbered by theirplacement in a scale.

INTERVALLIC 3rds/6ths



In this exercise, an interval of a 3rd is followed by a 6th, and then the cycle starts overagain:

1-3, 2-7, 3-5, 4-9, 5-7, 6-11, 7-9, etc.

(Notice that the commas separate each interval played in succession.)

Here is the same example as it would appear on a staff using a G major scale:

INTERVALLIC 5ths/3rds

In this exercise, an interval of a 5th is followed by a 3rd:

1-5, 2-4, 3-7, 4-6, 5-9, 6-8, 7-11, etc.

INTERVALLIC CONSECUTIVE 3rds

The 'consecutive' nature of these types of exercises lies in the fact that the intervalschosen are stacked. In other words, the top note of the 1st interval is the bottom note

of the 2nd interval, and so on.

In this particular example, a third is stacked on top of a third. Those of you who arefamiliar with harmonic concepts will notice that this could also be looked at as a triadexercise:

1-3-5, 2-4-6, 3-5-7, 4-6-8, 5-7-9, 6-8-10, 7-9-11, etc.

INTERVALLIC CONSECUTIVE 5ths

This is a 5th stacked on top of a 5th:

1-5-9, 2-6-10, 3-7-11, 4-8-12, 5-9-13, 6-10-14, 7-11-15, etc.

Note: Many of the following patterns cannot be played in a single 3 note per stringposition on a 4 string bass. To play them through the scale, you will have to shift yourfingerings.



INTERVALLIC CONSECUTIVE 2nds/5ths

This is a 5th stacked on top of a 2nd:

1-2-5, 2-3-6, 3-4-7, 4-5-8, 5-6-9, 6-7-10, 7-8-11, etc.

HYBRID SEQUENCING APPROACHES

These examples will mix 2 different sequencing ideas together. These ideas are not asabstract sounding as the intervals, mainly because they have more of a scalarapproach. They could be thought of as sounding a little smoother than the hybridintervals.

SEQUENCED 5's/3's

This pattern utilizes a sequence of 5 followed by a sequence of 3:

1-2-3-4-5, 2-3-4, 3-4-5-6-7, 4-5-6, 5-6-7-8-9, 6-7-8, 7-8-9-10-11, etc.

(Notice that the commas separate each sequence.)

SEQUENCED 3's/4's


1-2-3, 2-3-4-5, 3-4-5, 4-5-6-7, 5-6-7, 6-7-8-9, 7-8-9, etc.

SEQUENCED 6's/3's


1-2-3-4-5-6, 2-3-4, 3-4-5-6-7-8, 4-5-6, 5-6-7-8-9-10, 6-7-8, 7-8-9-10-11-12, etc.



IMPORTANT: For brevity, each of the preceding exercises has outlined only theascending versions of the form. However, it is vitally important that you work them in

both ascending and descending directions on the bass. To play the descending forms,simply play the patterns backwards from highest range to lowest. You don't want all of your ideas to come out on the gig only going in one direction!

BI-DIRECTIONAL APPROACHE

Notice that in each of the exercises presented so far, each pattern has had both anascending version and a descending version, moving from left to right on the staff. Bi-directional approaches mix both ascending and descending movements into bothversions, making for some really neat sounding ideas. This exchange of both ascendingand descending movement within a pattern is what I like to call "contrary motion." Here

are some examples:

BI-DIRECTIONAL INTERVALLIC 3rds

1-3, 4-2, 3-5, 6-4, 5-7, 8-6, 7-9, 10-8, etc.

Notice that each 3rd played is followed by another 3rd moving in an opposite direction.Here is what it looks like on a staff:

BI-DIRECTIONAL INTERVALLIC 6ths

1-6, 7-2, 3-8, 9-4, 5-10, 11-6, 7-12, etc.

BI-DIRECTIONAL SEQUENCED 3's

1-2-3, 4-3-2, 3-4-5, 6-5-4, 5-6-7, 8-7-6, 7-8-9, 10-9-8, etc.

BI-DIRECTIONAL SEQUENCED 4's/INTERVALLIC 3rds

1-2-3-4, 5-3, 4-5-6-7, 8-6, 7-8-9-10, 11-9, etc.



BI-DIRECTIONAL CONSECUTIVE INTERVALLIC 3rds (whew!)

1-3-5, 6-4-2, 3-5-7, 8-6-4, 5-7-9, 10-8-6, 7-9-11, 12-10-8, etc.

I hope you enjoy working through these exercises. Obviously, these are just the tip of the iceberg here. You can use any of your favorite approaches and mix them togetherto come up with some really neat sounding musical approaches. One bit of advice,

though; don't try to tackle all of these at once. Focus on only a few at a time, and workon their mastery through ALL of your scales and modes before moving on. Otherwise,you might not see these ideas "rear their heads" in your soloing ideas quite as quicklyas they could. Be patient, use a metronome, and track your progress daily. The rewardsare well worth it!

Until next time- Adam

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