A minor scale on bass, in one position
The A natural minor scale from the 5th fret, an octave up and back without moving the hand. Most rock and metal is in a minor key, so this is the scale behind many of the lines you'll play. It also teaches the 1-3-4 fingering that covers whole steps on bass without strain.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with the metronome on, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 120 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 120 bpm
- Starts at
- 72 bpm
- Length
- 2 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
How to play it
Fingers 1, 3 and 4 on frets 5, 7 and 8; the hand doesn't move.
Start on the A at the 5th fret of the E string with the 1st finger. On the E and A strings the notes are at the 5th, 7th and 8th frets, played with the 1st, 3rd and 4th fingers; on the D string the 5th and 7th take you to the A an octave up, and then the scale comes back down.
The 1-3-4 fingering keeps the hand open for the two-fret reaches without strain, which matters more on bass, where frets are wider than on guitar.
Mistakes to watch for
- Using the 2nd finger for the 7th fret and then running out of fingers for the 8th.
- The thumb creeping over the top of the neck, which limits the stretch.
- Slowing down at the top of the scale before coming back.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 72
- 78
- 84
- 90
- 96
- 102
- 108
- 114
- 120
That's 16 loops and about a minute before you're playing at 120 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play A minor, one position?
The goal is 120 bpm in eighth notes, which is 4 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 72 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
What's the difference between A minor and C major?
They share the same seven notes. A minor starts and ends on A, so it sounds darker; C major starts on C.
Is this the same as the A minor pentatonic?
No. The pentatonic leaves out two notes, B and F, and has five. This is the full natural minor scale.