When you start combining pentatonic with diatonic scales you will be really able to open up your bass playing and your knowledge of the fretboard. It will be necessary to be very comfortable with your pentatonic and diatonic scale patterns before taking this lesson.
Though the main difference between pentatonic and diatonic scales is simply the number of notes used in each (pentatonic containing 5 and the diatonic with 7), they can be worlds apart in terms of sound – the style of music you are playing will be the main influence on choosing which type of scale to use.
Here we’ll have a look at the E major scale in the open position. It is a real advantage knowing these scale patterns at this end of the fretboard, as you can play around the regular chord shapes and utilize the open strings.
Here’s the tab for the E Diatonic Major scale in the open one position:
Ok, so you know some scales, and now you want to really figure out how to cover the fretboard!
This lesson on scale integration assumes you’re already familiar with some of the scale patterns, and really takes a closer look at how they overlap, how they can be moved around, and how you can really dominate your fretboard!
The three scale patterns covered in this particular lesson are the pentatonic minor, the pentatonic minor 3 position climb, and the diatonic natural minor.