Which Bass Guitar Scale To Play Under Chords

This will be a short post. A lot of beginner bass guitar players wonder if they should concentrate on playing chords or bass scales when they are playing under guitar chords. The answer is simple: why do you need to chose?

When you’re playing “chords” you’re actually just playing the triad notes in the scale of the chord for instance if you play  A -C -E under an A minor chord you’re using the A minor scale and only playing the 1-3-5 notes in the scale. Playing bass guitar scales under chords is no different than playing the triads except you’ve added a few more notes as possibilities.

If you’ve never played scales on your bass guitar under chords here is a quick low down on what always works. Every key has 7 natural chords. Under each of these is a correct scale that should be played on your bass. If the chord is a major, then play the pentatonic major scale pattern on the bass. If the chord is a minor than play the pentatonic minor scale pattern on the bass guitar. The scale is based on the root note of the chord, not the song’s key. A song that is based on the C major scale might have a D minor chord in it. If so, play the pentatonic D Minor  scale on your bass guitar under that  chord. Follow suit with all major and minor pentatonic scales as needed.

This one tip will expand your bass guitar scale playing abilities immensely and is extremely helpful if you’re not sure what key a song is in. Simply play the pentatonic scale pattern that fits the chord. Give it a try.