Major scale on bass

The notes of the C major scale

C D E F G A B

Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Steps from note to note: 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 semitones (whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half).

C major has no sharps or flats. Its relative minor, with the same notes, is A minor.

The C major scale on bass

One position, frets 7–11, E string first: E: 7 8 10 (7 1 2) · A: 7 8 10 (3 4 5) · D: 7 9 10 (6 7 1) · G: 7 9 10 (2 3 4). 0 = open string.

1 is the root. Put it on the fret the table below gives for your key and the same shape plays that key. On bass the shape sits under one hand, one finger per fret, and the octave is two strings up and two frets on.

The major scale in all twelve keys

Two octaves, three frets each

On bass the major scale fits in one hand position: middle finger on the root, then 2 4 / 1 2 4 / 1 3 4 across the strings. From G on the E string's 3rd fret that is G A, then B C D, then E F♯ G. Walking bass lines in major keys come from this shape: root, then the scale tones that lead to the next chord's root.

More scales

Major scale Major scale on guitar Major scale on piano Major scale on trumpet C major scale on bass Pentatonic scale on bass

How this page works

Hear it plays the scale up and down at 100 BPM on one of four Brumm sounds. Take it gives the same notes as a MIDI file and a WAV. − and + move the root. Every note here is computed from the formula.

Sources

Scales and modes: Open Music Theory, musictheory.net. Piano fingerings: the standard scale-book fingerings (ABRSM scale books; Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist, part 3). Trumpet valves: the standard B♭ trumpet fingering chart (Yamaha, Bach). Hz: A4 = 440 Hz, ISO 16.

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