Bass Practice Routine Should Include Fretboard Patterns

Bass practice with fretboard patterns should include things such as the use of sweep picking with the 3 note per string pentatonic scale in the rock or blues bass style. You want to be able to practice with many different bass scale patterns as possible so that you are able to execute the runs and licks and lead lines of a wide variety of bass players and style of music that you personally are interested in.

The bass student will find more reward in the bass practice and learning of the varied methods, namings, visualizing and thinking of chord, scale, and arpeggio patterns on the fretboard. In some ways, the differences are minor, but often they can be very obvious and the benefit of learning them can easily result in transitioning around the fretboard easily.

Learning your bass patterns from alternate views of music theory and fretboard theory along with dedicated bass practice, will result in a large impact on your bass playing skill, which is what being a great bass player is all about.

For example traditional patterns, modern patterns, in position and out of position patterns need to be an integral part of your bass practice. Beginner bass players should learn these right away to save them years of time, trouble and frustration, but that most often never happens for them.

Intermediate bass players must have some patterns under their belt to even be at an intermediate level, however, they are usually the most frustrated players because they feel like they are getting somewhere with their bass, but the are so held up with partial information that they can't move beyond where they are at.

Advanced players must have some command of scale, chord and arpeggio patterns, to be advanced. Yet often they get real fast and efficient with enough bass practice of patterns to impress others and get by, but they realize how extremely limited they still are. They still find great limitation with an insufficient grasp of a complete mastery of the fretboard with the current patterns that they already know, as well as the theoretical aspect behind the patterns and their use.

Bass players want to be able to play the type of leads, licks and arpeggio runs that the pro players are doing. However, since most bass players have a really poor knowledge of their fretboard patterns and their bass practice application of them is so limited, it becomes a set back to their ability to play more and do more with their instrument.

Not only do they need to know the right pattern to use and how to execute them in many different ways, but they also need to know the best method of bass practice to use with them. Regular bass practice with the proper set of fretboard patterns is a necessary component of becoming a seasoned player. Time must be spent with practice, but it is important to know how to practice so that hours a day are not spent with insufficient result.