Yeah it’s hard! And you can’t do it all at once - I’m still working fretting technique 17+ years deep into playing. And plenty of amazing pro bass players don’t have perfect fretting technique, so there’s that too. So it’s just about making progress, not reaching some ‘perfect’ endpoint.
Yeah 5 minutes of focused fingering practice is a solid amount!
I was doing a little research on my question regarding the song Melissa. What I am finding out is that this song uses “modal interchange”. Can you explain what this is and how it works?
Thanks, Brian
Ok.
Before you get any deeper into worrying about scales or modes, or any theory related anything, remember that there is only one theory rule that holds true in all music, for all time, ever.
IF IT SOUNDS GOOD, IT SOUNDS GOOD.
The scale that’s used for most of this is the E major pentatonic scale. If you’re comfortable with that, great. Don’t worry about anything else theory wise.
Make sure that you:
Know the song backwards and forwards.
If you want to get inside the song and really feel comfortable playing on it, learn and play the recorded bass line.
If you can’t do that yet, then I think that is a good sign to not pressure yourself to understand the inner and more theoretical workings of the song.
It would be like trying to learn the hard-core grammar of a language that you don’t speak - it can be done, but it won’t connect very deeply, and it won’t be very applicable.
So.
Step one - master E major pentatonic.
If the first part of the song makes sense with that scale, great. Learn the bass line verbatim.
When the song moves to other chords and pulls in root notes and chords that are not technically part of E major, just remember the only un-breakable rule of music. If it sounds good, it sounds good.
Modal interchange sounds like Music Theory-ese for “and then they thought it would sound good if they used notes that weren’t in the scale they used most of the time”.
The only other thing I’ll mention here is that when a song is in a key, it only means that, in a general sense, there is a place that feels like home or resolution for a song.
It is a rough, and general guide, and has little to do with the specifics of the tune.
Melissa and Haydn’s symphony no 12 are both in E major. They both move through different keys, different melodies, etc. But they have roots and resolutions in E major.
Music theory is a murky pool if you wade in once in a while.
There’s a ton of information to keep sorted, and when the whole structure isn’t built on a solid foundation, it gets real wobbly real quick.
My strongest recommendation is to learn the song by ear, learn the bass line verbatim, and then see if you can cross reference the bass line to the chords of the song.
Usually that will answer 99% of theory questions.
If you are ever wondering -
“But why would they use a D major or a C major chord in a song in the key of E major” then just remember the golden rule of music:
IF IT SOUNDS GOOD, IT SOUNDS GOOD.
I hope this is helpful!
Holler with questions.
Thanks Gio. Your answer helps a lot and if anything confirms what I have been doing with the bass line. The E pentatonic is what I have been centering the bass line around along with other keys. And, the end result is, it sounds good.
Thanks for your input,
Brian
YES to this. I literally had to look up the term “modal interchange” even it’s something I do constantly and know a million songs that do it. Nobody uses that term unless “Professor” precedes their name.
Took me so long to learn that. Every time I saw a new type of chord or root movement, I was like “But WHHYYYYY WHAT ARE THE THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGGGGSSSSSS???”
But it’s so much more useful to think “Ooh a new thing! What does it feel/sound like?” and actually digest it that way, otherwise the theory doesn’t mean anything.
So true. I guess that is where I am in my bass playing. I find myself trying to understand, "WHAT ARE THE THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGGGGSSSSSS???” You guys have done wonders in my understanding of whats going on. Ultimately, “If it sounds good, it sounds good”. Thanks!
I’m struggling with two things, right hand position (fingers 90 degrees to the strings) and alternating plucking. When I’m doing what feels comfortable my fingers are about 45 degrees to the strings and I use my index finger about 80% of the time. My middle finger will join in whenever it feels like it. lol
What I was wondering is will there come a point that using proper technique is critical to advancing. I’m only on lesson 14 but I’m seriously considering just doing it “my way” instead of the “right way” for the sake of comfort. What do you think?
This is what I’m talking about…
This was in a hotel room at nearly midnight so please ignore that I’m not plugged in and you just hear a bunch of clacking, as well as the fact that I don’t know what I’m playing. Looking at my right hand, is this something I can get away with indefinitely?
I think your position looks pretty good there, @Korrigan. The guidelines are always just guidelines. It looks like you have a nice solid, smooth attack, you’re coming across the string, and getting a nice full tone out of the (albeit unplugged) bass.
HOWEVER!! I would earnestly and vehemently urge you to practice alternating your RH fingers. If you’re choosing to play with one finger, that’s great. It’s a choice.
If you’re only learning with one finger 80% of the time, when you come up against fast, intricate, or otherwise complex lines that will necessitate quickness and dexterity, you’ll be way behind the curve.
The RH is like breathing. You want it to happen without thinking, and in the most healthy way: The alternate fingering should be your body’s default mechanism. Choosing alternatives is great - but only breathing with one lung is a bad choice if you decide to try and jog, or climb a mountain at some point…
Hope that helps! And, I should add - great questions and great attention to the details of playing. Also, thanks for the video - it helps so much to be able to see and hear what’s going on!
Yes, @Korrigan . . . this is the exact same issue I am struggling with myself. Thanks for your post, and it’s great to know I’m not alone with this . . . 
. . lol
@Gio’s answer is what I was thinking: we MUST be more fluent with alternating the RH fingers, otherwise there will be a limitation to speed. I’m using my index about 60-70% and, like you, my middle finger will join in the rest of the time.
So, thank you BOTH . . . 
. . . this just makes me more determined than ever to consciously work on developing correct RH technique.
All best, Joe
@Korrigan: first of all, I am impressed that you learn to play the bass on a six-string instrument! Having said that, I’d wager you make life unnecessarily complicated for yourself, having to deal with a wider fretboard, narrower string spacing and, of course, the two extra strings. I mainly practice on a four-string bass, and occasionally play on a five-string instrument, and when I do there is always some degree of confusion as to where (i.e., on which string) I am supposed to be with both the fretting and the plucking fingers - I often find them on different strings 
There are some really experienced people in here (@JoshFossgreen and @Gio, for example), and they are much better equipped to give you correct advice on your “bad technique”, than what I can do (as a fellow beginner, even if I am a month or two “ahead” of you). But, one thing you might consider, is to pluck closer to the pickups, or even the bridge. I noticed you are plucking basically on top of the fretboard. I think all positions are legit, but they give you a different tone (warmer where you are, and with more attack the closer you get to the bridge). While they are all “legit”, I guess the standard position would be where you rest your thumb on the ridge of the pickup and pluck with your fingers beneath that position. However, keeping the thumb anchored there on a six string is tough, given the width of the fretboard.
Maybe @JoshFossgreen has some comments on whether to, in general, keep the thumb anchored, or move it along as you cross strings…!?
Good luck!
Well, it’s not so much that I’m choosing to play with my index finger, it’s kind of what happens naturally if I don’t put any concentrated thought into fingering.
I just put 20 minutes into trying to figure out what my subconscious is doing with my right hand fingers when I’m not actively thinking about alternating. It seems that I use my middle finger mostly when 1) changing strings to give my the rest of my right hand time to catch up (the side of my thumb rests on the strings as a mute on the strings I’m not playing), 2) when my index finger is muting the note I just played on a different string and 3) to add accents by hitting the string with the corner of my fingernail.
I think what is happening is that my subconscious is basically fingerpicking guitar but trying to not to let more than one string ring out at a time. I’m out of town so I don’t have a guitar to test but I watched a couple of my old videos and sure enough I use my middle, index and ring fingers on adjacent strings most of the time and use my index finger for single note stuff. As a side note my guitar playing technique is like clawhammer banjo. Maybe if I got a banjo I would use bass technique? lol
Thanks for the input @Gio, I’ll try to put more effort into alternating.
@Jazzbass19: You are certainly not alone and best of luck to you.
@joergkutter: I’ve got big hands. 
That’s part of the reason I started building instuments… nobody makes guitars with 10mm spacing at the nut. I started on a 3 string bass with a 1.5" wide fretboard (no taper) but don’t have any problem switching back and forth with the 6. As for playing over the fretboard, that’s just where my hand naturally falls over this instrument. That does give me an idea though, If I had a shorter horn and mounted the bridge more toward the middle (basically extending the body) then my hand would rest over the pickups. Hmm… I might have to make a more ergonomic bass… a 5 string 27" scale maybe. 
I was always a “keep your hand anchord when you play” staunch and conservative advocate… until I saw John Patitucci play.
His style was much closer to @Korrigan - where his thumb just chased behind his plucking fingers, and his position was much closer to the fingerboard also…
You can check it out here:
It worked.
I think the 6 string is a strange beast, and as long as the notes are clear and the tone is good - play where it’s comfortable, and not physically damaging!
But - I reiterate my fervent plea to work the alternating fingers to the point where it becomes your automatic, default approach. It makes life easier.
I am not struggling with this but I found this is the best way to ask a question not related to any topic. (What is the best way to ask a question not already discussed?)
I think I finally understand what is meant by “Chord” as it relates to Bass. I was confused because a guitar chord is playing multiple notes at once. My understanding of a bass chord now is 3 or more notes played one after the other. If I’m wrong could you explain “bass chord” ?
A chord is three (or more) notes played simultaneously, whether it is on a guitar, a piano or a bass, or any other instrument that lets you play several notes at the same time. I think the lower limit for a chord would have to be three notes, as the “flavor” of a chord really only comes out then, defined by the harmonic relation of these three (or more) notes (major, minor, augmented, seventh added, sus4, etc). If you play notes from a chord one after the other, it is called an arpeggio. That is probably heard/used more often than chords on a bass, but I certainly haven’t done any statistics on this
Strumming (on a guitar or a bass) does not really produce an arpeggio, but a chord, as the notes are very close together in time, even though they - strictly speaking - are initiated one after the other - still, we typically hear them as one sound. If you use your thumb and two or three fingers of your plucking hand to initiate all notes at the same time, then you can get a very “clean” chord. For example, if you put your index finger on the 8th fret of the E string, your pinky on the 10th fret of the A string, and your ring finger on the 9th fret of the G string, and pluck all three string (E, A, G) simultaneously with your thumb (E), index (A), and middle finger (G), you get a C major chord (the C major triad C - E - G).
But, of course, you could also play the three notes one after the other, and then it would be an arpeggio. In the end, it is an artistic choice whether you play a chord or an arpeggio.
I don’t know if this problem I’m having will necessarily make sense or if it’s really that big of a problem but here it is…I can’t seem to get my ears to completely focus on the bass in music as I listen. I’m sure that part of it is that my main interest for most of my music loving life has been guitar in the music I listen to (especially bands with 2 guitars). Now there’s no missing the bass in alot of music but my guitar-centric ears just don’t seem to be able to focus on the bass the majority of the time. Silly problem I know, but any tips?
Don’t worry, @funplumbin1 . . . the longer you play (and learn to play) bass, the better your ear will adapt to picking out the bass tracks in a song.
Like anything else, it just takes practice . . .
Hang in there and enjoy the ride!
All best, Joe
All I can say is thanks and wow! you really explain it well.
@funplumbin1 : I think it helps to concentrate on listening to the drums (especially the kick drum) to help pick out the bass line. But like @Jazzbass19 says it just takes practice.
Thanks, you’re welcome! In the meantime, I saw a clip in another thread in here that is very related to your question. I just hadn’t seen the clip before (that is the challenge of coming late to the party (i.e., this forum)). Anyway, it is a clip of @Gio (a very skilled bass player and avid contributor to this forum) playing with Toast Machine and there is a LOT of chordal playing going on on the bass! You should be able to find it using the search function here in the forum (search for “Toast Machine”).