Minor Pentatonic Scales for Bass
Minor pentatonic is a very common scale that is used for both creating bass lines, and improvising solos. Penta means 5, so there are only 5 different notes in this scale before you are back to a root.
Here is the most common form of an A minor pentatonic scale in the 5th position. The numbers indicate the fingering, and the numbers in parentheses indicate the root of the scale. The root is the primary note that the scale is built from. In the case of an A minor pentatonic scale, the root is an A note. This scale is moveable, so if you were to move every note up 2 frets, this same scale shape would be a B minor pentatonic scale. To get other minor pentatonic scales you just need to line the numbers in parentheses up with the root you are looking for. Of course you need to have a good knowledge of where the names of the notes are on the neck of the bass guitar to quickly move the scale form around to suit your needs.
Basic A Minor Pentatonic Scale (Form 1)
|--1--|-----|--3--|-----| -1st string
|--1--|-----|-(3)-|-----|
|--1--|-----|--3--|-----|
|-(1)-|-----|-----|--4--| -4th string
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5th fret
If you have been through the basic scales lesson you already know this form. So now it's time to expand and play the notes of this scale all over the neck of the bass. There are 5 basic minor pentatonic scale shapes that stay in one position, and 2 that shift between positions. The best way to start to expand your pentatonic scale knowledge is to learn the scale shapes that are right below and above the basic scale shape you just learned. If you start by thinking of the basic minor pentatonic scale shape as home base, and expand from there you will having an easier time learning the different positions.
A Minor Pentatonic Scale in 2nd Position (Form 5)
This scale fingering is the next position lower than our basic minor pentatonic scale pattern. There is no universal naming structure for these scale forms. For the purposes of this lesson I am going to call this "form 5". The basic minor pentatonic scale form I am going to call "form 1".
|-(1)-|-----|-----|--4--| -1st string
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|--1--|-----|--3--|
|-----|--1--|-----|-(3)-| -4th string
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3rd fret
Some bass players will play this scale form with the fingering below.
|-(1)-|-----|-----|--4--| -1st string
|--1--|-----|-----|--4--|
|-----|--2--|-----|--4--|
|-----|--2--|-----|-(4)-| -4th string
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3rd fret
Here you can see how this new pentatonic scale form fits right in with the first one that you learned. The right side notes of form 5 at the 5th fret are the same notes as the left side notes of form 1 at the 5th fret. These 5 basic minor pentatonic scale shapes that you are learning in this lesson are like pieces of a puzzle. The next position higher or lower always shares the same notes on one side.
|-(O)-|-----|-----|--O--|-----|--O--|-----| -1st string
|--O--|-----|-----|--O--|-----|-(O)-|-----|
|-----|--O--|-----|--O--|-----|--O--|-----|
|-----|--O--|-----|-(O)-|-----|-----|--O--| -4th string
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3rd fret 5th fret 8th fret
|_______________________| |
form 5 |_______________________|
form 1
Minor Pentatonic Scales for Bass Jump Zone
Minor Pentatonic Forms 1 & 5
Minor Pentatonic Forms 2 & Extended Form 1
Minor Pentatonic Forms 3, 4 & Extended Form 2
All 5 Forms Together & Print Version
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