14
ULTRABASS
BASS GUITAR PACK
Shuffle
If you play a piece of music with a triplet feel (e.g. in eighth triplets) and you leave out the second note in each triplet (e.g. eighth-note
rest), the result is a driving, lively rhythmwhat is known as a ternary rhythm, or
shuffle
.
By comparison, the binary rhythm (without triplets) sounds somewhat more static and less vibrant. Rhythm example 3 shows this
playing style in a few passages, and you can find a shuffle blues in the chapter titled EXAMPLES OF MUSICAL STYLES.
SCALES
Scales are simply sequences of individual notes that (in most cases) can be assigned to a certain key. They can be used to
accompany pieces of music written in the respective key. Probably the best-known scales are called the
major scale
and the
minor scale
. The difference between these scales depends on the order of half-tone and whole-tone steps, which is what
produces the individual characters of the scales.
Explanation:
A
half-tone step
is the shift from one fret to the next fret up (or the next fret down): e.g. the shift from E (D string, 2
nd
fret) to F
(D string, 3
rd
fret) or vice versa. This interval is known as a
minor second
.
A
whole-tone step
, on the other hand, describes the shift from one fret to the next-but-one fret up (or down): e.g. the shift from
F (D string, 3
rd
fret) to G (D string, 5
th
fret) or vice versa. This interval is known as a
major second
.
Intervals
At this point we would like to explain what intervals are, so that you dont have any difficulties with certain terms in the chapters that
follow. An interval indicates the difference in pitch between one note and another. There are many different intervals, as there are
also many different notes. The following illustration always shows the interval between the individual note and the keynote C
(
tonic
).
Major and minor
What is the actual difference between a major scale and a minor scale? The deciding factor is the interval between the first note
(keynote) and the third note (third) in the scale. If this interval equals four half-tone steps (or two whole-tone steps), it is called a
major third
. This is characteristic of a major scale, which, as a rule, has a bright, happy expression. If the interval consists of only
three half-tone steps (or one half-tone and one whole-tone step), however, it is what is called a
minor third
, which is characteristic
of a minor scale. Minor scales generally sound more melancholy and sadder than major scales.
The major scale
The following illustration shows you the fingering diagram for the
C major scale
. This scale consists of a series of seven
consecutive notes, with the scale beginning again one octave higher on the eighth note (C): C - D - E - F - G - A - B - (C). What is
characteristic of the major scale is that the half-tone steps are from the 3
rd
to the 4
th
notes (E to F) and from the 7
th
to the 8
th
notes
(B to (C)). The Roman numerals in all the following fingering diagrams are for orientation purposes and indicate the fret you are
playing at. In the following example the fret indicated is the 7
th
(VII).
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