Day 14.

Positional Fingering

We must make a distinction between the musical use of the words, 'position' and 'positional'. The word, 'position', means to label with a number a unique placement in a structure or a sequence, a place occupied (by a note in a scale)' and 'positional,' means 'placed, set in place or in a place' as with a sequence of notes that are played in the same way regardless of where on the fret board they are played. By this latter term, 'positional,' I mean 'positional fingering'.

Definition: positional fingering: a pattern of notes which can be moved as a group anywhere on the neck without changing its geometric pattern.

Repeat after me...

Positional fingering is what bass playing is all about. I cannot emphasize this enough. Positional fingering is what bass playing is all about.

Definition: positional fingerings: patterns of notes which can be moved as a group anywhere on the neck without changing their geometric pattern.

Inversions are just other forms of positional fingering. You'll notice that almost all positionally fingered patterns can be played within a fret 'box' of four to six frets and usually on only three strings at a time within that box. Of course once you reach this point, it'll become clear to you that it's time to abandon using open strings for the most part.

Why don't you review the previous information now. Play around on your bass with these ideas and fingering patterns.

There are some additional things: as you play with other people you'll begin to pick up different rhythms (which end up being just basic differences in the timings of when you play the notes) and styles. These are learned by feel. Or maybe, mechanically, by repetition.

Also, you will become infected by the Rock musician's eternal Quest for Tone ! Tone in this context is how a note sounds. It's produced by combinations of all the techniques that you pick up by practicing as well as listening to songs as they're played on CDs or the radio, by trying suggestions that are given to you by other players, by trying different effects which can be obtained from both effects devices as well as by the manipulations of the strings by the fingers (of both) of your hands as you play (see the techniques in the Appendix). Of course tone is also created by turning the knobs on your amplifier. This is where you begin to improve your sounds and create your own style(s).

I won't go any further into music theory or technique because this stuff is up to you - what you like or dislike, who begins to influence you musically and what directions you want to go in. All that I present in these basic lessons is designed to bring you to the point where you can know some basics and actually know what you're doing while conversing with and playing with other musicians.

I might add that knowing this stuff will help you if you decide to switch instruments, too. All this scale and chord stuff is used by everyone on all other musical instruments. Information that helps you create a bass line, a sequence of bass notes, also helps you build chords on a guitar or sequences of notes on a saxophone.

Good luck! Music is a tremendous pleasure and a lot of fun!

P.S. When playing notes in an upward or ascending direction, when you get to the 7th, play the major 7th ( in major scales - in minor scales, of course, play the minor 7th) and when playing notes in a downwards or descending direction, when you get to the 7th (which will be more quickly than when playing in an upwards direction), play a minor 7th even when you are playing within a major scale or chord - it just sounds better! Of course if you're playing within a minor chord framework, you'll also use the minor 7th position note when playing in a descending direction.

End of day 14.