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  • Riffing in Dm Pentatonic

    Students and other bassists often ask me why I focus so much on the Blues scales. To some, there just aren't enough notes in a pentatonic scale. To others, they wonder why I don't play more notes.

    My answer to both types of questions is simple and direct - "That's what the Blues are about - being able to say everything you need to say with just a few notes."

    Blues isn't about flash. It's about feeling. Stop thinking and start feeling, and you'll be well on your way to playing true ... dare I say it? - Deeper Blues.

    the other day during a video session for upcoming lessons, I took a few minutes to just have a little fun. When I did this, it was mainly for me... I just wanted to take a break from taping and just play.

    Then, that same afternoon, I got another email asking about the simplicity of my style. So I decided to post the clip.

    Here, then, is Riffing in Dm Pentatonic. 99% of what I play is strict pentatonic scale. I use very few "blue" notes... all of which come from the Blues mentality.

    Watch the video, then grab your bass. How much of this can you grab from just a listen or two?


    Once you've gotten the gist of what I'm playing, see what you can come up with on your own. To do so is to learn your OWN lines, rather than just being a well-trained parrot playing my lines from the video.

    Have fun. And above all,

    Keep Thumpin'!

    Lane on Bass




    Was this video helpful and/or inspirational? Leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.
    Comments 7 Comments
    1. SilverFlame46's Avatar
      SilverFlame46 -
      Excellent. Thanks, Lane!!!
    1. Elmeaux's Avatar
      Elmeaux -
      Great stuff, as usual. You encourage me to do some "freestyle" exploring of sounds.

      Thanks!!
    1. Greg Jewell's Avatar
      Greg Jewell -
      Ohhhh I really like this, Lane. The blues ain't nothing but a good bassman feelin' bad. Keep 'em coming.
    1. jthomas353's Avatar
      jthomas353 -
      Very nice Lane. Gives me inspiration to keep on keeping on. Thanks.
    1. Bassix's Avatar
      Bassix -
      Very helpful video; just goes to show that it doesn't take a lot of notes to make something sound interesting and draw the listener in. Thanks!
    1. line6bassman's Avatar
      line6bassman -
      Totally agree with it!! It's nice sometimes to shred but sometimes being real fast and playing a bunch of notes so fast it ends up making no sense. Have a friend of mine that plays so fast from top to bottom the music makes no sense. It's all ways been my thing that less is better especially when your playing something and maybe you hit that one note that some might not play normally and it's the sweetest note of all!! Just does something to the mind and the heart!! I guess you might say like the 7th of any chord instead of the root or something like that? I guess I would have to be playing it to show what I'm trying to say. But it sure is SWEET!!
      Thanks lane, I totally understand!! And totally agree!!

      line6bassman
    1. derecola's Avatar
      derecola -
      great tone...
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