Review – Double Bass Scales: The Play-Along Collection By Geoff Chalmers

Double Bass Scales…

Discover Double Bass founder Geoff Chalmers has just released a great learning tool, Double Bass Scales, that at first seems applicable for upright bassists however, if you look under the hood you will find a wealth of material for electric players as well.

Discover Double Bass purports to be the largest online repository for learning the Double Bass with an internationally renowned faculty of instructors.

This play-along series offers you 1, 2 and 3-octave scales in the following denominations:

And along with all of these scales, there are accompanying mp3’s so you can HEAR exactly what they sound like.

This is a great primer for anyone who really wants to know their scales inside and out!

It is an interesting subject, the learning of scales and my philosophy may be a bit different because even though I play an upright, I am more of an electric player and primarily a six-string bass player so when I see a package like this my thoughts always turn to:

“How can I apply this to my playing?”

Ok… As an upright bassist, Geoff Chalmers gives you fingerings that are great for the upright bass but, if you dive deep into this, these same fingerings can be used on your electric bass as well, and since some of these fingerings are different than what an electric player would use, BAM! You’ve got alternatives that go up one way and down another and in 3 octaves!

Another thing about the upright that differs from the electric is, “Open strings are your friends!” On the upright, using the open strings is a big help with shifting through octaves from high to low and if you investigate going back to James Jamerson, who played the upright, he was very comfortable using the open strings in his basslines. A key point!

So, if you want to improve your facility with 17 scales and if you want to hear the sound of each of these scales, the included backing tracks with slow and fast versions of each scale played on a piano, including drone notes in 12 keys and a version of each scale played through the cycle of 5ths, I would highly recommend this package.

I think one of the major takeaways from this is, all materials are applicable to all musicians. All music whether it is written in bass clef or treble clef is applicable to all musicians. Never shy away from something because it is in a different clef. You never know what can spur your creativity forward!

To learn more, visit courses.discoverdoublebass.com

David C Gross has been the bassist for a lot of folks. He has written 14 bass books and 3 instructional videos, hosts “The Notes From An Artist Radio Show” on www.cygnusradio.com Monday nights 8 PM EDT, and the “Notes From An Artist” podcast available on iTunes, Spotify and all podcast platforms.

NFAA brings you behind the scenes with individuals who forged a timeless musical canon – spanning rock, jazz, funk, blues, folk, country, and permutations thereof. Listen to stories and anecdotes hitherto untold and relive more than a few chronicles that have become lore with a fresh vision. It’s the soundtrack of our lives. Celebrate the past, live in the present, and anticipate the future – take Notes From An Artist

You can contact David @ www.thebassguitarchannel.com/contact for more information regarding his online lessons and world-renown correspondence course.