How To Play Bass

Learn songs not scales

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Learn Songs Not Scales?

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If you’re a First Bass And Beyond subscriber you know what this page is for…..please leave your questions by using the ‘Comments’ form below!

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  1. When I first picked up a guitar (6 string) scales were very daunting, so I set about learning how to play chords. When I knew how to play the E, A and D chords (they were the easiest) I started to play songs with just those 3 chords. The rest of the chords followed from there.
    Once I could play the F chord I was ready for bar chords. They helped in establishing where the root notes were on the E and A strings.
    I was playing many songs by this stage but still had no idea about scales, so that seemed to be the next progression from there. I took online lessons teaching me how to play scales. They were now not daunting, but merely a challenge which was easily conquered (mainly the Major scale and minor pentatonic). Combining my now very good grasp of chords and songs with selective notes from these sclaes I was putting riffs into my songs along with the chords and my songs sprang to life !
    From there I saw the light and picked up the bass. I am now a bass player in a band, something I thought I would never achieve.
    Our band writes a lot of original songs so I had to know how to create basslines – enter Paul. What I have learned from Basslines 101 is INVALUABLE !!!!!!
    Yes, scales are probably important, but knowing how to play songs is vital.
    Learn how to play songs first and after a while, if you are so inclined, learn the scales. They will be much easier to grasp once you have the enjoyment of playing songs under your belt.
    Nick

    • Nick

      Thanks for the comment (and glad BL101 was invaluable to you!).

      Here’s what I need though….imagine you were back starting over, and were wondering whether to choose a learning path that was based on scales, or a learning path based on songs. What questions would you ask to assist you making that decision?

      Paul

      • The question I would ask is; how can I enjoy playing music ?

        From my life’s experience I would hope the answer would be learn how to play songs first. As I stated previously, scales will flow from there if you wish to pursue that path. And scales are great to know, but learning songs first will always give you enjoyment to fall back on.
        Nick

      • When I consider a path of learning the bass, I don’t see it as songs or scales. I understand the motto of the First Bass and Beyond site is to “learn songs not scales”, but I have always viewed it as a combination of the two. Paul at FBaB has always took the time to explain how the songs he uses to illustrate the varied level of skill fit into the broader musical picture by providing the chords and encouraging “all 12 keys”. I discovered FBaB about two years into my musical studies at a point were I had already learned to play over chords at an advanced beginner level. I was impressed with the selection of music covered in FBaB and with Paul’s emphasis on a “Deliberate Practice” techniques. Finally, having taken just about every course offered by Paul, I have seen his dedication to a “beginners up” form of presentation. And while this emphasizing of songs is key to getting you “playing” right off the bat, Paul has always included theory (scales) as needed so as to build a well versed bass musician at days end. I guess I have always seen “songs not scales” as more of a guiding theme rather then a hard rule when it comes to First Bass and Beyond.

        • BTW, if I was starting out on bass today, I would still attempt to combine the songs with the scales. Songs get you interested and satisfy the urge to “play something”, and theory (scales) help you to understand the “what and why” of note selection. I am not sure a person could learn to improv without at least some grounding in theory, or a good set of ears. Your ears develop with time by playing over the chord changes of songs, an area in which the “scales” method alone falls flat. Songs are also the “bread and butter” of the gigging world. You can know theory inside and out, but if you don’t know the standards of your choice of music, good luck finding people to do more then casually “jam” with.

    • As with most hings, there is no black and white. A victim of poor piano tuition as a child, scales and other theory left me cold. Then I learned chords for guitar and found music was more fun and do-able without learning music.

      Paul’s site is first class for when you start out and just want to be doing music. But learning songs doesn’t give you a tool kit of techniques to meet other situations. Paul’s Beginners Course helps towards that. But to really move on I needed to go to another site, Scott’s Bass Lessons, where I learned to understand scales and arpeggios and stuff, and how to adapt that knowledge to new situations, especially in the jazz context.

      I value both ways of learning, but I don’t think you can have one without the other. Learning songs without understanding technique is like learning cookery from a collection of recipes – you’re only ever going to be a cook, not a chef.

      • Hey John

        Thanks for the input….I think you may be pleasantly surprised when I finish the report. Because I do agree with you…..but I still believe everything can be taught through the prism of learning songs.

        I’d be really interested if you could list the benefits for you from Scott’s site that’s missing from mine (and please be as harsh or brutal as necessary….I regularly get flamed on YoUtube so have developed a tought skin….and may help make what I do much better.

        Paul

        • Goodness, being a beginner I don’t know enough to say. But FWIW:

          There are areas where you fundamentally differ (A), where you agree (B) and where there is a difference (C).

          A: You concentrate on motown, r&b, rock, pop, whereas SD leans towards jazz and jazz related stuff. Pretty much, end of. That?s fine.

          B: You both agree on things like incremental learning and developing neural pathways. Excellent.

          C: Without your course I wouldn’t be remotely prepared for playing with other people and the real world. But I could learn any number of songs with you and it would be ‘monkey see, monkey do’. If someone then said to me ?so what do you take away from Paul?s teaching that you can apply to this [insert title of new unfamiliar song]?? I would be stuck for an answer.

          After a year with SD I have a slowly growing range of techniques to apply, from riffs (or plug-ins as he calls them) such as different ways of soloing over a ll, V, l chord sequence, to learning three different versions of arpeggios up and down the fingerboard. So I can now play several jazz standards in three different parts of the keyboard and most importantly, I can now play ANY number where those techniques are relevant. That?s what I meant by my earlier cooking analogy. You teach recipes, he teaches cooking.

          As a trainer I know how important training out-turn is. After exactly a year doing bass and from the start learning with you and Scott in parallel I have learned bundles from both of you. As I said before it?s not a you or him thing, I take value from whoever’s relevant to my needs at that moment.

          Hope that helps.

          Cheers

          John

          • John – that does help a lot.

            For the record I do teach exactly the same things – and in a rock and pop context – but that’s a separate (and very detailed) course called Basslines 101.

            What I need to do is either make that more accessible to FB&B subscribers, or take elements out of it and make those elements accessible, or something.

            It’s important knowledge. And I’m really pleased you posted today….helps me plug the holes in my systems!

            So the takeaway for me in the ‘learn songs not scales’ debate for you would be it’s not just learning songs, but taking the information from those songs so that you can apply it to other songs?

            Does that sound about right?

  2. Hay Paul just like to say what great web site you put together and the time you put into it you have thought me so much in just a little time. When I first got my bass and reading tabs it took so long to learn a song but with your help it’s getting a lot easier and faster. My local pub has a open mic nite . Last week the guy said to the bass player its in a e and g . I know the root notes but that’s it . Can you tell me where to go from there. Using those notes what do you play around them . And will it work on most root notes . Thanks marc

  3. If I were to approach this as a new student coming across your website, these are the things I might say…

    Every book you pick up about learning bass, every online educational site on the internet and every instructional DVD on the market all begin the same way – learning scales, arpeggios, etc. Your method is unique in the sense that you don’t abid by that method of teaching. Is that to say ALL of the other teachers and methods are wrong and have no value whatsoever? Would not having that basic educational foundation of the bass not actually *accelerate* my learning once I go through it?

    I like the idea of learning songs and not scales but am I missing something in the long run? Would I have that basic foundation to build from if I’m in a scenario like a jam session or an open mic setting where I may not know the song being played (if it’s even truly a song and not just jamming). Would I be able to actually play and sound like I know what I’m doing?

  4. Hi Paul, as you know I am relatively new to both Bass and music. I am also a late starter and my first idea was to buy a cheap bass set and search the web for a course. I chose Alex Sampsons Bass secrets course and as well as being many dollars lighter I was bored to tears and confused as hell within a month. I then searched the web for some tutorials and eventually stumbled across a couple of yours. After taking the free monthly ezine for a while I subsribed to FBAB as I had at least learnt a few songs. Now the questions I asked myself were:

    Q)What do you want to get out of this in the short and long term?

    Short term was to learn a bunch of decent songs to play in the woodshed
    Longer term was to be able to do a gig with a reasonable cover band
    Q) Will Scales, Arpeggios, Modes etc teach me a bunch of songs – NO
    Q) Will the above get me the gig? NO
    Q) Will I ever need to learn the above? if I want to create rather than copy yes

    I am now aware that Paul has some more advanced courses should I need them
    So my view is songs first theory second

  5. Hey Paul, If I were a beginner and considering your product these are the questions I would ask.

    Are you saying that I can become a competent bass player without ever leaning a scale?
    Isn’t the knowledge of scales an important part of developing an understanding of basic music theory?
    How can I progress as a player by just learning a bunch of song?

    Now I’m not a beginner and I know the answers to these questions. But here’s a question I don’t have an answer for. Why did you choose the mantra “Learn Songs Not Scales”? In your courses and tutorials you use terms like; 5th, 3rd, major7th, and scalar approach notes. It is obvious that you expect your students to have an understanding of scales but your mantra suggests otherwise. I think this is a major reason that so many take exception to your method. Wouldn’t the phrase “Play Songs Not Scales” or “Practice Songs Not Scales” more accurately reflect your philosophy?

  6. Paul, I’ve been playing bass for quite sometime now and after a long hiatus from music I discovered your website. As I already knew scales, I was interesting in learning songs, this is what drew me to your website in the first place. In order to understand what you are teaching, your students have to know why…. hence knowing scales and how songs are written and conceived. I believe many beginners just want to start playing songs….and after they learn the song they should start to analyze it. This can only be done if the key and chords are available. For me, understanding why certain notes are played over a chord is understanding the song. This was why I enrolled in your Basslines101 course. Within that course major and minor pentatonic scales were discussed. This alone was an eye opener.
    This gave me insight into how runs and fills were done and transcribing song made easier.
    Apologies if I’m not much help as my approach and entry into music was through learning scales.

    • For the 2nd “Asking Questions” part
      Why would I want to mimic other bass players?
      What’s wrong with doing your own thang and being original?

  7. Can I get a well rounded musical education by learning to play songs on the bass guitar instead of learning music theory and learning to play scales, arpeggios, etudes, etc?

  8. Paul,

    I think your current approach is great, but could be improved even more by incorporating a “inside the bassline” analysis along with the song. It would be great way to introduce some basic theory concepts in a relatively painless way since they would have context. I know I learn and retain conceptual info much better when I have a practical example to see. I think it is also a good way to get a little more insight and understanding into how the original bassplayer decided to approach the song. I think most of us eventually either get this from an enligtened teacher or at some just have an epiphany where the light bulb goes on and you realize that what you are playing is really one of those esoteric mode things you had to learn years ago but didn’t understand why at the time.

    Keep up the great work!

  9. Obviously this will ALWAYS be a very hot topic. I am only going to speak from my experience. I am a drummer by trade, but have always played around on guitar and bass. I took piano at a very young age, but only enough that I knew the scales and practically no songs. But I did learn something about music.

    I began learning bass, late in life, after our church amassed three drummers and no bass players. Since I knew the notes on a bass, I could at least carry the bottom end for the worship team. After a few months, I decided to actually become a bass player. I had already been learning songs out of necessity, which was great for root notes and such, but I wanted to be able to improvise. I also wanted to get rid of the pick and speed up both hands. I started learning scales to do so. The only scales I’ve taken time to learn are major, minor, blues, and the pentatonics that go with those scales. They served their purpose. I learned to play with my fingers and I increased my speed on the fretboard.

    BUT… there was something else I learned. Now remember, I was learning songs because I was already playing with a worship team. I HAD to learn songs. I did not have to learn scales. So here it is… once I learned the scale patterns and how the notes fit together, I began to see the songs a lot differently. I understood more about how the notes in the songs fit into the chord progressions. I learned how to improvise because I knew the difference between major and minor. When they changed the song key, or changed chords in a song, I was able to understand because I knew the scale patterns. I learned so much more about music through scales.

    I became a decent bass player for a large worship team. Mission accomplished by learning songs and learning scales. But then I realized something else. I had basically stopped learning and progressing. I wanted more, so I auditioned for a local 60’s & 70’s band that had been together for over 30 years. Well known in our area. I learned about 5-6 of their songs really well, and then auditioned. It was incredible. The fit was perfect and we all gelled together musically. Then they asked me to try some of their songs that I didn’t learn. FEAR! But I did just fine because they would tell me the key and I could figure out the basic progressions because I knew… you guessed it… the scales. So it again came in handy.

    I got the gig with this band and here we are in our 2nd year. It took me nearly a year to learn all of the songs they do (about 75). Most of them I had never heard of and most not what I grew up listening to. I was an 80’s guy… so this 60’s and 70’s stuff was foreign to me (not all of it… just to soul part). Needless to say, I now feel like I am a real bass player. Learning all of those songs, especially the ones from great players like Duck Dunn and James Jamerson, has really taken me to a level I never expected. My skills have increased because of all of the types of songs (including some reggae) that I had to learn. But I still feel this process was easier because I knew scales.

    Now, on the other hand, I have a friend who just SMOKES the bass. He is lightyears ahead of me, and guess what? He doesn’t even know the basic notes on the fretboard. If you give him a chart with basic chord changes, like G, C, & D, then he wouldn’t know what to do with them. His learning style is different than mine. He has a gift and I have to work at it.

    Anyway… I discovered Paul even before I started playing in the band and I have loved his help with learning songs. I started out working on the 50 songs he lists, but since, I have just been kind of random, unless it was something I needed to learn. Enough said from me.

    Peace everyone.

  10. Paul,
    I like your approach “learning songs not scales” and think that you can combine the two to make both of them interesting and memorable.

    I’m relatively new to bass playing and have enjoyed learning songs from your site as well as learning from you Funk Rock Style bass course (excellent I may add). However, there a several of holes that I’ve encountered in most of the material I’ve read. I think that combining songs and scales would help fill those holes.

    Teaching scales are boring and everyone knows that. Learning songs is fun, but can only go so far. I think a great way to teach scales and to fill these holes would be to show how to apply scales to songs to see how they work together. Wouldn’t it be great to introduce and teach a scale and then show a real-world example to uses that scale. Not a simplistic application of that scale, but a full fledged application. Perhaps a song that people recognize. Show how the notes that are played fit the scale and the chords being played, or how to apply the scales to transitions between chord changes, scales to fills, scales to pickup notes, etc. This way the student learns more than “just another scale,” but the combination of song and scale makes both of them come alive. The student takes away a lot of knowledge, but also the application of that knowledge.

    Just a thought.

    Thanks for a great site. Keep up the good work
    Steve

  11. Music is a language. As children we learn how to speak and communicate well before anyone explains what a noun or a verb is…let alone more complex gramatical constructs. Imagine if we had to learn all the grammar before we could speak. I am a firm believer that in spoken language and music you are far better off learning how to speak (play songs) first and then study the finer technical aspects of the language.

    Paul,
    Thank you for being such a great teacher to all of us!!

    -V

  12. My experience: having to pick up the bass for the first time ever ( at what is called “middle age”) having never played a stringed instrument and play a gig at a music festival 12 weeks later. I learned 12 tunes in 12 weeks. I’ve played with the same band for 3 years now, and know a lot of tunes. While for me, there’s no substitute for playing with others and rehearsing weekly, I want to understand the structure of the music much better than I do, so I agree with Steve Parker that learning the relationships between the scales and what I play will be helpful. It takes time though, and keeping up with the set list is about all I have time for, it seems! Your site is so helpful, Paul, thanks for all you do!

  13. I did not learn to read by memorizing the ABCs. I learned to read by actually reading.

    IMO, this is the identical – and correct approach – you take with How-To-Play-Bass. The reinforcement you get by actually playing a song PALES in comparison to that achieved when you learn or play a scale.

    This site – by design – is all about creating bass PLAYERS not musical theorists. There are some of us – my included – who really don’t care about musical principals or even learning to read music. There are plenty of excellent courses, books and instructors for that. We’re here because we want to play bass – to rock -out – or whatever. I don’t denigrate those who want to learn theory and the “traditional” way. I’m not among them though. And that’s why I’m here with Paul. I just want to learn how to PLAY. And I am! YMMV……