The below lesson is written for guitar. Many blues bass players will be hanging out the root and fifth notes of the chords. But we wanted to present other ideas so you can stretch out a bit if you desire. Try some of the other scales and notes listed below and get creative with your bass lines. You just don’t have to play pentatonic scales, as there are lots of options out there depending on your playing style and the groove and mood you want to create laying down that bass. These listed below will hopefully inspire you to be creative and experiment while developing your own style.

In this jam we have a very cool flat tire groove or what is also known as a Texas backbeat shuffle. It is a 12-Bar I-IV-V in the key of D major and utilizes 7th chords and a slow change to the IV chord.

From analyzing the chords and rhythm we know a bunch of things right off the bat. First we hear that its in major key and we also hear that very identifiable I-IV-V 12-Bar pattern. That tells us this jam is wide open for soloing and improvisational avenues. Next we hear 7th chords so we know that Mixolydian mode can be employed as well as many other soloing avenues.

What Relates to all the chords:

Try D Minor Pentatonic & Blues over all the chords for that minor bluesy vibe. Minor Pentatonic & Blues exudes that killer bluesy sound and is often the first choice for soloing over all the chords in a major key blues jam.

D Minor Pentatonic & Blues = D, F, G, Ab, A, C

Try D Major Pentatonic over all the chords for that sweet major sound. Remember that for most major key jams you can use Major Pentatonic over all the chords. This will give you that sweet major bluesy sound that is quite different than the minor sound:

Major Pentatonic = 1, 2, 3, 5, 6

D Major Pentatonic = D, E, F#, A, B

D Major Pentatonic is the same as B Minor Pentatonic. D Major and B Minor are relative major and minor. Play all your B Minor Pentatonic scales, but start on and emphasize the D notes and it will be D Major Pentatonic.

D Major Pentatonic = D, E, F#, A, B

B Minor Pentatonic = B, D, E, F#, A

(Same notes – just emphasize the root of the mode, D.).

Try D Dorian over all the chords. The Dorian Mode is a seven-note scale often used in blues, rock, and many other musical genres. Dorian is considered a minor mode and is always the 2nd mode in any major key. Dorian produces a mystical, minor sound that is a bit sweeter than Aeolian. There is only one note difference between Dorian and Aeolian – the 6^th interval:

Dorian Mode = 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7

Aeolian Mode = 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7

Remember that Dorian is the second mode in any major key. So to play D Dorian ask what major scales 2^nd note is a D note. The answer is C. C major has the same notes as D Dorian. So play C major scales but start on and emphasize the D notes and you have D Dorian. If you want to learn more about modal playing, major scales, and Dorian please see the written lessons in this series.

D Dorian = D, E, F, G, A, B, C

C Major = C, D, E, F, G, A, B

(Same notes – just emphasize the root of the mode, D.)

Try mixing D Minor Pentatonic & Blues, D Major pentatonic, as well as D Dorian over all the chords for some cool tones.
Cool sounds can be created by switching from the five-note pentatonic scales to the seven-note Dorian scales. Fun stuff, give it a try and keep on rocking!

Treat each chord like a separate event:

Switch Pentatonics over each chord. Over the D7 chord try D Minor Pentatonic & Blues or D Major Pentatonic. Over the G7 chord try G Minor Pentatonic & Blues or G Major Pentatonic. Over the A7 chord try A Minor Pentatonic & Blues or A Major Pentatonic.

Try Mixolydian mode over each chord: Mixolydian works great over 7th chords as there is that b7 in the 7th chords, (1,3,5,b7), as well as in the Mixolydian mode (1,2,3,4,5,6,b7) Mixolydian is often the mode of choice over dominant chords.

Mixolydian is an incredibly useful mode, especially for blues and jazz playing. The Mixolydian Mode is a seven-note scale often used in blues and rock. Mixolydian is considered a major mode and is always the 5th mode in any major key. Mixolydian is basically a major scale, (Ionian Mode), but with a b7th interval instead of a natural 7^th:

Mixolydian Mode = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7

Major Scale (Ionian Mode) = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Over the D7 chord try D Mixolydian (=G Major). Over the G7 chord try G Mixolydian (=C Major). Over the A7 chord try A Mixolydian (=D Major).

Try mixing Minor Pentatonic and Major Pentatonic over each chord. Play D Major Pentatonic over the D7 chord, then switch to D Minor Pentatonic & Blues over the G7 chord, then try D Major Pentatonic over the A7 chord. Listen to how well this technique outlines and implies the chord changes. Mix this up, maybe the next time around the progression try D Minor Pentatonic & Blues over the A7 chord instead of the Major, or maybe Dorian. Get creative and experiment with these techniques. Put your own spin on them and make them your own!