Cole Davis: A complete guide to shifting-free, simple scales and arpeggios over all Major, Minor and Dominant chords.

About the Guide

These are the scales and arpeggios that I use to warm up every day, as well as the foundation for my improvisational ideas.

You’ll notice that I don’t really think in terms of modes (although several of my students do). I have no problem with modes, I prefer to deal with arpeggios and the extensions themselves, as opposed to the scales that encompass those extensions.

In the Dominant Arpeggios, I deal with each extension separately. Each page of Dominant Arpeggios is dedicated to a different extension (#11, b9, #5, #9, respectively). In the Major and Minor arpeggios, there are only 3 extensions, which simplifies things. Unless you are Thelonious Monk, in which case a b9 on a major7 chord is somehow the right choice.

The purpose of this packet is not only to simplify the harmonic information but to show how these scales and arpeggios can be played without shifting. Many upright bass players tend to shy away from extended harmony because of all the shifting that is often involved. With these scales and arpeggios, there is no shifting, just practical use of the open strings so you can move around the bass more freely.

As always, thank you for your support and for exploring the bass with me. My line is always open for comments, questions, or feedback.

-Cole

Etude Bundle Option Includes 4 etude books

1. Shift Free Scales and Arpeggios
2. Lines (bass clef, backing tracks)
3. Freedom of Movement (bass and treble clef, backing tracks)
4. The New Simandl
5. Understanding Thumb Position

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