Single String Workout!

by Chris Tarry A lot of bass players get stuck playing familiar information in one region of the neck. A great way to start seeing different shapes and available notes is by working information around on a single string.

Take a standard chord quality like Cmaj7. Run a Cmaj7 arpeggio up each string starting with the lowest available note. Be sure to start slow. You eventually want to do it fast and without thinking.

The lowest available note on the E string is of course E. Run the arpeggio from the lowest available note on that string to the highest and back down again.

Now try the A string. The lowest available note here is B on the second fret. Run the lowest to highest and back down again.

On the D string, the lowest available note from a Cmaj7 arpeggio is the E on the second fret. Again up and down.

On the G string, the lowest available note is the G. You know what to do!

In the example below I've just done the first two for you (E+A).