Middle Eastern Bass Scale

[Hi My Name Is Mark]

can somebody tab out a middle eastern bass scale or riff, or send me a link to a website that definately has it? i've tried searching google and couldn't find anything good...but i'm looking for something with that kind of surfy/middle eastern sound.

thanks,
mark

[Amit]

try a harmonic minor scale

a harmonic minor: a b c d e f g# a

G---------------------------------
D--------------6-7----------------
A-------5-7-8------8-7-5---------
E-5-7-8-------------------8-7-5--

or a melodic minor scale

a melodic minor: a b c d e f# g# a

G---------------------------------
D--------------6-7----------------
A-------5-7-9------9-7-5---------
E-5-7-8-------------------8-7-5--

[Left Shoe]

i dig mixolydian b6 for this sort of thing
d----------------3 5
a -----2 3 5 6
E 3 5

[katana_manatee]

Phrygian Dominant is very much used which is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor.

G|------------------------
D|------------------5--7--
A|---------5-7-8----------
E|5-6--9------------------

[EADG]

I agree, learn the harmonic minor scale and it's modes.

[Hi My Name Is Mark]

thanks everybody!

[lobsterjohnson]

try a harmonic minor scale

a harmonic minor: a b c d e f g# a

G---------------------------------
D--------------6-7----------------
A-------5-7-8------8-7-5---------
E-5-7-8-------------------8-7-5--


isnt that technically a "jazz minor"

[gaslight]

Nope.

[pitchfork]

Harmonic minor is a really egyptian sounding scale, go with that.

[gaslight]

Any scale with a decent amount of semitone and minor third intervals will have a nice Middle Eastern sound to it.

Go through the harmonic minor modes:

Harmonic Minor - 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 8

Dorian b2 b5 - 1 b2 b3 4 b5 6 b7 8

Major Augmented - 1 2 3 4 #5 6 7 8

Dorian #4 - 1 2 b3 #4 5 6 b7 8

Mixolydian b2/b6 - 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7 8

Lydian #2 - 1 #2 3 #4 5 6 7 8

Altered bb7 - 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 bb7

[WHoRRID]

i like to use this 1 here:
g------------------
d--------------7-9-
a-----6-7-9-10----
e-7-8-------------

or same concept but not rlly all that useable as a scale(seems to lose its affect when used over 2 octaves-or maybe im crazy)

g-------------------
d---------------7-8-
a-----6-7-9-10-----
e-7-8---------------

[Left Shoe]

isnt that technically a "jazz minor"
its known as the same thing

[lobsterjohnson]

but most schools of music consiider that a jazz minor and
4 2
5 4 2
5 4 2
a descending harmonic minor

[gaslight]

It's usually the melodic minor that (in classical theory) descends as a natural minor.

The harmonic minor is the same ascending and descending.

[lobsterjohnson]

crap
i was close though

[gaslight]

Yeah, the name's are a decent way to remember which does what.

Harmonic minor is the natural minor altered for the sake of functional harmony; the raised seventh gives a leading tone into the root, and makes the diatonic five chord a major, rather than a minor as it would be if you built chords from the natural minor. Thats for cadences and stuff mainly.

Melodic minor (most clearly the classical version, but also the jazz) is more intended for melodies, it (and its modes) are used a lot over extended chords and in jazz. If you just remember that the reason the melodic minor originally descended different was because classical composers preferred in melodies the ascending sound of the 6 7 8, but preferred when descending the sound of 8 b7 b6, it keeps them nice and distinct in the brain.

[lobsterjohnson]

thank you quite a bit
i could never get a reason for the different decent from anyone else

[gaslight]

Someone will probably want to argue, but its a pretty decent overview I think.