The Major Pentatonic for 6-String Bass

Lesson seven of approach notes applied to chord tones utilizes a half-step from above and a half-step from below approach. Instead of applying the approach notes to all of the arpeggio inversions, you can also stay in root position and apply the approaches to a specific chord tone. 

Let’s stay in root position and apply this approach to the C7 sus4 arpeggio. Below are the chord tones without any approach notes applied to the arpeggio. 

The next example approaches the root of a C7 sus4 arpeggio. A single chromatic approach from both above and below approaches the root, continues to the 4th, 5^th, flat 7^th, single chromatic approach from above and below to the root, continues up to the 4^th, 5^th, flat 7^th, and back down again.

The next example stays in root position but applies the approach notes to the 4^th degree of the arpeggio.  Start by playing the root and continue with a single chromatic approach from above and below to the 4th degree. Continue to the 5^th, flat 7^th, root, single chromatic approach from above and below to the 4^th, continue up the 5^th, flat 7^th, and back down again. 

The next example stays in root position but applies the approach notes to the 5^th degree of the arpeggio. Start by playing the root, 4^th, single chromatic approach from above and below to the 5^th, up to the flat 7^th, root, 4^th, single chromatic approach from above and below to the 5^th, up to the flat 7^th, and back down.

The last example stays in root position but applies the approach notes to the flat seventh. Start by playing the root, 4^th, 5^th, single chromatic approach from above and below to the flat 7^th, continue up to the root, 4^th, 5^th, single chromatic approach from above and below to the flat 7^th, and back down. 

This will be my last installment of lessons on approach notes. I may return to them in future lessons, but I would like to move on to some new topics. There are many more approach note variations. Remember to apply them to all chord types (major, minor, dominant, minor 7 flat 5, diminished, augmented, dominant 7 sus4—etc) and all of the inversions for these chord types. Don’t forget to create with them. Good luck as always!