Octave Method for 6-String Bass (Low B)
Major Scales & Arpeggios

Lulu eBook: 6-string bass (Low B)

 Lulu logo

eBook :

Octave Method for Six String Bass

Fretboard navigation method for 6-string bass
(Low B) based on an instrument specific modification of the CAGED guitar method, using linked octave shapes rather than open position chord shapes for ease and simplicity of use.
Lulu logo

Paperbook Book :

Octave Method for Low B : 6-String Bass

Fretboard navigation method for 6-String Bass
(Low B) based on an instrument specific modification of the CAGED guitar method, using linked octave shapes rather than open position chord shapes for ease and simplicity of use.

Octave Method for Low B : 5-String Bass Paper Book

Vernon Barbary

Vernon Barbary

Vernon Barbary is the 5-string bass groover from Denver, Colorado - listen out for his tracks on Bay Smooth Jazz Radio broadcasting from the San Francisco Bay area - California via baysmoothjazz.com

In association with Pavel Musical Instruments Vernon has created the Pavel VBJ5 - he demonstrates the instrument in the YouTube video below.

C major arpeggio box shapes (3nps) for 6-string bass

Lots more deep end stuff this week for the 6-string bass guitar with the C major arpeggios that sit inside the three notes per string major scale box shapes - again this is definitely not for the faint hearted amongst you.

The diagram that follows shows all seven of the CAGED octaves variant - ZZZZZZ octaves - for use with the three notes per string patterns on the 6-string bass, once again the all important orange letters are missing:-

ZZZZZZ octaves 3nps logo

The ZZZZZZ octaves logo follows:-

ZZZZZZ octaves logo

The ZZZZZZ octaves sequence for 6-string bass guitar is shown for C natural in the next diagram:-

ZZZZZZ octaves for C natural

GuitarPro6 C natural octaves

The diagram that follows shows all of the C major arpeggio notes plotted over the 6-string bass guitar's fretboard in the ZZZZZZ octaves style:-

ZZZZZZ octaves C major arpeggio notes

GuitarPro6 C major arpeggio

As always a more long term solution to fretboard navigation is to see scales/arpeggios as INTERVAL shapes rather than note names - as these are universal to all scales, arpeggios and chords rather than specific to one particular root note - with this in mind the intervals for the C major arpeggio are detailed below for the 6-string bass guitar in the ZZZZZZ octaves manner:-

ZZZZZZ octaves C major arpeggio intervals

The tabbed panel below details all seven 3 notes per string patterns for the C major arpeggio box shapes.

6 string bass - C major arpeggio box shapes (3nps)

YouTube icon

Guitar Pro 6 icon

Flash icon

6Z4Z1 pdf

6Z4Z2 pdf

4Z2 pdf

5Z2 pdf

5Z3 pdf

5Z3Z1 pdf

6Z3Z1 pdf

6Z4Z1 at 12 pdf
  • 6Z4Z1
  • 6Z4Z2
  • 4Z2
  • 5Z2
  • 5Z3
  • 5Z3Z1
  • 6Z3Z1
  • 6Z4Z1 at 12

  • 6Z4Z1
  • 6Z4Z2
  • 4Z2
  • 5Z2
  • 5Z3
  • 5Z3Z1
  • 6Z3Z1
  • 6Z4Z1 at 12

6Z4Z1 box

6Z4Z2 box

4Z2 box

5Z2 box

5Z3 box

5Z3Z1 box

6Z3Z1 box

6Z4Z box at 12

Vernon Barbary

They don't know....Zon Brookes

They Don't Know

Return to top of page ^