Octave Method for Low E : 4-String Bass
Major Scales & Arpeggios


CAGED4BASS eBook cover

Lulu logo

eBook :


Octave Method for Four String Bass


Fretboard navigation method for 4-string bass 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 :


CAGED4BASS : Octave Method for 4-String Bass


Fretboard navigation method for 4-string bass guitar 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


George Porter Jr.

George Porter Jr.

George Porter Jr. is the bass for The Meters.

The Meters logo

Here comes the Meter man

Fender Precision bass

George Porter Jr.

George Porter Jr. of The Meters on the music business

The Meters - Cissy Strut - Bass Cover

The Funky Meters - Just Kissed My Baby

George Porter Jams at Wanee Music Festival

The Meters - Cissy Strut

The Meters - Look Ka Py Py

The Meters - Just Kissed My Baby

The Meters - People Say

The Meters - Chicken Strut (Live)

Cissy Strut

George Porter Jr. plus Lakland


EDCAG4BASS - E minor arpeggio box shapes

In this BLOGoZON we take a look at the E minor arpeggio box shapes and join them all together to form one long EDCAG4BASS chain.

EDCAG4BASS logo

Hence the EDCAG4BASS sequence is shown for E natural in the diagram that follows:-

EDCAG4BASS E natural octaves

GuitarPro6 E natural octaves

The diagrams that follow show all of the E minor arpeggio notes plotted over the 4-string bass's

fretboard in both the Guitar Pro and EDCAG4BASS styles:-

GuitarPro6 E minor arpeggio

EDCAG4BASS E minor arpeggio fingerboard notes

As always a more long term solution to fretboard navigation is to see modes 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 E minor arpeggio are detailed below in the
EDCAG4BASS manner:-

EDCAG4BASS E minor arpeggio fingerboard intervals

The tables and tabbed panels below detail all five box shapes for the E minor arpeggio in the EDCAG4BASS style.


EDCAG4BASS - E minor arpeggio box shapes

YouTube icon

Flash iconGuitar Pro 6 icon

4Em2 pdf
2Dm* pdf
3Cm* pdf
3Am1 pdf
4Gm1 pdf
4Em2 at 12 pdf

  • 4Em2
  • 2Dm*
  • 3Cm*
  • 3Am1
  • 4Gm1
  • 4Em2 at 12

GuitarPro6 4Em2 box shape

GuitarPro6 2Dm* box shape

GuitarPro6 3Cm* box shape

GuitarPro6 3Am1 box shape

GuitarPro6 4Gm1 box shape

GuitarPro6 4Em2 box shape at 12


  • 4Em2
  • 2Dm*
  • 3Cm*
  • 3Am1
  • 4Gm1
  • 4Em2 at 12

4Em2 box

2Dm* box

3Cm* box

3Am1 box

4Gm1 box

4Em2 box at 12


Once the individual box shapes have been assimilated all five shapes should be linked together and played in one continuous exercise (with the first shape - 4Em2 - being repeated at the 12th fret).

The video shown to the right demonstrates the EDCAG4BASS chain-linked sequence for the E minor arpeggio box shapes.


The complete TAB for the previous exercise follows:-

E minor arpeggio box shapes TAB


The box shapes for the previous exercise follows:-

E minor arpeggio box shapes

Flash iconGuitar Pro 6 icon

E minor arpeggio box shapes pdf

E minor arpeggio box shpes TAB pdfE minor arpeggio box shpes TAB pdf


EDCAG4BASS E minor arpeggio fretboard notes

EDCAG4BASS E minor arpeggio fretboard intervals


scribd.com logo

View and download pdf of the EDCAG4BASS E minor arpeggio box shapes from scribd.com


George Porter

Funky Miracle....Zon Brookes

The very best of the Meters


Return to top of page ^