Just The Riffs

Learn the Notes of the Fretboard – Chromatic Scale in E 1st & 2nd Positions

jtrguv 23/03/2026 No Comments

Learn the Notes of the Fretboard – Chromatic Scale in E 1st & 2nd Positions Grab the Guide! The fretboard is the "shop floor" for a bass player. Knowing your…

The Circle of Fifths: The Best Tool For The Job?

jtrguv 10/08/2025 No Comments

The Circle of Fifths: The Best Tool For The Job? So, the "Circle of Fifths"... This Music Theory tool has taken on an almost mythical but divisive status with people…

Sign Post in the desert with multiple signs on it.

Notes, Chords, Intervals & Formulas of the Scales & Modes

jtrguv 06/08/2025 No Comments

Notes, Chords, Intervals & Formulas of the Scales & Modes That title is a bit of a mouthful! Sorry about that. But there is a lot of information to get…

David Bowie - Lets Dance Album Cover Art

The Psychology of Harmony: Let’s Dance by David Bowie

jtrguv 03/08/2025 No Comments

The Psychology of Harmony: Let’s Dance by David Bowie When transcribing music, we can all get hung up on the mechanics, the harmonic implications of a chord or melody line…

Enharmonic Equivalents: why are they so confusing?

jtrguv 29/05/2025 No Comments

Enharmonic Equivalents: why are they so confusing? Time to discuss something quite abstract that confuses a lot of people who aren’t very theory literate. Finding them confusing or not understand…

Find The Chords of the Scale on the Bass

jtrguv 20/04/2025 No Comments

Find The Chords of the Scale on the Bass OK, here's your super-cheatcode method for working out what the Major and minor chords are in whatever key you're in in…

Order of Sharp Major Keys on the Fretboard

Order of the Keys Mapped to the Bass Fretboard

jtrguv 20/04/2025 No Comments

Order of the Keys Mapped to the Bass Fretboard I’m not sure if this will be of used to anyone but here it is.    We’ve all heard of the…

Keeping time when the improv gets spicy

jtrguv 15/02/2025 No Comments

Keeping time when the improv gets spicy Essential Bass skill #44398.5b There comes a time in the life and playing experience of every bassist when someone in the band goes…

The Pentatonic Shapes: Major, minor and Blues

jtrguv 14/02/2025 No Comments

The Pentatonic Shapes: Major, minor and Blues 98% of modern Western music is based on the Major Scale and uses derivitive forms of it (minor, Modes etc) to add colours…

Metric Modulation Part 1: Tempo Changes

jtrguv 18/01/2025 No Comments

Metric Modulation Part 1: Tempo Changes The two forms of Metric modulation Metric Modulation is a complex issue in music; in the worst, most terrifying cases it involves doing actual…

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