The Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Short Scale Bass has a 30“ scale length, as opposed to the standard 34” scale found on most other basses. It also has a Fender Jazz nut width which means it tapers heavily towards the headstock, I've got one, they're effortless to play. I'm not being sexist here, men play short scalers too, Alan Lancaster (Ex Status Quo) and Steve Severin,( Siouxsie and the Banshees ) To name but two
I'm struggling to understand this, your hands must be tiny! Put your forefinger on the E string at the 7th fret and at the same time put your ring finger on the D string at the 9th fret, BOSH! Octave, hold this position as you move around the fretboard. Now do the same thing but this time put your ring finger on the A string at the 9th fret and the D string at the 9th fret while the forefinger is on the E at the 7th, this is a 5th or ‘Power Chord’. There's a warm up excercise I do which is a run that incorporates octaves, basically it's the outro to Jacobs Ladder by Rush, it's quite tricky but a great excercise, it's also in 6/4 and 7/4 which makes it more interesting. I'll try and tab it here.
In order to not have to smash up my iPad and kill loads of people with an axe, I'll have to proceed like this. The first line is above, here's the second
put the two parts together and play them twice, then move up to the 9th fret on the A and play the same pattern twice, then back to the first bit and keep repeating. Play slowly at first and build your speed. Listen to the song on YouTube for it all to become clear
I've been trying to learn the bass line of Loverboy's “Turn Me Loose,” which revolves entirely on octaves, but it remain a challenge. Hoping my fingers will stretch. Having watched quite a few videos on the ‘University of Youtube’ I am a bit envious of guys with large hands!
