The Mother of All Pentatonic Exercises 

Your lessons on pentatonic scales, using these three scale positions combined, are just incredible! After 20 years of playing in little boxes, I just had a lightbulb moment and can suddenly improvise up the entire neck. I've only been working on this exercise for about a day, so I can't wait to see what else I discover. I've never heard anyone else explain it this way, and it's really effective. You've got a donation from me and I would encourage others who found this useful to do the same. Thank you so much for the great lessons!

Dude - your approach and manner to teaching make me feel like I'm hanging with a good friend. Great teaching style!

There are many bass teachers out there, but this guy is the best. His videos are easy to follow and his chill factor adds to the joy of learning new bass techniques. This video in particular is FIRE!

Rich Brown. The Don. Any aspiring bassist that wants to advance their playing needs to listen to Mr. Brown.

Why is a guitar player watching bass tutorials? I got hooked because the teacher is so good. Love your enthusiasm and what and how you teach, Rich.

It’s really quite amazing how clear and simple your lessons come across. Probably because you are thinking it clearly and simply. That may sound trite, but it’s not. A great many teachers have their ideas in their heads in a clouded and overly complicated way to start with - so that’s what comes across to their students. It makes a difference. It makes a huge difference. 👍👍

As a beginner, first and foremost I would like to thank you and tell you that I really appreciate these video lessons that you create! They are very informative, clear and concise. It’s nice that you inform, show, explain, then repeat yourself and show slowed down finger positions. It’s extremely helpful and keeps beginners like myself from constantly having to rewind and pause to try to figure things out. You have a great and welcoming disposition and I hope that you keep doing this and spreading positivity and confidence to aspiring musicians like myself. Thank you Rich!

This is a fantastic exercise! I just ran through just the 3 shapes shapes and I already can feel how the fingerboard makes a bit more sense. I gotta say, I also came across your course on the SBL site ages ago and loved it, even though it was a bit too advanced for me at the time. I love that you are on here now and are putting videos out there. Your teaching style is simple and so clear even when teaching something that can be complex. More please!!

Hey man, brother Brown, I love everything about you’re videos. The way you explain, the pace at which you explain and even the tone of your voice is just very relaxing. Thank you.

I love your pace of communication and your genuinely good vibes. Great exercise also ! Thank you my friend.

This is GOLDDDD. Thanks Rich for doing what you do 🤘🏾

Way to go, Rich. Nice presentation, as usual 💥BASS ON!

Amazing!!!!! Thank You Rich!!!!!

Not only you are a great teacher , but extremely polite and calm, make your student feels that everything is possible!, THANKS MUCH

Thanks Rich! Love your work

I love this exercise.Always have since my first bass teacher taught me scales in 3rds and 4ths etc. This turns it into a mother of scales as you noted.Thanks!

Love these videos, very helpful for expanding fretboard knowledge. Thank you for taking your time to do this!

Hi, from Brazil. Your lessons are the best. The feeling at the end is always "this is so simple, why did I never thought that?" Definitely will be contributing to help keep this channel going and growing. Thanks, Rich.

That lesson was truly outstanding. Thank you. God bless. 🍀

Thank you Rich! After many years of ‘fooling around’ on bass, I finally decided to sit down and really learn something…I found your series on ‘modes’ on the SBL site and it blew my mind! I dig your approach to teaching, very personable…old dogs CAN learn new tricks!

Hey Rich, I'm from Brisbane Australia and just found you online today. Thank you for your hard work in helping us all. I love what you are doing and you are a huge inspiration mate 😊

You are the Bob Ross of musical education. Straight up Stud. You have my subscription. So glad I found this channel.

What a seemingly simple, but rich (pun intended!) pool of musical gold in one exercise. I’m diving in!!

Thank you Rich! This lesson has really helped me and I look forward to more!

Your lessons are so clear and direct,they really cut through a lot of the jargon bullcrap especially for beginners,I've been playing for 20 years and I would be much better if I had lessons like these when I started,you had one video that sumed up something that took me years to figure ,you clearly explained it in a few paragraphs,then I felt like a total ass when you demonstrated how simple it actually was, seriously great music teacher,great attitude and very humble,man your voice is excellent,you should do audio books

Rich, you're a maniac. This exercise is EPIC!! Love it 🙏🙏🙏

Just found the channel. Awesome stuff. 1) the tone on the bass is beautiful. 2) sometimes you find a video that will improve your playing but it's a pain to memorise - this is it. Can't wait to get at it.

Very helpful! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

You are an amazing teacher! After learning from you my understanding of bass playing has gotten so much better! Thank you.

Rich, I love your enthusiasm!

Thank you mr. Brown for sharing your great knwoledge. much appreciated!!This exercise makes me contemplate about being relaxed,patient,caring,some times only listening and being deciplined......so that is is a lot of positive work to do. Greetings from holland!!

You, sir, are one really amazing teacher. It's amusing to hear you explain and play and working that bass. Thanks so much :) cheers from Portugal

Hi Rich,, just stumbled on your video thinking when I first saw it wondering what it was all about. Man, it is a treasure. Thanks to people like you using your wonderful God given gift to help others like me who needs it and was not sure where to find it. Thank YOU very much . Great exercise and well thought out. You made it sooo simple and fun.Thank you.

Thanks Rich!

Rich, thank you for your clarity with your explanation an example. You make it easy to follow. KHam from Wilmington, DE

I am very happy to have found your channel! Thx

So great, sir. Your channel is GOLD. Thank you so much.

Brother I've been playing guitar, bass and drums since 1963. You have a great channel. Really enjoy it.

as usual, great concept and easy to understand presentation of the topic. I will keep sending the bassists here and spreading the word

This is so hip! And it makes plenty of sense to me as a beginning guitarist. I’m so focused on a simplistic approach and all of these guitar videos try to sound complex on purpose it seems like. Lol. Thanks Rich! I’m grateful.

Fantastic! Thank you.

Very cool man! You are a good teacher. Very eloquently presented. Almost get the feel of turning time around when descending.

Learning bass on my own after a few years of playing drums. I had been practicing pentatonic scales this week. Just scrolling you tube when the title of this video drew me in. In the middle of working through this excellent exercise, I looked closer at the thoughtful face with the calm, guiding tone leading the lesson and it came to me. "Hey, this is Rob Brown's brother!" Subscribed instantly.

Love this Rick - thanks!

I've been falling behind with these video but I'm so glad to be up to speed with this one. Practise that sounds musical is the best.

Amazing exercise, so musical, and so much fun to do ! Thanks!

Thanks you once again for a very useful and creative video, always appreciated.

You are great!! Thanks from BRASIL!

You are an amazing teacher. I really needed your explanations of the pentatonic scale. I just wasn't getting it by using the traditional 5 positions. Your explanation completely opened up the scale for me. Thank you so much. You earned a subscribed from me. Well done!

Awesome....!!!! Can't wait to learn that one.

Thank you again Rich!

Awesome as usual Rich !! Love it !!

Fantastic, Rich!! You're going to be very successful with your lessons and your channel. All the best for you!

I loved how that exercise turned into a cool melodic bassline. I recomend to play it with backin drums

So informative! Thank you, Rich

This was a huge help thank you rich

Obrigado Rich por todo seu conhecimento e paciência. Você explica tudo muito claro. Gratidão!

Oh yeah, this too is amazing..

Thank you, Mr. Brown. Your teachings are very sincere. Even if your RU-vid “stats” aren’t comparable to others, please know that what and how you’re teaching is far more effective than those “others”.

Yessss Love it!! Thanks Rich!!

Hi Rich! Even though I just recently stumbled across your channel and feel myself like playing bass for a hundred years, I can't help to say... every one of your wonderful exercises is a real eye opener to me. Topic and structure are perfect to improve playing in many ways. I'm happy, greatful and am looking forward to many more videos of yours. You're cool ..

Please keep making videos! Thank you for this

This was something new and fun for me to learn today!! Thanks a ton, I love this exercise

Super cool!

Big Ups to you Mr Brown as Always Much Love and Respect all the way from South Africa 🇿🇦 really appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us✌🏾

Thanks Mr. Brown! Have been following you since the first time I checked on your lessons. I like what you teach (“it’s super cool, believe me”). Moreover, the way you speak, the tone, and speed, is perfect, especially for someone who doesn’t use English as the first language.

Great lesson Rich 👍🏻 Very interesting. Been playing quite awhile, but you always bring something different to the table . Greatly appreciated 🎸😁

This exercise has opened up the door for me, I haven’t gotten the 1/4 note exercise yet but I’ll get there, thanks Rich

I inherited my cousins bass a few weeks ago. As a guitar player I knew I would need to learn the pentatonic scales on bass if I wanted to learn. Your lessons have helped to have a lot of fun as a beginner to enjoy playing this bass. Thank you.

Thank you. This is incredibly helpful

Thanks! Going through your pentatonic playlist and donating as I go…

Found this channel today already progressed so much. Really respect your no fluff to the point teaching style .. Thankyou!.. tremendously helps expand my playing..

This is great not just for bass but also for piano because you can transform this exercise to any groupings then also combine them to any rythem. Great eye opener.

keep em coming sir.. Thank you for this 🙏

Really useful. Thanks so much!

This has helped with my fluidity and movement across the fretboard, i cant thank you enough.

Amazing! My favorite instructor! Thank You

Excellent, Thank You 👏

Thanks!

6,001. Great exercises & perfectly succinct lesson. I'll use this. You're an excellent teacher. Thanks

great daily drill, I also play with the grouping, adding 3 and 5 groupings as well, this makes the polyrhythmic effect (What Rich is trying to demonstrate with the 1 & 3 accents) even stronger. You can also apply this to any scale, find a 3-octave fingering of the scale, and apply groupings.

WOW, JUST WHAT NEEDED. THANKS MAN.

Cool and smooth ❤

Hi Rich, thank you so much, i really appreciate the information you are sharing, keep up the great work God bless.

Great lesson! Thank you! Alex

Just subscribed after working through the "mother of all P drills." Great tool. Thanks so much Rich!

First timer here and newbie on bass. This is solid!

That four note exercize sounds like the stringa intro on Kuru/Speak Like a Child by Jaco Pastorius. Cool man!

Great Teacher and Player THANK YOU

I play by ear and started last year teaching myself more in depth of the bass, love how you explain this exercise. Awesome work man.... 🎸from 🇿🇦S.A Cape Town

I think you are one of the best teachers

So cool ! Happy to learn the Mother scale whooooo! Thank you :)

Thank you for great content!:)

Thanks! Awesome lesson!

Thank you very much!

Loving Rich's teaching style! :) Tod in Vegas

Hey, first time checking you out.. incredible and I subscribed. Thank you Rich!! 👍🏾👍🏾🔥

Rich, I am doing this exercise for a month now, it was very hard at the beginning, mostly because of fingering issues. But I took it slow and now I play it decently clean and without many mistakes through circle of 4ths/5ths continuously at 100 bpm. It has improved every aspect of my playing, but especially my technique and ability to solo and make basslines with pentatonic scales. I recommend the exercise to everyone and the advice I can give is - RELAX! Fretting hand has to be relaxed and fluid, until I relaxed it was impossible to play legato notes. Thank you so much Rich, for all the great content you provide to us.

thank you❤

Great exercise Mr. Brown. I will definitely incorporate this into the practice regiment. You are right it is the mother of all pentatonic exercises. Thanks for your help.