Hold on a minute...
People actually play chords on the bass?
Like guitarists do when they hit more notes at the time.
Now that something new, ive always played note by note never combined.
So does this meen that it would be a good thing to learn all the.... i dont know.... 500 chords! :confused:
Personally i NEVER hear a bass play chords.
Only a scale through them.
So what do you think should i learn the chords?
What are the advantages and disvantages? ( spelling? )

Disadvantages: You'll be too cool for every band in town.
Advantages: You'll be too cool for every band in town.

Seriously, you want to know where the notes in all the chords are anyway for purposes of bassline construction.

Personally i NEVER hear a bass play chords.

Maybe you just didn't realize it was bass.

it's not used to replace any other technique, it's just something to add to a line. Learning basic chord construction is a good thing.

Disadvantages: You'll be too cool for every band in town.
Advantages: You'll be too cool for every band in town.

Seriously, you want to know where the notes in all the chords are anyway for purposes of bassline construction.
+1

I see no reason NOT to know them.
And I bet there a lot more chords then just 500 :)
off course you don't need to know how to play each chord, most of them wouldn't sound that great on bass. But 1-5-9 chords, power chords, 1-3-7... chords are always a great tool when you know how to use them.

just fiddle around on your bass and try to find some harmonics which u can use. you don't have to use chords, but sometimes they add another dimension to the song

Hold on a minute...
People actually play chords on the bass?

Yep, all the time...

Like guitarists do when they hit more notes at the time.

Not necessarily.

Knowing the appropriate chord tones to outline chord changes is fundamental to bass playing. You usually want to emphasise them by playing them on strong beats.

The scales give you the most appropriate passing tones between the chord tones.

Remember that the "chord" is not just what the guitarist or pianist is playing, but the sum total of what all pitched instruments are playing.

Use of Double-stops on bass, two note chords go way back in music. Then playing three or more notes (5-6 string bass) is used in all styles of music and solo bass playing. It take some special handling in that some chords get muddy or stange sounding if played too low on the bass. Best on basses the are very clear sounding and amp that isn't muddy.

All in all chords on the bass sound great very big and powerful compared to guitar. Look at how many guitar players are using drop tunings and baritone guitars to try and get a bigger sound.

Yeah but thats weird.
I meen whats the system for building a chord.
Lets say i wanna play a A chord how should i know what notes i should combine?
And aint this --0--3--5-- notes
and this a chord --3--
--5--
--2--

There must be a system right?
Or is it just Mozart that played notes combined and said
"Oh **** im gonna call this wicked sound a A Minor Chord"

Any help apreciated :hmm:

Note: the other notes i made there are supposed to be under eachother. The 3 5 and 2 :S

There's a great little book on chords for bass guitar- by Jonas Helborg, IIRC. About $8 & fits in a case/gigbag.

McCartney used an "interval" on "I wanna hold your hand" and it sounded great. An interval to me is what some are calling a 2 note chord, which is usually I-V. They can be powerful sounding.

2 note chords are double stops and yeah defintely use those. i dont' play much actual chords (3 notes or more at once) because unless ur playing something really pretty and melodic it's just gonna sound muddy.

Yeah but thats weird.
I meen whats the system for building a chord.
Lets say i wanna play a A chord how should i know what notes i should combine?
And aint this --0--3--5-- notes
and this a chord --3--
--5--
--2--

There must be a system right?
Or is it just Mozart that played notes combined and said
"Oh **** im gonna call this wicked sound a A Minor Chord"

Any help apreciated :hmm:

Note: the other notes i made there are supposed to be under eachother. The 3 5 and 2 :S

bassteban beat me to the recommendation of Hellborg's gig bag book. I bought it at GC one day, but they have it for sale at Amazon for $7. Here's a link: Chord Bassics (http://www.amazon.com/Chord-Bassics-Compact-Reference-Library/dp/0825610583/sr=11-1/qid=1167589276/ref=sr_11_1/002-7816501-9949668)

While it's a great reference on chord shapes, it doesn't explain any theory, which it sounds like you need to investigate. Here is a very basic rundown of chords. Basic chords are built from playing every other note of the scale.

For instance, C major has the notes C, D, E, F, G, A & B
These notes are called the root, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th
A C chord would start on C, skip D, play E, skip F, and play G. So the C chord is C-E-G Chords are called major or minor depending on the third (the second note in the chord, in this case E) If that note is three half steps away, it is a minor 3rd. If it is four half steps away, it is a major third.

E is four half steps from C so it is a major third and the chord is a major chord.

The next chord in the key of C would start with D, skip E, play F, skip G, play A for a chord of D-F-A Since F is three half steps rom D, this chord has a minor third and it is a D minor. You can continue on building all the chords of the scale this way.

If you try it yourself, you should see that C is major, D is minor, E is minor, F is major, G is major, A is minor, and B is diminished which means that it has a minor third, but a flatted 5th, giving it an ominous tone.

The chords I've just described are called triads, meaning that they are made up of 3 notes. Adding the next note for each chord (again skipping one note in the scale and playing the next one) would be a seventh chord.

There is a whole world of weird chords like sixth, ninth, & eleventh chords, suspended 2nd & 4ths, inversions (where the same notes are played but with a different note as the lowest or root note) and plenty more.

At the very least, you should understand how chords are constructed as it will help you enormously in constructing basslines. Not every bass player has to play chords though.

I think double stops work wonderfully in almost every genre of music, but playing chords is not a necessity.

I do play chords fairly often, but I am in a band with one guitar player where I often have some space. I strum chords and arpeggiate a lot. But more often than not, I play chords more as a piano player, hitting all the notes at once rather than strumming or raking like a guitar player.

I do this on a four string bass by plucking the A, D & G strings with my first, middle & index finger and the E string with my thumb. I can do the same thing on my 5 string bass using my pinky on the high C.

Invest the time to learn about chords. Even if you don't play them yourself, it will make you a better bass player.

*I wrote this quickly, so if anyone spots any flaws in my music theory (never my strong suit) be sure to let me know*

Hold on a minute...
People actually play chords on the bass?
Like guitarists do when they hit more notes at the time.
Now that something new, ive always played note by note never combined.
So does this meen that it would be a good thing to learn all the.... i dont know.... 500 chords! :confused:
Personally i NEVER hear a bass play chords.
Only a scale through them.
So what do you think should i learn the chords?
What are the advantages and disvantages? ( spelling? )

Check out some of Todd Johnson's music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIE9YlmAPNU&mode=user&search=

I play chords all the time. Check out the first and last tracks at my myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/davidjgrossman

- Dave

Carles Benavent and Colin Hodgkinson come to mind.

jimmy garrison does some really awesome chordal stuff.
Being able to play root position chords and their inversions is helpful in LEARNING their sounds and being able to hear them. This way you can also construct bass lines when improvising.

I like to play the 2-note sliding chord on Steely Dan's "Josie". Here's a good Youtube of it (not me playing):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjJbcCiowMs

Hold on a minute...
People actually play chords on the bass?

Heaps do :)

Steve Harris slams out his fair share of triple-stops - the pre-chorus in 'Powerslave' had a huge effect on my playing while I was learning. I'm not a huge Primus fan, but Les Claypool does heaps of chordal stuff.

I chuck in root-mute-octave, root-fifth power chords, finger rakes, popped tritones etc when I feel a part should stand out a bit more. Do some of that with a distorted bass sound and you can make some jaws drop :)

Hold on a minute...
People actually play chords on the bass?

Yup. Check out some:
Michael Manring (TB As A Pro)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=t2hgiVE3KkM

Mike Dimin (Former TB Ask A Pro)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k6DphfMb-4

Todd Johnson (TB Ask A Pro)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcpOuywZkE&mode=related&search=

Jeff Schmidt (2005 Bass Extremes Contest Winner)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x302-rp_efQ

Steve Lawson (TB Ask A Pro)
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=28699228

Enjoy,
Joe

...
People actually play chords on the bass?
...


I play chords on about 90% of the stuff I write. Check out the song "Luo" on my MySpace. http://www.myspace.com/jeffmartinezbassist
It's full of chords.

Berry Oakley of Allman Brothers fame and an excellent live bassist used
2-note chord/intervals quite often. Played with a pick too, reflecting his lead guitar roots

removed by poster

Wow you guys are great thanks alot.
Man this is much better then the ultimate-guitar forums :D

Wow you guys are great thanks alot.
Man this is much better then the ultimate-guitar forums :D

No problem! Which bassist did you enjoy the most?

Joe

Of course we're better. ;)

I write a column for Basics Mag called Bass Alone - it's all about the theory and practice of aranging for solo bass. I used to write a similar column for for Bass Frontiers Mag and when they stopped publishing they allowed me to put the lessons on my web site, here's a link:
http://www.michaeldimin.com/lessons.htm

Get'em while they're hot. Next time I get around to updating my website, I am going to charge of the arrangements (as I find that many are using them for college admission auditions and the like).

If you look on that site, you just might find info about a very cool, very comprehensive book on chord playing there.

Mike

Well guys you are all plain awesome.
I as a trash metalplayer always saw metal bassists like heroes.
But hell ( takes of the hat *baseball cap in this case* ) honestly you guys kick all their asses. Now im not licking ass by all meens, but Dave Grossman, Jeff Martinez and those bassists Bassist4Life linked for example are showing some sick skills which i have never seen before and im truly amazed.
Mike Dimin man thanks for the link you really helped me out. And **** man you could make a loads of cash with that kind of stuff :p
And Bassist4Life in my opinion Jeff Schmidt was the best :D
And once again thanks to everyone that helped me out i think i can start practice now.
This will take a loads of time to study up, but hell its worth it.
And in a few of those songs you guys linked i could NEVER tell there was only one bassist in the song :eek:
All i can pull of is Cliff Burtons Anesteshia and stuff like that, now i have lots to sink my teeth in :hyper:

Play in a three piece and you'll use chords more to fill up the sound. Example: when the guitar player goes from playing chords to solo and a large chunk of the sound "falls out" ....two and three note chords work there. For cover tunes, chords have been used way back. First chords I recall using were in a song called Sunshine of Your Love during the chorus.

Martin Turner uses them(as well as being a pioneer in drop-tuning the E-string). Here, before he got hooked on T-Birds, he uses them to fill in the guitar chording stuff under twin lead guitars. At 1:30, he grabs a pick out of his mouth(?..same trick Crack the Sky's bassist uses):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wsdXh8eBcts

Here with a T-Bird...uses them here in certain parts(where needed). Example at 0:42 briefly..:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hg6zqejXvqI

ZZ Top's bassist does similar things with chords.

Just listen closely and you'll hear a lot of players using them when needed. "When needed" is the key...

Yup. Check out some:
Michael Manring (TB As A Pro)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=t2hgiVE3KkM


Wow, nice clip!!!

Play in a three piece and you'll use chords more to fill up the sound. Example: when the guitar player goes from playing chords to solo and a large chunk of the sound "falls out" ....two and three note chords work there. For cover tunes, chords have been used way back. First chords I recall using were in a song called Sunshine of Your Love during the chorus.

Martin Turner uses them(as well as being a pioneer in drop-tuning the E-string). Here, before he got hooked on T-Birds, he uses them to fill in the guitar chording stuff under twin lead guitars. At 1:30, he grabs a pick out of his mouth(?..same trick Crack the Sky's bassist uses):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wsdXh8eBcts

Here with a T-Bird...uses them here in certain parts(where needed). Example at 0:42 briefly..:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hg6zqejXvqI

ZZ Top's bassist does similar things with chords.

Just listen closely and you'll hear a lot of players using them when needed. "When needed" is the key...

He changed from Rickenbacker to T-Bird? :eyebrow:
However nice clips never heard of the band before really relaxing music.

I recommend Mike Dimin's lessons in Bassics Mag for intro to chordal bass-it's a great tool and also opens up killin' solo opportunities.

I recommend Mike Dimin's lessons in Bassics Mag for intro to chordal bass-it's a great tool and also opens up killin' solo opportunities.

Check's in the mail :p

Mike

Does anyone know a link to a bunch of chords to learn? I also need to know what makes a particular chord an "E" Chord. Imean, i wanna know how to make chords, but i really have never known what makes a chord an "A" chord etc.

Hold on a minute...
People actually play chords on the bass?
Like guitarists do when they hit more notes at the time.
Now that something new, ive always played note by note never combined.
So does this meen that it would be a good thing to learn all the.... i dont know.... 500 chords! :confused:
Personally i NEVER hear a bass play chords.
Only a scale through them.
So what do you think should i learn the chords?
What are the advantages and disvantages? ( spelling? )

Since it seems that everyone forgot to mention him I will throw his name into the mix: Jeff Berlin.

Check him out. He's good.

:bassist:

Does anyone know a link to a bunch of chords to learn? I also need to know what makes a particular chord an "E" Chord. Imean, i wanna know how to make chords, but i really have never known what makes a chord an "A" chord etc.
http://www.guitar-and-bass.com/

- Dave

Since it seems that everyone forgot to mention him I will throw his name into the mix: Jeff Berlin.

Check him out. He's good.

:bassist:

He sure is! Here's a little video of Jeff at NAMM.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5ODlNaKan1w

Joe

Check out Abraham Laboriel :eek:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=S7nfLWoH-lo

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xLKuUnuXfig&mode=related&search=

Great vid! To the original poster, you should check out his work on an album called 'Road Games' by Allan Holdsworth. I have always loved his playing on that album.

:bassist:

I agree...I studied with him a short time. He was an awesome player.

Does anyone know a link to a bunch of chords to learn? I also need to know what makes a particular chord an "E" Chord. Imean, i wanna know how to make chords, but i really have never known what makes a chord an "A" chord etc.

lets make things simple
A,B,C,D,etc. chords are named like that because of the root note,or the lowest note of the chord (unless you're doing fancy stuff)

the good thing in chords,they all look the same on the fretboard

here's an example:

E major chord:
1
2
2
0

F major chord:
2
3
3
1

F# major chord:
3
4
4
2

you got the point,right?
notice that the name of the chord is the same as the name of the note on the E string

for the minor chords,the note on the G string is placed one fret lower:
E minor:
0
2
2
0

F minor:
1
3
3
1

same thing all over the place,i hope this post helped you