I need some theory/ help on general chord transitions, and also a particular song I am working on.

First the Song.
I usually just play root notes, but am trying to follow the song more closely. I have a the lead sheet for the song. I know the guy is going from a G to an F#, but I hear him hitting 2 other notes between them. The notes are higher than the G (closer to the body or on the A string it sounds like). The song is in the key of E.

Any thoughts? I guess I don't care too much if you help me with the right notes ( you can't hear the song) as much as what would fit.

Also, I know I need to learn the scales and modes, but I am still trying to figure out how that relates to chord changes, and fills etc. We play christian rock groups at our Edge service at church.

thanks!

Hey there young brother in Christ and fellow Minnesotan :) ... in a nutshell, would love to help, but I am not quite sure what you are asking ... what is the song? ... that may help me ... if the notes you are seeking are higher in pitch than the G (in the first position) you have LOTS of combinations available to you .. gimme a shout in email, if you like ... I am sure we can figure this rascal out and help you get a better understanding ... if I am in doubt, or dont know a song and need fill, I will many times just 'flip' it (octave, flat 7th, 5th, next root) ... BTW, are you sure this song isnt in Em ??

the song is in Em, capoed 2, so you will be playing it in F#m ... the part in question (chorus I think) goes from A (12th Fret) , 5-4-drop 5 to G# (11th fret), then drop 4th to F#m (9th fret), then to E (12th fret) and you can noodle there before you repeat on A again ... this works for me, maybe not exact to recording, but I like the lead ins from the drop 4,5's and it is the more than peddling roots like you were after ... keep in mind though, depends what everybody else is playing at the time .. you may need to hold down the groove if you have keys or guitars whailing away during this ... and roots may work just fine ... good luck

If you're playing from a chart (like any of the play-along books or fake books) start playing the extensions. You'll hear them immediately.
You may not want to play them in a band situation, but in practice it can help you hear the song.

So if you see Gmin7b5, outline the triad and hit the flat 5; or C7b9, hit the flat 9; or just the triad and the b7 in C7.

You can overdo it, but that's OK in practice. It can really liven up your lines and give you some ideas to take you away from the R-3-5 syndrome.

If you have the song in your head but not on paper (or even if you do have a chart), just for practice play through it and start every chord on the 5th. Once again, not something you'd do all the time, but a great way to break up your practice and open up some possibilities.

Get a recording of them, pick out the bass part and play along.




Scott

I need some theory/ help on general chord transitions, and also a particular song I am working on.

First the Song.
I usually just play root notes, but am trying to follow the song more closely. I have a the lead sheet for the song. I know the guy is going from a G to an F#, but I hear him hitting 2 other notes between them. The notes are higher than the G (closer to the body or on the A string it sounds like). The song is in the key of E.

Any thoughts? I guess I don't care too much if you help me with the right notes ( you can't hear the song) as much as what would fit.

Also, I know I need to learn the scales and modes, but I am still trying to figure out how that relates to chord changes, and fills etc. We play christian rock groups at our Edge service at church.

thanks!

First you need to learn bare minimum theory and for a bass player that would be how chords are constructed. A quick start to that would be learn arpeggios. That will expand your playing from roots to 3-4 possible notes for each chord. You need to learn some theory. Like the old say. Give a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach him to fish you feed him for life. Learn some theory and be able to tackle any song in your Praise service.