Chords on Bass? Can't find diagrams....

Jinro · #1 10-18-2011, 10:58 AM

I've been wanting to delve into chords on the bass, but so far I only know "power chords" and those 2-note major/minor chords using the E and G strings (forgot the real name for them).

But I want to look into more chords, especially 3 or 4 note chords. I've been searching Google for the past 3 months and I only get results related to guitard chords, not bass.

Anybody know where I can find chord diagrams for bass?

fearceol · #2 10-18-2011, 11:21 AM

Here ya go !! In the diagrams, if you put the mouse arrow over the notes, it gives the note sound.

Bass Lessons : Bass Chord Patterns

Jinro · #3 10-18-2011, 11:45 AM

I'm not really looking for the chord patterns (playing the notes one at a time/arpeggiating), but rather I'm looking at playing chords the way they are on the guitar. I.e. sounding all notes simultaneously.

Like this: Learning Bass Chords - Free Online Bass Lesson Video - YouTube

Now you're probably thinking "why not learn from the video?" Well I can't because I can't see what frets he's actually fretting and which ones he's just hovering over.

Righteous Thunderer · #4 10-18-2011, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinro

I'm not really looking for the chord patterns (playing the notes one at a time/arpeggiating), but rather I'm looking at playing chords the way they are on the guitar. I.e. sounding all notes simultaneously.

Like this: Learning Bass Chords - Free Online Bass Lesson Video - YouTube

Now you're probably thinking "why not learn from the video?" Well I can't because I can't see what frets he's actually fretting and which ones he's just hovering over.

If you learn the theory behind scales and what notes in a scale make up what chords, you can easily play various chords all over your fretboard.

Jinro · #5 10-18-2011, 11:54 AM

Quote:

If you learn the theory behind scales and what notes in a scale make up what chords, you can easily play various chords all over your fretboard.

Yeah...well I know the theory about how chords are made, and I still can't "easily play various chords all over [my] fretboard" because one of the notes is going to be so far away from my fingers that I can't reach it.

Why is it so hard to find a friggen diagram?

**lowfreqgeek** · #6 10-18-2011, 12:04 PM

If you know the theory and you know the fretboard well, you should have no trouble making any chord type you want. You shouldn't need diagrams. If you can't play the chord-types due to physical limitations, then there isn't a lot you can do, short of finding a different tuning that makes it easier to play certain chord-types at the expense of others.

cliffkee · #7 10-18-2011, 12:05 PM

Knowing ur theory definitely helps a player find the chords. Aragiate chords within the major or minor scale. Then figure put if u need to play the octave of one of the notes with in the chords. Definitely worked 4 me when I'm playing 7 chords

southpawpa · #8 10-18-2011, 12:10 PM

I've played bass for the last 10 or so but my background is guitar & I've played that much longer.

Bass is tuned to the same intervals as the lowest 4 strings on guitar down one octave so the chord diagrams you find for guitar are easily applied to bass (minus the guitars "B" & high "E" strings of course)

You can play 4 note major, minor, major 7, dominant 7 & many other chords on a 4 string bass w/o having to do any far reaching (over the span of 3 frets).

Jinro · #9 10-18-2011, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Bass is tuned to the same intervals as the lowest 4 strings on guitar down one octave so the chord diagrams you find for guitar are easily applied to bass (minus the guitars "B" & high "E" strings of course)

And what should I do if the chord diagrams show something fretted on those B and E strings?

Honestly, I'm asking for help finding a chord diagram. What I'm getting is a bunch of "figure it out for yourself" bullcrap that doesn't help me any. Unfortunately that seems to be the way the music world works ...I get that answer practically everywhere I ask.

kellyrojo · #10 10-18-2011, 12:51 PM

Jinro...that link that the second poster gave to you gives you a start on the basic chord structures for a number of chords. Start with that. Even though it is arpegiated just strum the arpeggios as a whole chord. Move them up and down the neck according to root note.
* People are telling you to figure it out by yourself because a key aspect of being a well rounded player is knowing how to chord spell. Its a pretty basic and necessary skill.
*At the same time, it is important to know the various positions/inversions of each chord so having diagrams can sometimes help us find a different way to approach a chord in a quick manner. There are cheap books available from Amazon that will get you going. Good luck.

**lowfreqgeek** · #11 10-18-2011, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinro

And what should I do if the chord diagrams show something fretted on those B and E strings?

Honestly, I'm asking for help finding a chord diagram. What I'm getting is a bunch of "figure it out for yourself" bullcrap that doesn't help me any. Unfortunately that seems to be the way the music world works <_<

A) You were given bass chord charts and turned them down because they show arpeggios. ARPEGGIOS ARE CHORDS!!!

B) Since you don't have the (high) B/E strings of a guitar, don't play those notes. If you truly know the theory, then you can very easily determine what the function of those notes is in the chord and whether they should be there or not.

Rather than spending 3 months searching for a chart to tell you what to play, why not spend 3 months learning the theory behind chords and how to build them yourself from any position on the fingerboard? You'll get a heck of a lot more mileage out of that.

It really is very simple: at it's core, a chord is made up of the 1st scale tone, 3rd scale tone, and 5th scale tone. A major chord uses a major 3rd, a minor chord uses a minor 3rd. You'll likely find that the 3rd scale tone sounds better played as a 10th (an octave higher than the 3rd). Start there and learn all the inversions and their shapes. Once you learn the shape, it can be applied to any position on the fretboard, with some minor adaptions.

In practice, on the bass, you can really only play 3-4 note chords at a time. So you'll have to learn which scale tones are critical to the sound you want and use those. It might be a 1/3/7, or 1/6/9, or a 3/b7/#11, etc.

What is it they say about teaching a man to fish?

1958Bassman · #12 10-18-2011, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinro

Yeah...well I know the theory about how chords are made, and I still can't "easily play various chords all over [my] fretboard" because one of the notes is going to be so far away from my fingers that I can't reach it.

Why is it so hard to find a friggen diagram?

Any good guitar chord book will have chord forms on teh top four strings, the middle four and the bottom four. Use the same fingerings as the bottom four when you learn for bass.

1958Bassman · #13 10-18-2011, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinro

And what should I do if the chord diagrams show something fretted on those B and E strings?

Honestly, I'm asking for help finding a chord diagram. What I'm getting is a bunch of "figure it out for yourself" bullcrap that doesn't help me any. Unfortunately that seems to be the way the music world works ...I get that answer practically everywhere I ask.

Lighten up, Francis. People took the time to give you some info. Yes, GIVE. You throw it back in their faces because it wasn't good enough. If you can't buy a book, for whatever reason, learn to use google better- this is all out there on the 'net.

Also, if you see that the B and E strings are involved but you can't hit the notes with one hand, use the other. A lot of people do that.

fishtx · #14 10-18-2011, 04:30 PM

look at the first link that was provided to you above. It shows exactly what you need...

And just a little advice, since you've just joined this forum "9" days ago...don't start out by being a jerk...that's the guitar players job...

Jinro · #15 10-18-2011, 04:39 PM

Ok, look. I've been through that studybass.com website, all of it. I practically learned how to play from the start thanks to that website. Yes it does show arpeggiated chords, which require massive contortion of my hands to be able to play those notes all at once. The video example I showed earlier showed much easier fingerings.

Yes I know how a basic chord is created; root, 3rd, 5th. Problem is the 5th is on the same string as the 3rd, and you can't fret the same string twice. The only chord I figured out how to play is G because the 5th is conveniently an open string--and even that fingering hurts. I don't have that luxury with every chord. Then there's some chords where I can play the 5th an octave lower, but then it sounds muddy or too much like a power chord.

Yes there are guitar chords that I can look at, except many of them have many fretted notes on those B and E strings, which then means if I omit them I won't have a chord anymore. On other chords the lower strings, the only ones that exist on bass, aren't even played.

I've already looked at these options, and found them to be less than helpful, which is why I'm posting here. Only to get the "figure it out for yourself" run-around that I've gotten everywhere else I ask similar musical related questions.

Quote:

What is it they say about teaching a man to fish?

Flawed logic. A man can learn to fish simply by watching another man do it--no teaching necessary. Unless you're a prodigy, you can't do that with music.

Quote:

And just a little advice, since you've just joined this forum "9" days ago...don't start out by being a jerk...that's the guitar players job...

I find being told "figure it out for yourself" rather condescending and jerk-like.

portlandguy · #16 10-18-2011, 04:43 PM

VitalSigns · #17 10-18-2011, 04:49 PM

I don't get it

bobalu · #18 10-18-2011, 04:52 PM

Are you like 12 or 13 years old by any chance? Just wondering.

Muaguana · #19 10-18-2011, 04:57 PM

I shouldn't do this, because anyone who cries about having to learn something and use their brain isn't worth helping, but here ya go - got this in less than two minutes by using Google.

Bass Chords - Bass Guitar Chord Chart

Bottom section, Playing Full Chords. Two chord shapes you can move around the neck. If you want more, I suggest Jonas Hellborg's mini-book Chord Bassics, though you can figure out everything written in that if you spent 15 minutes studying chord structure and harmony.

Prezel · #20 10-18-2011, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinro

Now you're probably thinking "why not learn from the video?" Well I can't because I can't see what frets he's actually fretting and which ones he's just hovering over.

No offense, but he is even pointing on every fret he plays, telling what note it is. How easy do you want it to be? I fear no lesson or diagram could show it more clearly.

Everybody here tries to help the best they can. Are you looking for a complete overview of chords that can be played on a bass? And even if you would find it, what would it be good for? Would you look up the fingering (sorry for that) every time you improvise or practise?

Learn (or in your case: utilize) the theory and find out which works and sounds best for the way you play and like it to sound.