E/G# Chord/Scale Help

[Snerek]

So my band and i wrote a pretty cool progression last night, and the first chord of the song i believe is:

E/G#

the notes are (E, G#, D#) or ( 0-7-6-8-9-x)



my question is, well is that an E/G# chord? major or minor? whats a good scale/mode to use to build a baseline around this chord?

its got a jazz sound to it...

thanks guys

[willkt6]

Its an E major 7 with no 5th, so the E major scale would be a logical choice =]

[Snerek]

EDIT..


this mode right?


http://www.guitar-and-bass.com/fives...ns-ionian.html

[stedtale]

more like this:

with the major 7th not b7

http://www.guitar-and-bass.com/fives...ns-ionian.html

[Snerek]

yeah ,i just edited my link..


i think i'm on the right track now

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

E/G# means an E Major chord with the third (G#) as the lowest note. So it can be like G# - B - E (lowest to highest) or also an E Major chord played by the pianist or guitarist in the most convenient way for them while the bassist plays a G# (of course, the bass is supposed to play the chord's lowest note).

E - G# - D# is an EMaj7 chord (E major with the major seventh added) with no fifth (sorry, don't understand what you mean with those numbers).

When you name a chord using only its root, like "E" or "Bb", it means "Major" by default. Any other mode (Minor, Diminished, Augmented) must be specified, as well as any notes added to the basic triad. Also, if the lowest note is different from the root (that's what you're doing with E/G#), which is called alternate bass, it must be indicated as well, using a slash (/).

[Snerek]

understood, thanks guys

[Snerek]

should i not use the B? the 5th?

would that be bad?

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Originally Posted by Snerek

should i not use the B? the 5th?

would that be bad?

The perfect fifth is a sound that can be safely omitted. A different story is a diminished chord, which has a diminished fifth, crucial for the chord's sonority.

[stedtale]

Originally Posted by Snerek

should i not use the B? the 5th?

would that be bad?

Whatever sounds best in the bass line...

you could try 1, 3, 7 ... e g# d# as a bass for the line....

trust your ear, it'll lead you in the right direction

[All_¥our_Bass]

Emajor chord with a G#(maj third) in the bass (when talking about a chord, "bass" means lowest note. Which may or may not be the root)

[dlloyd]

You're getting two different answers here.

First of all, the guitar chord you wrote down is Emaj7 (no 5th).

That doesn't mean to say you shouldn't play the fifth. I would treat it just as Emaj7.

While the answers about E/G# are technically correct, this chord is not E/G#.

[Pacman]

The lydian mode will work better for this chord than a Major scale, which has the 4th as an avoid note.

[Alun]

Out of interest, what's the next chord in the song after the Emaj7?

The reason I ask is that will help clarify the key of the song, which will help suggest ideas.

In some theory books, Lydian would be suggested as the fourth (A) in Ionian is thought of as an "avoid note", but if the song is in E major then there isn't a problem. Admittedly, staying on the A would cause a lot of tension but so would staying on the A# in Lydian, but either work fine as passing tones.

Try listening to the guitar progression and melody and imagine in your head what your ideal bass line would sound like. Once you can hear it, find it on your bass (sing it into a tape recorder first if you're worried you might forget it). That way, you'll be focusing on what sounds best for the music in question rather than what other bassists would find cool, or what a theory book says is correct (if it's cool and theoretically correct too all the better, but the song is ultimately the most important thing)

Cheers,
Alun

[Snerek]

the progression is

Emaj7 (no 5th), Amaj, Bmaj


Jazz/Blues

[AmazingGracePlayer]

If all of this is too confusing for you, tell your guitarist to play the root notes, and you can play all the chords in artificial harmonics. Works every time in my band =)

[Alun]

Originally Posted by Snerek

the progression is

Emaj7 (no 5th), Amaj, Bmaj


Jazz/Blues

In which case, the song appears to be in E major so E major would be the "correct" scale, but as I said - try thinking of the bassline that sounds best in your head then look for it on your bass.

Cheers,
Alun

[Red Wonder]

It would be an avoid note if it fell on a strong beat but the fourth could be used in passing in Ionian right?

[Alun]

Absolutely. As the song then goes to Amaj, it may sound better in the overall line than the Lydian A#

Cheers,
Alun