Need some help!

[th3d]

Hello guys, im new to this forum and i want your help!
So, i'm playing at my high school orchestra and i have the following problem: When the guitarist plays e.g.mi minor what i am supposed to play?( I know nearly all bass scales) (the songs we play are so old that I can't find any bass tablatures or anything).

[tdub0199]

What is E-? what does the dash (-) after the E stand for?

[th3d]

oh sorry about that i meant mi minor for example

[tdub0199]

you would just play in E which is the root note....

[th3d]

well didn't thought it was so simple (I feel dump now)

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by th3d

well didn't thought it was so simple (I feel dump now)

You start with just roots, but, there is more to it than that. Here is a cut and paste cheat sheet I have on file. Print it off and use it as reference material.

Bass Patterns based upon the Major Scale box.

Major Scale Box.

G|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string

Fake chord or lead sheet music will have the chord name shown. Roots work, however, here is the rest of the story.

Basic Chords
Major Triad = R-3-5 --------- R is the root note
Minor Triad = R-b3-5
Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5

7th Chords
Maj7 = R-3-5-7
Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7
Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7
½ diminished = R-b3-b5-b7
Full diminished = R-b3-b5-bb7 Harmonic minor and melodic minor will use the full bb7

Scales
Major Pentatonic = R-2-3-5-6
Minor Pentatonic = R-b3-4-5-b7
Blues = R-b3-4-b5-5-b7
Major Scale = R-2-3-4-5-6-7
Natural Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
Harmonic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-7
Melodic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-6-7

Major modes
Ionian same as the Major Scale.
Lydian use the major scale and sharp the 4 - yes, it’s that simple. The rest of that story deals in what chord vamp should be used under those modal notes. Just something to keep in the back of your mind. Modes should enter your life after you have exhausted everything you can do with scales.
Mixolydian use the major scale and flat the 7.

Minor Modes
Aeolian same as the Natural Minor scale.
Dorian use the Natural Minor scale and sharp the b6 back to a natural 6.
Phrygian use the Natural Minor scale and flat the 2.
Locrian use the Natural Minor scale and flat the 2 and the 5.

Generic Notes.
The root, five and eight are generic and fit most any chord. Remember the diminished has a flatted 5.
The 3 is generic to all major chords. R-3-5-8 or R-3-5-3 are two of my favorite bass lines.
The b3 is generic to all minor chords.
The 7 is generic to all maj7 chords.
The b7 is generic to all dominant seventh and minor seventh chords.
The 6 is neutral and adds color, help yourself to 6’s. I find R-3-5-6 very melodic.
The 2 and 4 make good passing notes. Don’t linger on them or stop on them, keep them passing.
In making your bass line help yourself to those notes, just use them correctly.
Roots, fives, eights and the correct 3 will play a lot of bass.

It's OK to peek at tabs, however, do not rely upon tabs. Look at the chord being used then play chord tones, which ones and how many of the chord's tones should be used, I know is the question. The ones that allow you to move into a groove. Lot of time that is just roots.

If it was easy guitarist would be playing bass.

Ask questions. Welcome and good luck.

[th3d]

Thank you very much man !!!

[JTE]

Study MalcomAmos' post. Especially the section on what scale notes give you the chords (e.t. major is 1 3 5, minor is 1 b3 5, 7th is 1 3 5 b7, etc.)

Then find 'em on the neck. Don't limit yourself to always starting with the root, name the notes out loud (and SING the name of the note) when you're practicing and learning this stuff, it'll help you find the notes on the neck and get around more smoothly quicker than anything else you could do.

Really basic stuff...
For all chords, your key notes for the bass are the root and 5 (keeping in mind that diminished chords or anything listed as "b5" have the fifth lowered a half-step, and augmented chords have the 5th raised a half-step). Find those for every chord in the song, and you'll be well on your way to outlining the harmony. Here's some ideas I copped from Carol Kaye's columns in Guitar Player Magazine decades ago (there were no bass magazines, this would have been the '70s and maybe very early '80s) that has been very useful to me over the years...

Three kinds of chords… Major, Minor, Dominant

Major Chords: Bass mostly stays around the Roots, 5ths and 6ths (sometimes the 9ths -- 2nds, occasionally the 3rd, like in fills going 3rd, 4th, #4th, 5th, that sort of thing). It doesn't matter if the chord says just plain C, or Cmaj7 or C6 or Cmaj9th; you NEVER use the b7th in a major chord. It's the b7th that makes a chord a 7th chord. This is totally different than just a major chord in sound because it wants to resolve to the next cyclic chord, a tension builder.

Minor chords: Bass mostly stays around the Roots, 5ths, and b7ths (sometimes the 9ths, b3rd, 4th going to 5th -- you will not use the 6th unless you're playing a ii chord in jazz, then of course the 6th is in the iii chord of that chordal scale). An example of a fill being 5th b5th 4th b3rd Root; here’s another one: 4th 5th, b7th Root, b3rd 4th b7 Root (the 4th being indicated as a passing note).

7th chords: Bass mostly uses the Minor chord notes above (including the fills) as there are usually blues connotations in the 7th chords (the #9th is the same note as the b3rd). However, you can take the major chord approach and just use the 6s and 9s of the majors, this is perfectly fine. Some boogies only use R 3 5 6 etc., not the b7, with the dominants, this is OK. However, the opposite is not kosher. You NEVER use the b7th in a major chord. It's the b7th that makes a chord a 7th chord. This is totally different than just a major chord in sound, it wants to resolve to the next cyclic chord, a tension builder, just like the b3rd makes a chord a minor chord.

John

[Billnc]

Are you using classical terminology when you say minor minor? i.e. Minor major, major minor etc? I'm personally not that familiar with the terminology other than major minor is a dominant 7th Minor minor is a minor 7th chord etc.

Also you do not say what style of music you are playing.

[MalcolmAmos]

John,
I ordered a couple of Carol Kaye's books yesterday.
Music reading DVD w/ manual and Electric Bass lines # 3.

Looking forward to getting into them. I liked her 100 tips, may have something to do with being old school myself, but, I agree with what she is saying.

[aprod]

Originally Posted by MalcolmAmos

John,
I ordered a couple of Carol Kaye's books yesterday.
Music reading DVD w/ manual and Electric Bass lines # 3.

Looking forward to getting into them. I liked her 100 tips, may have something to do with being old school, but, I agree with what she is saying.

You are going to love her method. I have been playing and teaching for years. This dvd changed everything. Chord tones, thumb pivot, use of dim/aug, yeah baby.