Noob question.

[whitefuneral]

Please don't hate on this thread.
I just want to clarify something up.
If my guitarist plays:
|-----|
|-----|
|-----|
|-----|
|--5-|
|--5-|
Would I then play:
|-----|
|-----|
|-----|
|--5-|

Just I'm thinking if he's playing two different notes together it is effectively a broken chord making a completely different note/chord or is it still an A (if in regular tuning)

Would I need to find a different note if it is going to contrast with my guitarist?

[GeoffT]

Playing an A there would work but I would think that he is going for a D power chord (R-5-Octave) without the root D since he doesn't have a D that is lower than that A on his guitar. You do have that lower D so it should work very well playing the D at 5th fret A string. Of course there are other notes you could play and the guitar player could be going for something other than what I mentioned (it hard to tell without seeing what comes before and after) so listen to what works best.

[TylerofTheVeil]

Depending on what key it's in, you could play an 'F' or an 'F#' for a chord in first inversion O.o Or my personal favorite in this situation, play a G which produces a nice, yet ambiguous, Gsus2.

[whitefuneral]

Originally Posted by TylerofTheVeil

Depending on what key it's in, you could play an 'F' or an 'F#' for a chord in first inversion O.o Or my personal favorite in this situation, play a G which produces a nice, yet ambiguous, Gsus2.

I'm not sure what key the chord is it, let alone it is a chord, he doesn't play to many chords due to that's he's my lead not rhythm. It's equivalent of playing it as a Freeform tab.

[TylerofTheVeil]

Arguably, if you have a set of notes played together, it is a chord. In this case, he plays a couple of notes and you provide the bass and thus a chord has been created From this point, as GeoffT essentially stated, you must determine the function of the chord by looking at what precedes and follows it.

[whitefuneral]

Any tips of figuring out chords like these, keep in mind that bass is my one and only instrument.

[Papa Dangerous]

The guitarist is playing A and D. You are playing A. There are ALOT of chords you can be playing at that point. It all comes down to key and context.

You will be doing yourself a big one by learning chord construction first with triads than sevenths. Look at inversions and their applications. In learning chords, you touch upon learning scales. You design your chord and quality off of the scale. Each scale degree ( 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7-) has its own name, which sort of hints to its use. IE a 5th scale degree is the Dominant Chord. It is the second most important chord amongst the rest. (The first obviously being 1 - the Tonic). From here you can learn chord progressions.

That should really get the ball rolling for you.

[whitefuneral]

Originally Posted by Papa Dangerous

The guitarist is playing A and D. You are playing A. There are ALOT of chords you can be playing at that point. It all comes down to key and context.

You will be doing yourself a big one by learning chord construction first with triads than sevenths. Look at inversions and their applications. In learning chords, you touch upon learning scales. You design your chord and quality off of the scale. Each scale degree ( 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7-) has its own name, which sort of hints to its use. IE a 5th scale degree is the Dominant Chord. It is the second most important chord amongst the rest. (The first obviously being 1 - the Tonic). From here you can learn chord progressions.

That should really get the ball rolling for you.

Ive already learnt the 1-7 patterns, been told each number is a step...
But thinks like triads and sevenths confuse me, I'm usually better off listening and improvising but with the project I'm working on at the moment I want to follow my guitarist to the exact. Is there anyway I could easily figure out what note I'd have to play if he is playing those 2 string 'broken' chords as he likes to call them.

[Papa Dangerous]

Originally Posted by whitefuneral

Ive already learnt the 1-7 patterns, been told each number is a step...
But thinks like triads and sevenths confuse me, I'm usually better off listening and improvising but with the project I'm working on at the moment I want to follow my guitarist to the exact. Is there anyway I could easily figure out what note I'd have to play if he is playing those 2 string 'broken' chords as he likes to call them.

First off, 1-7 is not all a step wise progress.

To clarify: A step (whole step, whole tone, whole) consists of two half steps (semi tone). SO...
1 fret movement = semi tone
2 fret movement = whole tone
Major/minor scales consist of 5 whole tones, and 2 semi tones.
Look at C Major: C(1/R) D(2) E(3) F(4) G(5) A(6) B(7) C(8/1)
-E to F is a half tone, and B to C is a half tone.


The step/half step pattern of a major or minor chord allows you to figure out any scale starting on any note.

However, there is more to a scale than just that.

If you are playing C Major, you will (for now...) only use those exact notes in the scale in your chord spellings.

A Triad is essentially playing every other note with the root being the 1st note.
C E G is a C Major chord. (C is 1, E is 3, and G is 5)

However, if you want to play G you play
G B D (G is the root of the chord (1) but the Fifth of the scale. This is a bit confusing, just wrap your head around it) Just look at it G...a(skip it) B(keep it) c(skip it) D(keep it)


I did a write up a little while ago. People have pointed out some errors, but I corrected most I believe. Just look at the beginning of the information to start to understand. The rest is probably a bit more confusing.

Fretboard Logic via Intervals, Scales and Chords. This is your one spot!


So, to address your question... If he is playing broken chords, it is hard to determine what chord he is playing. You can always just play the same notes as he does, but that can steer you into not playing harmonically. Its not necessary to play perfect harmony by any means, but it is certainly pleasing to the ears when you have the right collection of notes.

If he is playing A over D and you play A over that, you are not playing any chord because you are missing something. Let us say F (D F A is D minor). If your lead is strumming A and D several times and you are strumming A, there is no chordal quality as to what you are playing. If you were to play F you would be playing a first inversion D minor chord. If you were to play D you would be playing D minor in root position, but you would not have the 3rd. (The 3rd determines if a chord is Major or Minor).

Honestly, learn the chord stuff. It may seem like jargon, but it will help you so much better in the long run.

Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a life time.

Do not be lazy about it. Think it. Write it. Understand it.

*Not everyone needs to play by theoretical rules, but there are plenty of threads on here suggesting that knowing the rules is always beneficial over not knowing.

[MalcolmAmos]

I bet your guitar friend is playing from something. Hopefully something that has the name of the chord on it like fake chord or lead sheet music. If so get a copy and follow the chords.

Now if he is playing from tab, good luck, you're screwed unless you can take tab to chord name, and I doubt that from what you have been saying.

At any rate you need to know what chord he is playing and then you do like wise. Following this.......

.... A Major chord's bass line could be R-3-5-8 (the root, 3, 5 & 8 intervals of the scale the chord is made from) Chord Formulas That's generic and will work for any major chord. Using the Major Scale Box Pattern (below) place the Root (R) over the note that is the name of the chord, i.e. say it's a C chord. Place the box pattern's R over a C note - let's use the C at the 4th string 8th fret of your fretboard and the 3, 5 & 8 will be waiting on you in the same place they always are - relative to the root note. Need the F chord just move the pattern to the 3rd string 8th fret. Need the G chord catch this at the 3rd string 10th fret.

Major Scale Box. 

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

Minor chord's bass line could be R-b3-5-8. Same thing but with a flatted 3rd. OK you have two generic bass lines you need to get into muscle memory. See a major chord and your fingers just make a R-3-5-8 with out you thinking about it. If a minor chord just flat the 3. That should take just the rest of this afternoon to get those two bass lines into muscle memory then armed with some fake chord sheet music you should be able to have a bass line for everything except the diminished chords which just flats the 5 and 3 R-b3-b5-8. Anything fancier than that just do a R-5-R-5 or R-5-8-5. It really is not all that complicated - at first.

Now how much of that you use is up to you. Just the root (R) will keep you in the game. If you can get the root and five in before the music goes off and leaves you - good. If you can get the five in then see if you can add the 3, then the 8. Root, five, eight and the correct 3 will play a lot of bass. But, you first need to know what chord is active in the song at this moment in time. With out knowing what chord is active you are just grabbing at straws. See what Sir Paul does with just roots. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obFcsEtFIKA Remember he is left handed.

Once you know that you can play with anyone. Well, most everyone.
Happy Birthday Guitar Chords
See what you can do with just roots on Happy Birthday. Little rhythm cheat sheet (hint) - lyric words get one note per word, two syllable words get two notes. Hap-py and Birth-day get two notes. Using just roots and singing the song under your breath see what fake chord and you can do.

Good luck.

[SoComSurfing]

Guys, I'm moving this to the General Instruction subforum as it's really not a Tablature inquiry.

[oniman7]

He said he wants to know how to follow his guitar player exactly.


If you want to follow exactly what your guitar player is playing, then yes, you would just play the A on the 5th Fret of the E string. Your guitarist is playing an A with a D above it. If you want to play the root of that chord (doublestop), then play the A.

However, it could also be an inverted D power chord, so you could play the D on the 5th fret of the A string. It could also be a thousand other things and you could play any number of notes (for instance, it could be considered two pieces of an inverted Bmin7 chord). You need context to know what notes can go in a chord.

However, when your guitarist plays a chord, you can safely play the lowest note your guitarist plays... not exactly interesting, but you will double whatever that note is and it will work.

[whitefuneral]

There is so much stuff here that I do not understand. Keep in mind that I'm new and do not know any chords what so ever.

I was just given these tabs by my guitarist to make a bass line out of them. Chances are they are broken chords, or maybe power chords, I don't know I don't know chords.

Our band play metal so if that helps at all with the outcome.

Please try and keep it simple. Words like semi tone and major triads do my head in.

[Jhengsman]

Originally Posted by whitefuneral

There is so much stuff here that I do not understand. Keep in mind that I'm new and do not know any chords what so ever.

I was just given these tabs by my guitarist to make a bass line out of them. Chances are they are broken chords, or maybe power chords, I don't know I don't know chords.

Our band play metal so if that helps at all with the outcome.

Please try and keep it simple. Words like semi tone and major triads do my head in.

If there are tabs out there then google and look for a related chord/lyric sheet. Play the lowest, most of the time the root of the chord at first.

Since the guitar player has just giving you information on two chord tones, A and D (assuming the guitar player did not drop tune) we don't have enough information without hearing the specific song to tell you to play anything besides A or D

[whitefuneral]

Originally Posted by Jhengsman

If there are tabs out there then google and look for a related chord/lyric sheet. Play the lowest, most of the time the root of the chord at first.

Since the guitar player has just giving you information on two chord tones, A and D (assuming the guitar player did not drop tune) we don't have enough information without hearing the specific song to tell you to play anything besides A or D

The guitar is tuned down to drop b, but that is irrelevant with tabbing. It's just a basic 16th note running pattern if that would help you visualize it.

[oniman7]

The tuning does matter for certain purposes. He is playing an E Power chord.

So, yes, you can easily play the same note as the lowest note the guitarist plays and it will pretty much always work. Just play the same note that he does, which is an E. So, the 5th fret of the B string.

It will be boring, but will provide a solid bassline, especially if you can make it grove well with the drummer. I play metal too, but I'm thinking not as heavy as what you play.


What you could do is just play the same low note as the guitarist for the whole song, and finish writing the song that way. THen, as you become more comfortable playing the song, start experimenting with fills and other notes. Once you get familiar with playing all root notes, tell your band that the next time you practice it, you're going to be experimenting with throwing in other notes, so don't be alarmed if a couple notes sound dissonant. In my experience, this is the quickest way to start with a solid bass line and spice it up a bit if you need to.


Also, learn your scales, keys, and chords. It will take a little bit, but you will be happy you did in the long run. Then you could answer questions like these for yourself.


Hope it helped.

[whitefuneral]

Originally Posted by oniman7

The tuning does matter for certain purposes. He is playing an E Power chord.

So, yes, you can easily play the same note as the lowest note the guitarist plays and it will pretty much always work. Just play the same note that he does, which is an E. So, the 5th fret of the B string.

It will be boring, but will provide a solid bassline, especially if you can make it grove well with the drummer. I play metal too, but I'm thinking not as heavy as what you play.

What you could do is just play the same low note as the guitarist for the whole song, and finish writing the song that way. THen, as you become more comfortable playing the song, start experimenting with fills and other notes. Once you get familiar with playing all root notes, tell your band that the next time you practice it, you're going to be experimenting with throwing in other notes, so don't be alarmed if a couple notes sound dissonant. In my experience, this is the quickest way to start with a solid bass line and spice it up a bit if you need to.

Also, learn your scales, keys, and chords. It will take a little bit, but you will be happy you did in the long run. Then you could answer questions like these for yourself.

Hope it helped.

+1.5 thankyou this makes a lot of sense, will follow this.

/thread closed