Oops! accidentally used nonchord note but sounds good

[Minotauros]

Instant Karma.

The guitar part is

A.........................F#m
Instant karma's gonna get you
A.........................F#m
Gonna knock you right in the head
A.........................F#m
You better get yourself together,
F...................G......A
Pretty soon you’re gonna be dead

I use barre chords to just slide up and down the fretboard.

The bass I use is:

(These 2 measures 3x)
|-----------|-----------|-----------------|
|-----------|-----------|-----------------|
|-0-0-0-0-|-2-2-2-2-|------------------|
|-----------|-----------|-1-1--3-3--5-5-|

The funny thing is that when I did this I used a B without realizing that there is no B in F#m. I was 1 string off. I meant the 6th string 2nd fret. But dang, it sounds good. It sounds as good, if not better than playing the F# on the 6th string 2nd fret.

[standupright]

B is the 4th step in the f#m scale.

[megadan]

B is a fourth above F#, so it's a good harmony. It's filling in the F# chord, depending on how your guitarist is playing it.

[Minotauros]

Originally Posted by standupright

B is the 4th step in the f#m scale.

Originally Posted by megadan

B is a fourth above F#, so it's a good harmony. It's filling in the F# chord, depending on how your guitarist is playing it.

I thought so, though I was thinking purely in terms of chord tones, R 3 5 7, etc. But I looked at the scale and thought, "well it is the 4th and must work for some reason" (no, really I did! ).

I'm smart! I'm smart! S-m-r-t! I mean s-m-a-r-t!

[Danny Fox]

chuck in a diminished 5th, that'll freak em

[HaVIC5]

That's the beauty of non-chord tones in the bassline - the chords themselves actually change to fit your bass note! In otherwords, the non-chord tone becomes a root - you just can't escape the root. B under F#-7 is the same thing as saying B7sus4 with a natural 9, so really you're creating a B7sus chord.

[Minotauros]

I just realized, thanks to seeing B as the 4th in F# that we're not limited to R 3 5 7. If the guitarist is playing Dmaj, I can use any degree from the D major scale: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#. I'm not limited to D F# A and possibly C#. I could use 2 4 6, yah?

[natw42]

Congrats!

You're free from root notes!

You can play whatever notes you want.... as the lowest note in the band YOU get to determine what the chord is. The trick is making sure it sounds good.

Not that there is anything wrong with root notes....
Don't avoid the root for the sake of it. But its always good to experiment to find the right colors that make the song work.

[Minotauros]

Originally Posted by natw42

Congrats!

You're free from root notes!

Free at last! Free at last! Thank Klaus Voorman, free at last!

You can play whatever notes you want.... as the lowest note in the band YOU get to determine what the chord is. The trick is making sure it sounds good.

Being a control freak, this is good.

Not that there is anything wrong with root notes....
Don't avoid the root for the sake of it. But its always good to experiment to find the right colors that make the song work.

Root notes need love too, but a little creativity goes a long way. Too creative and avant-garde and you get Andy Warhole.

[Richard Lindsey]

Originally Posted by Minotauros

I just realized, thanks to seeing B as the 4th in F# that we're not limited to R 3 5 7. If the guitarist is playing Dmaj, I can use any degree from the D major scale: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#. I'm not limited to D F# A and possibly C#. I could use 2 4 6, yah?

Well, yes and no. Yes, in the sense that if the sound is what you and everybody else wants to hear, it's all good. As natw said, it's about making things sound good.

No, in the sense that noodling around in the putative key is not necessarily the best, or even an acceptable, way of approaching every musical situation. That is, it won't necessarily be perceived as "sounding good." It depends on context, on how you use your materials, and on what your musical intent is. In particular, pay close attention to what HaVIC5 just told you. If you lean on and emphasize a non-chord tone in the lower registers--say, by playing an E under a D major--the chord won't be heard as D major any more. You will have changed the chord. This may or may not be OK in your context, but you need to be aware that this can happen. If you are just using your non-chord tones in passing, without particular emphasis, this is less likely to be an issue for people. (Be aware too that this is a highly simplified explanation--lots of room for nuance here.)

[Minotauros]

I agree, and I appreciate the caveats. I understand what you're saying. Thanks. I am happy to know that I've broken through a barrier and learned something new, that I could do in theory. Should I always do weird stuff like that? Heck no, use the tools necessary for the job you need to do.

Even now when I'm experimenting with something, I might like it... like the goof I made in using the A string instead of the E string. Other times I might try something and yell "Yikes! Scratch that!"

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by megadan

B is a fourth above F#, so it's a good harmony. It's filling in the F# chord

More likely it's recontextualizing the F# chord. The beauty of being bass players is that we get to determine how everyone else's harmonic contributions will be interpreted. If you played that B on a flute you'd be filling in the F# chord. Play it on the bass and you've just turned that F# minor into a B7sus2.


Edit: Doh! HAVIC beat me to it.

[megadan]

Originally Posted by Hoover

More likely it's recontextualizing the F# chord. The beauty of being bass players is that we get to determine how everyone else's harmonic contributions will be interpreted. If you played that B on a flute you'd be filling in the F# chord. Play it on the bass and you've just turned that F# minor into a B7sus2.


Edit: Doh! HAVIC beat me to it.

haha!

Good point though.