Why these notes and not the other ones

[GoneFarAway]

Originally Posted by jazzbo

I just don't understand how people can't use the open strings. Man, they are truly your friends. The best. Position shifts, climbing the neck, they're good for so much.

One reason I didn't use to use them much was because I was afraid of the tone getting muddy. If I played an open on one string and then moved down a string, it would sound awful if I didn't mute.

[Bard2dbone]

Originally Posted by Mike88T

I have no idea what this means, I lost you after the word "the".

isn't the 5th fret on the E string an A?

He is talking about making harmonics on an open string. The easiest one is at the 12th fret. IT sounds the same pitch as if fretted because it divides the string length in half, just like the fretted note there does.

A false harmonic is when you fret a note with your left hand, count 12 frets up from that note, and play a harmonic with your right hand both plucking the note and 'stopping' the string. Stopping is holding your finger against the string lightly to make that harmonic chime.

Now, what he was talking about was making true harmonics. Since you mentioned that you found the 16th fret on G to be the clearest B, you are already doing what he was trying to tell you about. If you look for the places around the 5th, 4th, and really about 3 1/2th frets you will find you can play a major chord in only harmonics. That is the triad he was talking about. Practice playing harmonics at those frets. Then practice playing false harmonics that far above a fretted note.

If you know how to play a major scale ( A 'Major' scale is the one you will probably hum, if someone tells you to hum a scale) then you should notice that the notes all have certain amounts of space between them. Go back to Jazzbo's theory post. When it said 'root+t+t+s+t+t+t+octave' or something like that, t is a tone, that's two frets or one whole step. And s is a semitone. That's one fret or a half step. So a major scale is some note to start, go up two frets, up two frets, up one fret...etc.

Once you get used to thinking of those steps as numbers, ie the root is the 'one' of a key, the second note int the major scale of the key is the 'two', the third note in the scale is the 'three'...etc You will notice that if you take the root-third-fifth and play them together, you get a major chord. Those three steps of the scale together are a triad.

I hope this made more sense to you. If it didn't tell me what you don't get and I'll try again.

[Mike88T]

Originally Posted by Bard2dbone

If you know how to play a major scale ( A 'Major' scale is the one you will probably hum, if someone tells you to hum a scale) then you should notice that the notes all have certain amounts of space between them. Go back to Jazzbo's theory post. When it said 'root+t+t+s+t+t+t+octave' or something like that, t is a tone, that's two frets or one whole step. And s is a semitone. That's one fret or a half step. So a major scale is some note to start, go up two frets, up two frets, up one fret...etc.

Once you get used to thinking of those steps as numbers, ie the root is the 'one' of a key, the second note int the major scale of the key is the 'two', the third note in the scale is the 'three'...etc You will notice that if you take the root-third-fifth and play them together, you get a major chord. Those three steps of the scale together are a triad.

I hope this made more sense to you. If it didn't tell me what you don't get and I'll try again.

First off YEAAAaaaa English!!!

Ok I have been reading lots of stuff on here trying to get a grasp of chords. The scale I can pretty much play anywhere on the neck for a good while now, that’s how I discovered Joy to the World, anyhow the chords still have me stumped.
Now take as an example major G chord, bear with me I am not even sure I am using the right name, root =C, 3rd = B, and 5th then is what D? If I am fretting the G on the E string wouldn't it be redundant to fret the B and the D on the A string at the same time? Or am I missing something obvious? This is why I am looking for a local bass player with the ability to show me stuff in person; I just need the visual/audio to get it I think.

Oh and by "together" you do mean hit the strings at the same time right not in sequence?


BIG EDIT

DUH, OPEN D STRING!

realy should have the bass on my lap when I think about this stuff.

[Bard2dbone]

By 'together' I did , in fact mean pay the root, third, and fifth, AT THE SAME TIME. Those three steps of the scale are a major chord, often called a triad.

If you play them in sequence, like 1-3-5-8-5-3-1 it is called an arpeggio. But if you play them as an arpeggio and let them ring out together then that becomes the chord.