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Basic theory on chords

T

ToshitomoriOh

Jul 28, 2012
26
0
#1
I've been trying really hard not to be a TAB bassist, and started learning some of the basic theories such as keys and chords.

My question is....if I decide to compose a bass line only with a root note, for example, "C" of "Cmaj," does that mean that I can just go ahead and use any note on the fret board that is "C"?

Obviously, some "C"s on the fret board are octave higher than others, for example,
the "C" on the 3rd fret of A string vs the "C" on the 5th fret of G string,
the "C" on the 8th fret of E string vs the "C" on the 10th fret of D string......

I'm sure there are differences but have just got no idea what they are. Thank you so much for your attention.
 

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#2
The short answer is "yes" you can use any C note that sounds good to you.

"C" on the 3rd fret of the A string is going to sound tighter, more cutting, and less round than "C" on the 8th fret of the "E" string.

"C" on 5th fret G string and 10th fret D string are an octave higher, and will have even less girth and heft, although may be the right note.

It really comes down to a question of taste and intent. Theory doesn't tell you what notes to play, just what kind of sounds/relationships will exist between various notes once you've established a key center in the mind's ear of a listener.
 
#3
ToshitomoriOh said:
I've been trying really hard not to be a TAB bassist, and started learning some of the basic theories such as keys and chords.

My question is....if I decide to compose a bass line only with a root note, for example, "C" of "Cmaj," does that mean that I can just go ahead and use any note on the fret board that is "C"?

Obviously, some "C"s on the fret board are octave higher than others, for example,
the "C" on the 3rd fret of A string vs the "C" on the 5th fret of G string,
the "C" on the 8th fret of E string vs the "C" on the 10th fret of D string......

I'm sure there are differences but have just got no idea what they are. Thank you so much for your attention.
Click to expand...

Write your bass lines so they sound right, start with the idea that the line you write is musical, then work out why it is so.
This 'reverse engineering' approach will turn around for you when you gain the relevent knowledge and experience.....you will hear and see many relationships and ways to approach basslines, harmony, melody, rhythm etc... So learning songs becomes easier as well as creating them because you understand better what's involved as well as what's not involved.:)
 
#4
I like that explanation.
I'll also go ahead and throw in Wooten's oft-used phrase: There are no wrong notes.
Even if they are out of the scale, they still have a character to them in relation to the root. Now, that character may or may not be what you are looking for. Some notes are more consonant with and others are more dissonant from the underlying chord. Take C major. The 5th is G(it is the 5th note in the C Major scale). It is very consonant. It could even be considered boring. Take a C#. It is not in the C major scale at all and sounds very dissonant. But perhaps you're trying to convey a bit of emotional chaos. C# might be what you're looking for. But you should probably move to something in the scale to give some sense of resolve.
 
#5
Our fretboard produces three octaves of a scale, thus there are at least three of every note on our fretboard.

C @ the 3rd string 3rd fret is in one octave.
C @ the 4th string 8th fret is in another octave.
C @ the 3rd string 15th fret is another octave.

All C's just in another octave. Yea, they do sound alike but, different. The difference is they are in lower and higher octaves.
 
#6
Another consideration of where to play the note(s) is where you are going next, i.e., efficiency of motion. Say you're playing just roots, & the song goes from CMaj7 to G7 (I-V), and you want to play a lower G.

If you are playing C on the 3rd fret of the A string, the low G is right there on the same fret, 1 string lower (E string). If you play the C on the E string (8th fret), you'll need to shift down to the 3rd fret/E in order to play the low G (assuming you're not playing a 5 string).
 
#7
Fergie Fulton said:
Write your bass lines so they sound right, start with the idea that the line you write is musical, then work out why it is so.
This 'reverse engineering' approach will turn around for you when you gain the relevent knowledge and experience.....you will hear and see many relationships and ways to approach basslines, harmony, melody, rhythm etc... So learning songs becomes easier as well as creating them because you understand better what's involved as well as what's not involved.:)
Click to expand...

Then the "reverse engineering" approach will turn around once again and you will be playing what sounds good and by breaking any rules of what will sound good.
 
#8
Rhythm is at least as important as scales. Every rhythm (other than an endless series of quarter notes) is comprised of a contrast between the strong (emphasized) notes and the weak (de-emphasized) notes. The pattern of that contrast is what makes a rhythm unique.

This rhythmic contrast is an integral part of learning how to apply scales and tonal theory to your playing -- chromatic and other dissonant tones can be played just about anywhere if they are the de-emphasized notes. Passing notes and run-ups to your target note are often chromatic.

As long as you're hitting the consonant scale tones at the times when they are heavily stressed -- on the downbeat, and on the longer notes -- then you can free yourself up quite a bit in between.
 
#10
You only have 3 octaves on a 21 fret bass. Try to approach the target c note from above or below. This will help you learn positions, 1st, 2nd etc that will help you learn the fingerboard and open up many possibilities of phrasing. Don't just play the c in the first position.
 
#11
I normally don't reply to threads like this because I don't want to argue with anyone. But there's info in some of the replies that is wrong. If you play a C at the third fret on the A string, and a C at the 8th fret on the E string, that is NOT an octave. It's the same note, same pitch. If you play at the 5th fret on the G string, that's an octave to both of the other notes. Now play at the 10th fret on D. That's the same at the 5th on G. Again an octave to the original two notes. So you have played 4 notes, but only one octave. Now play the 15th fret on the A. That's the same as the 10th on D. If you then play the 17th on the G, that's an octave to the 15th on A and 10th on D. So, if you play 3rd on A and 17th on G, you have played two octaves, not three.
 
#12
I should have said on a 4 string bass if it has 20 frets from open E on the E string you will only be able to hit a D# on the top fret of the g string. On a 21 fret bass you have a full 3 octave from the open E string playing an E major scale.

The most common way bassists play octaves on the bass is: from any one note the higher octave can be played two strings up and two frets over. This octave pattern exists on any fret of any string of the bass so long as you don't run out of strings.

To get any note's lower octave, reverse the pattern: play the note two strings down and two frets back.
 
#13
Learn to use the octaves dynamically also. What i mean is, if you are grooving out on a low octave C (like the 3rd fret on the A string), try sliding up to a high octave C (15th fret on the same A string) and play the same groove. If you're playing with a band, often something as simple as just going up an octave can make the music overall sound like it stepped up to a new level. That's really one of the coolest things about bass IMO.. I've always felt that on bass, i have more influence over the dynamics of a band more than any other instrument. The bass sets the mood.
 
#14
It's pretty context driven. If you are playing a D, and the next progression means you need a G - you could go up or down, so finding the right one is the question. Some chord movements sound as if they are going upwards - lets say you have a keyboard player who is playing D, F Sharp(just noticed my macbook pro doesn't have a hash symbol!!) and A, and he moves up to G, playing G, B and D - so if you go up too, the whole song lifts. If you go down, it kind of splits - leaving a hole in the middle. If there is a vocal in this hole, it works, if not, then everyone going up may have been better. If however, he plays the D chord as A, D and F Sharp, and goes to the G by moving the A down to G, B and D, you going down too works better - if you went up it can sound very crowded.

You can also swap - go to an octave above note, then on the next kick drum beat hit the octave below.

I always attempt to stay low if I can, and if you are playing root and 5th, I like the sound of the wider space between the 5th, going down to the root, rather that going up from the 5th to the octave - Study some old big band stuff where the bass was solid, but economical with movement. See if you can predict where they will go to next, and why?
 
#16
You also have to take into consideration, playing a unison, on a different part of the instrument will still give you different timbres. For example, playing the 5th fret G on the D string and playing the open G on the G string. These are the same G note, but they will sound different. This difference is even more apparent when using slap and pop techniques versus finger or pick techniques. It is also easily recognized easily between fretted and open notes (even if they are the same note in the same octave [unison] like mentioned above).

A large amount of the time, I will play fretted notes as much as possible, even if it seemed to interfere with my left-hand technique or cause some stretching, mainly because I feel like I have better control (I can bend or add a gentle vibrato). But more recently, I've liked the sound of open strings more.

Most of the differences are very subtle. So, don't over analyze it.. I may have already.
 

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