Bass Guitar ( 4 string ) Chord Book

[jnewmark]

I've been searching for a bass guitar chord book, specifically spiral bound, but beginning to think its unobtainium. I've searched all the usual sites, including Amazon, but don't see any available. Does anyone know of one, or at least can recommend a good , bound version that is not paperback size ? Thanks.

 

[Malcolm35]

I, like you, did not find what you want. However, how many chords do you really need pre-printed patterns on? With the major scale box pattern and a little theory you could make your own "book". For example:

My old standby chart of generic bass lines using the major scale box as a Rosetta stone.

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
You may recognize this pattern with dots.
Adding the numbers lets the pattern come alive.

Cmaj7 chord coming up in the song. Find a C note on the 3rd or 4th string and put this box's R over that C note. Then play the "spelling" for the Cmaj7 chord. That spelling is listed below and it is R-3-5-7. If you wanted to play the C major scale, that spelling is R-2-3-4-5-6-7.

Basic Chord Spellings

• Major Triad = R-3-5 for the C chord.
• Minor Triad = R-b3-5 for the Cm chord.
• Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5 for the Cdim chord.

7th Chord Spellings

• Maj7 = R-3-5-7 for the Cmaj7 chord.
• Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7 for the Cm7 chord.
• Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7 for the C7 chord.
• ½ diminished = R-b3-b5-b7 for the Cm7b5 chord.
• Full diminished = R-b3-b5-bb7 for the C with the little o - no strike through.

See a chord and play it's chord tones. As every key will have three major, three minor and one diminished chord it's a good idea to get your major, minor and diminished bass line chord tones into muscle memory so when you see a chord your fingers just know what will work. Now the song may only give you enough room for the root, or root five - adapt and get as many chord tones into your bass line as needed. Root on 1 and a steady groove from the other chord tones plus something to call attention to the chord change is what we do.

Scale Spellings Yep, gotta do our scales so our fingers know where the notes are and our ears get used to the good and bad sounds. Scales are a right of passage thing. Got to know them, however, chord tones is what we get paid to play.

• Major Scale = R-2-3-4-5-6-7 Home base
• Major Pentatonic = R-2-3-5-6 Leave out the 4 & 7
• Natural Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 Major scale with the 3, 6 & 7 flatted.
• Minor Pentatonic = R-b3-4-5-b7 Leave out the 2 & 6.
• Blues = R-b3-4-b5-5-b7 Minor pentatonic with the blue note b5 added.
• Harmonic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-7 Natural minor with a natural 7.
• Melodic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-6-7 Major scale with a b3.

Let the major scale be your home base then change a few notes and you have something different. No need to memorize a zillion patterns. Let the major scale pattern be your go to pattern - then adapt/adjust from there.

Generic Notes - for your bass line.

• The root, five and eight are generic (R-5-8-5) and fit most any chord. Remember the diminished has a flatted 5.
• The 3 is generic to all major chords. So R-3-5-3 will fit under any major chord.
• The b3 is generic to all minor chords. And R-b3-5-8 will fit under any minor chord. Why the 8? Well the 8 is just another root in the next octave.
• The 7 is generic to all maj7 chords. Yep, R-3-5-7 fits nicely.
• The b7 is generic to all dominant seventh and minor seventh chords. G7 = R-3-5-b7 or Gm7 = R-b3-5-b7.
• The 6 is neutral and adds color, help yourself to 6’s. Love the sound of R-3-5-6 with a major chord.
• 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 & 7 will play a lot of bass.

OK fine, how to use all that I know is the question. The above gives you all the theory involved with what you want, just go put it all in a paint by numbers format.

 

[jnewmark]

Thanks, that was alot of work !. I appreciate your help, but its a little mind boggling to someone who mostly plays by ear, and a bit over my head. I'm looking for a quick reference book that I can throw on a music stand when I'm stuck trying to figure out what a certain chord is, or how differently to play it. I have a spiral bound , guitar chord book that has, page by page, alphabetically listed, every guitar chord known to man and different positions to play them. Looking for something like that.

 

[Les Fret]

There is lot to be found on this. For example this book: https://www.amazon.com/Chord-Basics-JONAS-HELLBORG/dp/071190717X

But maybe that’s too much. Just google bass chords and you find some sheets with the most common bass chords.

 

[jnewmark]

There is lot to be found on this. For example this book: https://www.amazon.com/Chord-Basics-JONAS-HELLBORG/dp/071190717X

But maybe that’s too much. Just google bass chords and you find some sheets with the most common bass chords.

Thanks, I'll check it out !

 

[JTE]

Just use your copy of 4,400 Guitar chords and ignore the two high strings. Of course that won't solve all your problems as those two strings are frequently where the extensions (9th, 13th, etc.) are. But if the guitar chord book lists the scale degree of each note, like for the barred G chord at the 3rd fret shoes 1 5 1 3 5 1, you can extrapolate to lower strings.

Things is, you don't need a chart for every conceivable chord because an Ab chord is the same as a G chord only moved up one fret. Malcolm's method combined with your guitar book will allow you to get to what you want pretty quickly.

 

[RSerbel]

Try Chordal Harmony from Janek Gwizdala.

 

[mambo4]

Study Bass has a print your own finger board chart app.

While I get the impulse to just want it all spelled out for you
It's worth it to learn the intervals and how to construct chords, and Make your own charts. It's actually pretty simple once you understand it. See the "basic Theory PDF" in my sig.

 

[IamGroot]

There is lot to be found on this. For example this book: https://www.amazon.com/Chord-Basics-JONAS-HELLBORG/dp/071190717X

But maybe that’s too much. Just google bass chords and you find some sheets with the most common bass chords.

I found this review on line:

No words to describe it

It shows you where to put your fingers on the fret board to play a chord. No representation of the chord as notes on a sheet of music. No verbiage beyond the slightest explanation of symbols on page 3. Page 2 is blank. page 1 title. The chords I hope will communicate with me because Mr. Hellborg has not in his book.
I do think it will have value, but hoped for some perspective from the author as well.

 

[IamGroot]

Why do you need a Chord book? Study up what Malcom 35 showed you and apply it on your bass. Chords have limited value, but when you can arpeggiate the notes to a given chord instantly, your bass prowess for soloing and walking goes up several notches.

Example, play the notes of G#m7b5b9. What does this resolve to?

 

[jnewmark]

Thanks for all the advice , guys, but I'm just looking for a good bass chord book, not bass lessons, okay ?

 

[Les Fret]

Why do you need a Chord book? Study up what Malcom 35 showed you and apply it on your bass. Chords have limited value, but when you can arpeggiate the notes to a given chord instantly, your bass prowess for soloing and walking goes up several notches.

Example, play the notes of G#m7b5b9. What does this resolve to?

The book is what it is. Just diagrams of chords. Just like any guitar chord chart book. Is it useful? To some maybe. As said this might be overkill for the OP. He might be better off just finding some charts of the most common bass chords. I agree that you don’t really need a book for it. You also have this Chords for dummies (no pun intended) book. But I don’t know that one myself.

 

[monsterthompson]

Bass Arpeggio Finder - Easy-to-Use Guide to Over 1,300 Bass Arpeggios Hal Leonard Bass Method - Bass Method

 

[IamGroot]

Bass Arpeggio Finder - Easy-to-Use Guide to Over 1,300 Bass Arpeggios Hal Leonard Bass Method - Bass Method
View attachment 4494435

View attachment 4494436

The book clipping you showed is all of the book you need. Serious.

Look at each chord and analyze the scale degrees by position.

The C is 1 3 5 Octave.
The Cm is 1 b3 5 Octave and the alternate fingering for the b3 would be better.
Etc.

I think most people can do this without a book. Figuring this out on your own will help you more. Save the money for better stuff.

 

[bfields]

I'm looking for a quick reference book that I can throw on a music stand when I'm stuck trying to figure out what a certain chord is, or how differently to play it.

When would you do this? Are you talking about playing solo, in a band, accompanying yourself singing, or something else? Are you actually going to play these *as* chords, or just use them one at a time as part of a bass line?

I mean, there are no absolute rules in music, and if you personally love the sound of an open G chord strummed on a bass, that's fine, but most people in most contexts would say that sound is kind of awful. Low notes played together are very muddy.

A lot of the time, the typical bass "chord" is two, maybe three notes, played up in the high-numbered frets.

E.g., one finger on the E string 15th fret, one on the G string 16th fret, and you've got a nice-sounding G major. Shift that up and down and, boom, now you can play all the major chords.

But I don't know if that's what you're looking for.

 

[jnewmark]

When would you do this? Are you talking about playing solo, in a band, accompanying yourself singing, or something else? Are you actually going to play these *as* chords, or just use them one at a time as part of a bass line?

I mean, there are no absolute rules in music, and if you personally love the sound of an open G chord strummed on a bass, that's fine, but most people in most contexts would say that sound is kind of awful. Low notes played together are very muddy.

A lot of the time, the typical bass "chord" is two, maybe three notes, played up in the high-numbered frets.

E.g., one finger on the E string 15th fret, one on the G string 16th fret, and you've got a nice-sounding G major. Shift that up and down and, boom, now you can play all the major chords.

But I don't know if that's what you're looking for.

No, just me noodling around with 2-3 note chords on the upper regions of the fret board. I'm just having some fun looking at sheet music for some songs with guitar chords over the lyrics, wondering how I would play those chords on the bass. Don't want to get that deep in to theory, like some of the posts above; just a quick reference to glance at.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Chords=Arpeggios.
Arpeggios=Chords

Power Tools for Bass Paperback – February 1, 1996 by Fred Cockfield (Author) 9780793560677 | eBay

 

[jnewmark]

View attachment 4495002Power Tools for Bass Paperback – February 1, 1996 by Fred Cockfield (Author) 9780793560677 | eBay

Wow, I think that's just what I need ! Thanks !

 

[jamro217]

I don't think too many books have been written on that topic because not many bassists use that approach. Understanding how and why chord are formed are part of your musical vocabulary but the instrument doesn't usually respond well to playing chords. Single notes and double stops are used in well over 90% of musical situations. The use of chordal playing on a bass (especially in the lower registers) is rare. As JTE suggested in post#6, a guitar chord book like the one you have will be the same for the bottom four strings. You may need to replace some of the redundant notes in extended chords with more important ones. That's where Malcolm35's advice in post#2 comes in. Hope this helps.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Wow, I think that's just what I need ! Thanks !

Don't let ANYONE dissuade you from playing chords on bass!