• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Chord Theory

rarbass

rarbass

Jul 3, 2008
1,156
47
#1
Alright, I know this has probably been discussed thousands of times, but whenever I try sifting through threads I get confused. So I'm going to post my own and hope the experts can help me in an efficient way.

As a bass player, what do I need to know about chords?
If I need to know everything, that's fine. But with so little time on my hands lately, I haven't had time to go looking for sites that teach this...

So what do I need to know? And can someone explain them? I understand the basics, root, third, fifth, etc. but what more is there to help understand chords? And how can I apply them to writing bass lines?

:help:
 
#2
My advice? Start with "triads," which are chords with three notes. Each note of a triad is a 3rd above the note below it. A "major 3rd" is 2 whole steps, or 4 half steps (4 frets on the bass), for example C to E. A "minor 3rd" is 1 whole step plus 1 half step, or 3 half steps, for example C to Eb.

There are four types of triad:

Major (major 3rd+minor 3rd): 1-3-5, C-E-G
Minor (minor 3rd+major 3rd): 1-b3-5, C-Eb-G
Augmented (major 3rd+major 3rd): 1-3-#5, C-E-G#
Diminished (minor 3d+minor 3rd): 1-b3-b5

Learning those four in each of the 12 keys will get you off to a good start. More complicated chords are created by adding (or sometimes subtracting) notes from triads. As bass players, we are usually "safe" playing notes from the triad, even if the chord is more complex. For example, you can think of an EMaj9 chord as an E Major triad for bass line purposes.
 
#4
to me, fundamental point of chord theory is that each scale degree implies a certain chord.

the major scale is the basic example, take C major:

C=I =C major chord
D=ii =D minor chord
E=iii =E minor chord
F=IV =F major chord
G=V =G major chord (G7 with 4 note chords)
A=vi =A minor chord
B=vii =B diminished chord

this is why all these chords are "in the key of C"

try going up the major scale, playing the appropriately flavored triad starting on each scale tone. Your ears will go "AHA!"
 
#5
As a bassist what do you need to know about chords?

A. How they function with each other- for example why ii V I defines a key center, why a 7 chord wants to go the chord a fourth away, etc.
A (1) How to harmonize the diatonic major scale (see mambo4's post, but sit down and build the chords in different keys by stacking thirds).

B. How to spell them- Start with the five main chord types- Major, Minor, Dominant 7, diminished, and augmented. You gotta own the knowledge that a major chord is 1 3 5, a minor 7 is 1 b3 5 b7, a ninth chord is 1 3 5 b7 9 (and why it's called a nine instead of 2).

C. How to play the arpeggios on the instrument, and over the entire neck.

D. How they sound! That's the point of learning all the preceeding stuff- all your practicing needs to be focused on hearing the chords.

jte
 
#6
rarisgod said:
Alright, I know this has probably been discussed thousands of times, but whenever I try sifting through threads I get confused. So I'm going to post my own and hope the experts can help me in an efficient way.

As a bass player, what do I need to know about chords?
If I need to know everything, that's fine. But with so little time on my hands lately, I haven't had time to go looking for sites that teach this...

So what do I need to know? And can someone explain them? I understand the basics, root, third, fifth, etc. but what more is there to help understand chords? And how can I apply them to writing bass lines?

:help:
Click to expand...

the very best thing you could do is buy a cheap keyboard (or an expensive keyboard if you prefer)

understanding chords is very difficult if you're a bass player with just a bass... I could explain to you the difference between a maj7 and a dominant 7 chord, and how they function in progressions etc, but that'd be pretty long-winded compared to you spending 2 minutes working out how to play them on a keyboard and listening to how they sound, then trying out a few chord progressions and hearing how and why they work

I realise this is time spent not playing the bass, but trust me.. the best way to understand chords is almost certainly to play them on a keyboard... understanding chords will make you a much better (more musical) bass player, which makes the time spent away from the bass worthwhile

here's a few things any musician should understand the workings of, and how they sound.. Googling any of these topics should produce a lot of information for you to get going:

triads - major, minor, diminished, augmented
extensions to the above triads... what types of 7ths you can add, how they sound and how you can use em
suspended 4ths, suspended 2nds.. what they sound like, how they work
other variations/extensions on the basic triads... 6 chords, add9 chords
chord inversions, slash chords
diatonic chords
non-diatonic chords and how to use them... i.e. chords borrowed from the parallel minor key (and vice versa), secondary dominant chords, chords produced via chromatic alteration of one or more diatonic chord tones, tritone substitutions

and lots of listening and studying of songwriters you like... see how they use chords, and how the melody relates to the chords
 
#7
Web: www.musictheory.net (Very good)

And if time permits, get Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory and CIG to Composition. Good books, to the point, gives you the foundation you need to understand harmony theory.

If you don't want this, then go get the Bass Grimoire. Good book if you want the fast way out, but only gives you info, not the solid foundation to use it.
 
#8
kb9wyz said:
Web: www.musictheory.net (Very good)

And if time permits, get Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory and CIG to Composition. Good books, to the point, gives you the foundation you need to understand harmony theory.

If you don't want this, then go get the Bass Grimoire. Good book if you want the fast way out, but only gives you info, not the solid foundation to use it.
Click to expand...

The Bass Grimoire is the absolute WORST book you can buy for learning music theory, period.

Did you sit down and read the dictionary to learn to speak English?

Bass Grimoire = Dictionary of scales
Understanding functional harmony = grammar and syntax.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back