Chord tones.

[KDS]

What are chord tones and how important are they?

 

[bholder]

They're the tones (pitches) that make up the chords, so yeah, they're kind of extremely important...

 

[KDS]

Thanks so much.
So if I understand you well, it means they are tones in a scale but used for a particular chord.

 

[bholder]

Thanks so much.
So if I understand you well, it means they are tones in a scale but used for a particular chord.

Yes, so for example, say you're in the key of C major, and the current chord is C major (the "root"), you can use the C major scale, but the chord tones that make up a C major chord (C, E, and G) are "safer" and "sound better" than the others (which can be used as "passing tones") - I usually try to "land" on a chord tone for the current chord on any downbeat in the rhythm.

 

[Mushroo]

Chord tones are what give each chord its unique "quality" or sound.

For example the chord tones of a C Major chord are C, E, and G. This sounds very different than a C Minor chord whose chord tones are C, Eb, and G.

Chord tones follow a formula, so if you've learned how to construct chords in one key, it's not hard to do it in the other 11 keys. For example I mentioned C Major is C, E, and G. The numerical formula for this is 1, 3, 5. If you move to a different key, for example Ab, and apply the same 1, 3, 5 formula, you get Ab, C, Eb = Ab Major chord.

As bassists, it is critically important for us to know the chord tones, so that we can support the harmony of the song.

A good exercise is to look at sheet music for a bass line (bonus points if you transcribed the song yourself!), take a highlighter, and highlight all of the chord tones.

 

[KDS]

Wow thanks alot.

 

[bholder]

Sounds harder than it really is - at least, until you start getting into fancy jazz theory chords - us bassists mostly stick to roots and thirds and fifths, maybe occasionally a seventh for flavor.

 

[KDS]

I am grateful for this post.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

What are chord tones and how important are they?

Chords are placed in the song by the song writer so that they share some of the active melody notes. It's this sharing of like notes that give us harmony. So if we play some of the notes of the harmonizing chord we two will sound good with the melody and what is happening in the song.

Chords are made from every other note in the parent scale. Are they important? Yes 90% of what we do as bassists is based upon playing some of the notes that are in the active chord. Long story follows, copy and paste this somewhere you can get it when ever you need to refresh your memory.

Back to every other note; Cmaj7 chord = C, D, E, F, G, A, B notes of the C major scale. Taking the C major scale and using every other note gave us the Cmaj7 chord. On top of that we can make other chords by adding or changing some of the notes. To make them minor, augmented, diminished, etc. for the minor chord the 3 and usually the 7 are flatted (b3 b7). Augmented the 5th note of the scale is sharped (5#) and for diminished the 3, 5 & 7 are flatted. This will help: http://www.smithfowler.org/music/Chord_Formulas.htm

I've placed the major scale box pattern down a screen or two. That box pattern was a large WOW and opened many new doors for me. Use as much as you need. I suggest you get some of the chord tones (patterns) you normally see in your music into muscle memory. D7 coming up and your fingers are already going to the notes you need for a bass line under that D7 chord. First you have to find a D note on your fret board, if you are playing chord names I suggest you find that D note in first position (first 5 frets of the fret board). So memorize where the notes are in first position. I let C be my home base. Where is there a B? Yep back a fret. Where is there a D? You'll find that toward the bridge two frets. Yes you can also find D's other places, like the open D string. I do not use open strings and have elected to use fretted notes, it's your choice do what is best for you.

OK that is how you find notes when you are looking for the "name" of notes, i.e. A, B, C's. When we move into scales I find my root and then think in 1, 2, 3's or scale degree numbers. Keep reading. The following goes into detail what numbers could be added to that D - like a 3-5-b7 are the notes needed to make that D chord into a D7 dominant seven chord. All 3-5-b7 scale degree notes will be found inside the box just waiting on you. Take heart, right now just pounding out D roots is step one. Couple of months from how you can get into the 3-5-b7.

Major Scale Box showing the root note on the E string.
.......Index...Middle..Ring....Little
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.
Right at first get the four fret, four finger pattern
into your bag of tricks.

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.

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 the first beat and a steady groove from the other chord tones plus something to call attention to the chord change is what we do. Need more insert a 5. Need more insert an 8 for a generic R-5-8-5 bass line. Generic - all chords have a root and the 8 is another root in the next octave up so the R and the 8 are generic and will be safe with your chord. The 5 is found in most every chord and the ole R-5 has been used in a zillion songs. R-R-R-R or R on the first beat and 5 on the third beat and then there is that 8 you can throw in. Is there more? Yes, but this is enough for now.

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.

After you get this we will get into using that to make songs.

See a chord coming up in the song and your fingers already know where to go. The box and chord/scale spellings will get your fingers moving where they should be. See a chord -- I'm sure you can not hear and identify a chord right now so we mortals use sheet music to show us what chord is active in the song. From that we compose our bass line. So see a chord:
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Start pounding out roots in first position, and when that get comfortable add the 5th. From the root where will the 5th be? Up a string and toward the bridge two frets - always, that is where 5th live. Go look at the major scale box I gave you. Where is the 8 in relation to the root? Yep one string up same fret as the 5. Don't worry about anything more than roots and fifths for several months. Plenty of time to get into the 3, 5, b7 scale degrees later.

What I've given you could take half a year to work through. Take it a little at a time. Have fun.

 

[dmccombe7]

Good thread. Altho i've been playing for 40 yrs or more and i took lessons for a year or so i've found this extremely interesting without being overkill. Easy to follow and can be worked on over a period of time.
Nice one KDS for raising this one. You're actually helping me improve mate.
All the very best KDS

Dave

 

[KDS]

That's great thanks.

 

[leonard]

Here's another lesson about chord tones.

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I hope I'm not violating any copyright rules by posting the Berlin book. I just found the link on the net.

 

[KDS]

Thanks so much for your post.

 

[dmccombe7]

Here's another lesson about chord tones.

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I hope I'm not violating any copyright rules by posting the Berlin book. I just found the link on the net.

Have to say the Jeff Berlin book is good. I really would like it all simplified. I can read music but not able to site read as i don't generally need to but i can sit and go thru it. All i was looking for was a simple book showing the chords without all the theory. I appreciate many others will appreciate why and how and therefore the theory will be a big help. Maybe if i was a bit younger i might have appreciated the theory more and been able to understand it better and use it more.
Dave

 

[leonard]

I think @KDS is asking the right question. I cant think of a single more useful thing to practice on bass than chord tones.

 

[Bondobass]

Here's another lesson about chord tones.

Link Removed

I hope I'm not violating any copyright rules by posting the Berlin book. I just found the link on the net.

Me too but, this I gotta quote...

"This approach of teaching scales works fine for most other instruments like guitar and piano. As a result, it trickles down to bass teaching. But, bass is a unique instrument playing a very critical role of supporting the chords. Other instruments won't sound as weak if they don't support the chords as well."

 

[AngelCrusher]

I wouldn't ignore 7ths. I would learn the chord tones 1,3,5,7. Strongly suggest it, it will change your playing entirely. After you get those down, then learn the extensions - 9,11,13.

Just knowing all of that is far more powerful than scales in terms of crafting great basslines. The scales are also nice to know, but chord tones are vital knowledge to playing bass.

 

[joebar]

yeah chord tones are where it is at for bass. probably more important than scales.
its useful to use the extensions of the chord as well; I find myself using notes often up to the 9th of a chord. it gets trickier when dealing with 11's.
I am a fan of the 13.
a common mistake I hear with many bassists is the misuse of the 7-knowing when to use a b7 or a natural 7 is very important in many bass lines.