When trying out different chord voicings, does the root note of the chord have to be the lowest note? For example, if im trying to change up c major 9th chord, should the lowest note of that chord be c?
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Chord voicings
- Thread starter Venturella
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I'm going to say no... I would think boredom would set in, after the second progression...
... those with infinitely greater theory than myself will chime in soon...
... may the farce be with you...
.
... those with infinitely greater theory than myself will chime in soon...
... may the farce be with you...
.
Doing that is called an inversion. It is very common.
It is notated the same as a slash chord. C9/G for example would be playing a C9 with a G as the lowest note.
Chords with the Root at the bottom are said to be in root position. The simplest arrangement of a triad is with the notes in scale order, so Root, 3rd, 5th, and this is your starting point, called closed position.
To create a first inversion (a), move the Root of a closed root position chord from bottom to top such that the 3rd is in the bass. A second inversion (b) is created by repeating the process such that the 5th is now in the bass. Go again and, if you started with a triad you are back to root position. If you started with a 7th chord you are now at the 3rd inversion (c) with the 7th in the bass.
We started with a closed position triad, but in fact things are far more simple. Any chord with the root in the bass is considered root position, regardless of the arrangement of notes above it. Any chord with the 3rd in the bass is first inversion, regardless of the arrangement of notes above it, etc.
So the simple answer is no, for any inversion, the Root, by definition, is not in the bass.
To create a first inversion (a), move the Root of a closed root position chord from bottom to top such that the 3rd is in the bass. A second inversion (b) is created by repeating the process such that the 5th is now in the bass. Go again and, if you started with a triad you are back to root position. If you started with a 7th chord you are now at the 3rd inversion (c) with the 7th in the bass.
We started with a closed position triad, but in fact things are far more simple. Any chord with the root in the bass is considered root position, regardless of the arrangement of notes above it. Any chord with the 3rd in the bass is first inversion, regardless of the arrangement of notes above it, etc.
So the simple answer is no, for any inversion, the Root, by definition, is not in the bass.
Bryan R. Tyler
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And with the way our instrument is set up, you can end up playing different voicings using the same hand positions; for example, you can play the second inversion of an Amin7 and you’ll simultaneously be playing the first inversion of a Cmaj6.
Are you talking about as an exercise in your practice sessions, or playing live in a band?
As an exercise, absolutely it is valuable to practice chords and arpeggios in different inversions and positions on the neck.
In live performance, if you are playing cover songs, generally it is best to use what the bassist played on the original recording as your starting point. But (unless it is a strict "tribute" act) it can be fun to add your own variations to the bass line, as long as it sounds good and you aren't stepping on the other musicians in the band.
If you are writing your own bass lines for original music, then in my opinion the most useful way to use inversions is to create "smoother" sounding bass lines. The technical term for this is "voice leading" and you can read about it in any music textbook that covers arranging and composition. For example if the chord progression is C-G-Amin you could play the bass line C-B-A. By playing the 3rd of the G chord (first inversion) you create a nice descending melody in the bass.
As an exercise, absolutely it is valuable to practice chords and arpeggios in different inversions and positions on the neck.
In live performance, if you are playing cover songs, generally it is best to use what the bassist played on the original recording as your starting point. But (unless it is a strict "tribute" act) it can be fun to add your own variations to the bass line, as long as it sounds good and you aren't stepping on the other musicians in the band.
If you are writing your own bass lines for original music, then in my opinion the most useful way to use inversions is to create "smoother" sounding bass lines. The technical term for this is "voice leading" and you can read about it in any music textbook that covers arranging and composition. For example if the chord progression is C-G-Amin you could play the bass line C-B-A. By playing the 3rd of the G chord (first inversion) you create a nice descending melody in the bass.
no.
"trying out" different inversions of a chord is still legal. good luck with your experimentation(s)!
Your first responsibility is to call attention to the root note, hit the chord changes dead on and fall into a groove the rest of the band can follow.
If someone else in taking care of the root note, sure you can play in another voice. More than inversions let you do this.
If someone else in taking care of the root note, sure you can play in another voice. More than inversions let you do this.
If you're talking about voicings, the root is played by someone else.
The bass guitar is not the best instrument for that.
But it's good to understand what a substitution means.
The bass guitar is not the best instrument for that.
But it's good to understand what a substitution means.
Actually you don't even need the root in some cases. Tri-tones work for dominate chords. (an F and a B can function nicely as a G7).
You, know I had seen chords like these countless times, and I knew about chord inversions but always figured it was the other way. This really makes so much more sense now thank you!
The guitar guys get the front of the slash and we get what is behind the slash, i.e. the G. Together we make a whole chord.
Edit} Let's forget about the 9th for now. C/G is a C chord C-E-G with the G being the lowest note. That is why we play the G note and the other instruments get the C chord. G is not the intended root.
Edit} Let's forget about the 9th for now. C/G is a C chord C-E-G with the G being the lowest note. That is why we play the G note and the other instruments get the C chord. G is not the intended root.
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Well that part I knew, but I always assumed that say in that case with it being C9/G that the G was the root note of that chord, not the 5th of the chord with C being the root. I just never really thought it through all the way.
It is rarely convenient to play every bass chord in root position. It requires lots of jumping around to do so. Not unlike guitar, there are inverted voicings of the I, IV, and V chord in roughly the same position (at least within 2 frets of each other).
Think about piano too. Pianists’ right hands don’t bob back and forth playing root position chords—they tend to remain static, playing inversions.
Think about piano too. Pianists’ right hands don’t bob back and forth playing root position chords—they tend to remain static, playing inversions.
