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Chords on a 6 string bass
- Thread starter Hisler
- Start date
Start simple, root, third, fifth. Mix them together in different orders. I often experiment using an open string and then fretting other notes on top of it. Helps me figure out the "shapes", then I learn to make them movable up and down the neck. Or just smack your fingers down randomly, adjust positions until they make a pleasing sound, and then figure out theory-wise what it is you did. Works both ways, good exercise for the "music brain" too.
Lots of advice in the same topic here: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/where-can-i-learn-about-playing-chords-on-a-6-string.1622946/
Learn basic theory. I'm guessing you know the notes on the neck, right? If not, learn them first. Then learn the intervals. The good thing about stringed instruments that are tuned in the same intervals (like a bass is in 4ths all the way up), is that the shapes for the intervals are always the same. So you can learn those shapes and what intervals they are, then learn what chords are comprised of what intervals.
Short example:
If your root note is on the E string 5th fret (A), and you want to make a major triad (the first three notes of a major chord) you need to add a major third (for example the 4th fret on the A string), and then add a perfect fifth (for example the 2nd fret on the D string). That shape is what a major triad shape and can be put anywhere on the neck, which results in a bunch of different major triads. If the root is the A, then it's an A major chord, if the root it on the A#, then it's an A# major chord. Pretty simple stuff.
Later then, you could look into chord progressions, or simply figure out what sounds good to your ear. There's not thaaaat many chords that are commonly used and if you're onto it, you'll have all that figured out in like a week!
Edit:
Another concept that you can try to wrap your head around, is the emission of notes. Bass guitar is in a pretty low register, so stacking too many notes will inevitably sound muddy. That's why many emit the fifth from 7th chords for example. So you often don't have more than three notes.
Something that I have fallen in love with over the years is the idea of just using two notes. I often use thirds when noodling around or a fourth. You can really get creative with all this stuff
Short example:
If your root note is on the E string 5th fret (A), and you want to make a major triad (the first three notes of a major chord) you need to add a major third (for example the 4th fret on the A string), and then add a perfect fifth (for example the 2nd fret on the D string). That shape is what a major triad shape and can be put anywhere on the neck, which results in a bunch of different major triads. If the root is the A, then it's an A major chord, if the root it on the A#, then it's an A# major chord. Pretty simple stuff.
Later then, you could look into chord progressions, or simply figure out what sounds good to your ear. There's not thaaaat many chords that are commonly used and if you're onto it, you'll have all that figured out in like a week!
Edit:
Another concept that you can try to wrap your head around, is the emission of notes. Bass guitar is in a pretty low register, so stacking too many notes will inevitably sound muddy. That's why many emit the fifth from 7th chords for example. So you often don't have more than three notes.
Something that I have fallen in love with over the years is the idea of just using two notes. I often use thirds when noodling around or a fourth. You can really get creative with all this stuff
Last edited:
I think you mean "omission " hehe.
But yeah, close intervals down low can sound muddy. But I still like using low notes on open strings - the trick is to put the other notes in the chord in the next octave up or higher. The most obvious is a low root drone, but it also works with the third or fifth down low. And I would only use sevenths or higher more dissonant scale degrees way up high.
Been thinking too much about university. In Germany when a company is giving out shares, we (the IASB) refer to that as emission (the company is emitting new shares). So I basically thought leaving out notes is kinda like that. I kinda forgot that the term omission even existed haha
No worries, I forgot you were an E2Ler... Your English is way better than my German! (I actually studied German for 6 years, but it was a lifetime ago, and I remember nothing.)
There are lots of videos and charts that can show you various chord shapes, but to really incorporate chords into your regular playing you want some basic intervallic theory to understand how chords are built, what the function of each note is, and how to construct basic and, later, more complex chords.
Having someone show you the shape for a major chord, or a tritone, gives you a toy to play with. But learning what a major third/tenth is, how it applies in a musical setting, and what it means within the song, mode, chord, and even harmonic structure of the piece, is what will allow you to actually apply those tools in a real-world setting.
It's a lot, so the absolute first step is getting to know your fretboard inside and out, up and down, top to bottom. You should be able to put your finger on any random fret and immediately know what note it is. Personally, I found that diagramming my fretboard on paper and drawing out where all the notes were, then each note in a specific key, helped me really lock that knowledge in a way I could recall on the stage.
Once you know the fretboard, you can do the same exercise with your intervals. We're in the key of C, where is every major third on your bass? Now, from each C, where is the nearest major third? How many can you reach in that position without shifting your left hand? Can you identify this interval both above and below your target root note?
Seeing the fretboard that way will open up your chord concepts where you won't need someone to show you shapes, you will discover your own!
Having someone show you the shape for a major chord, or a tritone, gives you a toy to play with. But learning what a major third/tenth is, how it applies in a musical setting, and what it means within the song, mode, chord, and even harmonic structure of the piece, is what will allow you to actually apply those tools in a real-world setting.
It's a lot, so the absolute first step is getting to know your fretboard inside and out, up and down, top to bottom. You should be able to put your finger on any random fret and immediately know what note it is. Personally, I found that diagramming my fretboard on paper and drawing out where all the notes were, then each note in a specific key, helped me really lock that knowledge in a way I could recall on the stage.
Once you know the fretboard, you can do the same exercise with your intervals. We're in the key of C, where is every major third on your bass? Now, from each C, where is the nearest major third? How many can you reach in that position without shifting your left hand? Can you identify this interval both above and below your target root note?
Seeing the fretboard that way will open up your chord concepts where you won't need someone to show you shapes, you will discover your own!
Lessons go a long way, specifically jazz. Learn about chord theory, voice-leading, functional and non-functional harmony, how to think of a piece both chordally and melodically, and your basslines (and playing) will take on another dimension.
No reason to only play chords on a 6 though...
Bassist4Eris
Frat-Pack Sympathizer
Here are a couple of cool shapes that I use a lot. They're shown in C but obviously you should play them in all 12 keys, and there's no reason the root note can't be on the B string either. I use my thumb to play the low note, while my index and middle fingers play the high notes. Notice that these voicings keep a lot of space between the root note and the rest of the chord. This keeps things from getting muddy. Hope this helps get you started.
Cmaj:
----7----
----9----
---------
---------
----8---
---------
Cm:
----7----
----8----
---------
---------
----8---
---------
C7:
----10---
----9----
---------
---------
----8---
---------
Cmaj:
----7----
----9----
---------
---------
----8---
---------
Cm:
----7----
----8----
---------
---------
----8---
---------
C7:
----10---
----9----
---------
---------
----8---
---------
