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Chords

#4
Uh, when they sound good? I dunno. I'm learning to use chords more as I try to play stripped down versions of entire songs solo (badly, but it's practice), not just the bass line. Kind of mixing bass line stuff with comp chords and fills.
 
#5
Bass chords sound muddy, so the only spot I use them (so far) is when our lead guitarist is playing a quieter strumming section. It's just a power chord, nothing fancy. Also, try playing them higher up the neck, and strumming with your right hand in different places, like over the neck or pickups. You can use dyads, which are two note chords instead of three or four note chords. My basis for chord selection is by asking what the guitarist is using. If your into metal, the song Necropedophile by Cannibal Corpse has a bass chord at the end of the main riff. As far as chord building goes, just build them using major and minor thirds. Or use a power chord.
 
#12
MalcolmAmos said:
+1 ^. Fret the R-3-7 - leave out the 5. Why? the 3 and 5 are on the same string so one has to be left unfretted. When I read that in the book BassChuck listed the light bulb was turned on in the tunnel. Now it's not as muddy.

The R-3-7 or R-b3-b7 will play (comp) a lot of melody.
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Yeah I can dig this.
 
#13
There are a lot of lessons on youtube
I mostly (when playing in "bass" register) use 10th (third, just octave up from root). It's simple shape and powerfull
In Bad Love from Clapton, the bass is going B, E, A, so I play E string, 7th fret (B), with added minor 10th, then I play E with min7, which is same note as minor third from B, and then I play A with major tenth. Sounds H U G E, but you have to play a solid groove on B and E, to get the "mud" out.
But for example, durning a solo in one song, since it's kinda slow song, I play chords up the neck, Amin and Gmaj.
 
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#14
Any more than double stops (even double harmonics work) sounds mushy as has been said. Try it with classical guitar style finger picking, or flamenco flam strumming like Claypool Does.

Ive only got a couple songs with slides. One is a full step octave chord slide that is a slappy flamenco thing. Very fun.

But, no, not much use in general man. More power to ya if you,can figure it out though!
 
#15
TOOL460002 said:
Any more than double stops (even double harmonics work) sounds mushy as has been said. Try it with classical guitar style finger picking, or flamenco flam strumming like Claypool Does.

Ive only got a couple songs with slides. One is a full step octave chord slide that is a slappy flamenco thing. Very fun.

But, no, not much use in general man. More power to ya if you,can figure it out though!
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Lol!
 
#16
I tend to use harmonic chords to fill up the sonic space when the guitarist solos...G, C, A, D, B, F all have good strong harmonic chords with them. On some others, I'll do simple chords up above the 12th fret, sometimes to imply a different voicing.
 
#18
Garun said:
There are a lot of lessons on youtube
I mostly (when playing in "bass" register) use 10th (third, just octave up from root). It's simple shape and powerfull
In Bad Love from Clapton, the bass is going B, E, A, so I play E string, 7th fret (B), with added minor 10th, then I play E with min7, which is same note as minor third from B, and then I play A with major tenth. Sounds H U G E, but you have to play a solid groove on B and E, to get the "mud" out.
But for example, durning a solo in one song, since it's kinda slow song, I play chords up the neck, Amin and Gmaj.
Click to expand...

This/\ 10th chords sound beautiful on bass, they don't sound muddy because of the separation between the 2 notes, where a root/3rd have too much frequencies clashing!! I'd even straight up avoid "power chords" as they don't imply any real tonality, but ambiguity instead so I avoid octaves and 5ths as much as possible unless they connect well for lines, but for chords definitely not!!

Another cool thing to explore is double stops(root, 7th and 10), example: Your in the key of C maj, right before the start of a progression you want some tension before the release (or resolution), play a G 7 chord!! I avoid double stops down low so id do a 10th chord instead: G on E string and B on G string, or you can get that 7th involved up higher so G on 15th fret E string, F on 15th fret D string, and B 16th fret G string, or better yet, *just* play the F and B then you can slide the the whole chord down *or* you can play an *open* E as its the 3rd of C major giving your left hand enough time to get that low C!!


Another cool thing that I stole that can work for funky stuff in E or A minor *or* dominant is to play the 7th and 10th of either up high and to just go back to the open! So, E minor or E7 would be the 7th at 12th fret D string and G# at 13th fret G string, and A minor or A7 would be 17th fret D string and 18th fret G string...keep in mind that both these imply a Dominant chord with the major 3rd but *can* work with E or A minor if the song is of Funky nature, so if you want true minor tonality move the 10th or 3rd down a half step, so E minor is 12th fret D and 12th fret G, A is 17th frets D and G...

If you know the correct 7ths for each chord you can very easily come up with very cool bass lines that are much more interesting that using octaves or 5ths, and 7ths work especially well with slap/pop lines.


That's just a few ways that I prefer to use chords, you certainly *can* use power chords if you so choose...anyways hope that wasn't confusing!!
 
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#19
Garun said:
Do you consider double stops also like tenths?
As far as I know (and i'm not that much in theory), double stops are thirds, fourths, sometimes fifths. All in one octave range. Sometimes sixths too (?)
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I wasn't taught that!! I was told for bass its just R, 7th and 10th, but I could be wrong!!?? What i was talking about above was omitting the Root note from chord with higher up double stops, down low I prefer straight 10th chords as they are less muddy
 
#20
Great suggestions. I love tenths and sevenths. And I love playing chords up the neck for myself. Got myself a Ditto Looper from TC, and I'm recording chords just like other great players, and playing bassline on top.
About double stops, possibly they are just two tones. No matter the distance :) But that's just theory. It matters that it sounds huge and that it grooves :)
 
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