CHORDS

[fretlessman71]

I guess they're not just for guitarists anymore.

I get a lot of new students - most a bit naive - who ask me how to play chords on the bass. This is such a broad topic that there's no pat answer, and no way to give them an answer that will satisfy them during that lesson span. So I was wondering how many teachers out there TEACH "bass chords" and how you go about it. Obviously you can't use the standard guitar "campfire chords," as I call them, because the notes don't work well at this frequency. Is there a simple way to teach this stuff without having to go into the huge topic of music theory (well, it's huge for my students!)?

Lemme know how you approach it, IF you approach it, and so on.

 

[HaVIC5]

This is one way I approach chords on bass, although it requires a working knowledge of music theory and the construction of chords, and it might not be the best method on a bass without a high C, since they yield four-voice chords and can get pretty muddy. I'll frequently omit the fifth or root on a four string, and that gets much better results.

 

[LM Bass]

Great lesson, easy to understand.
Thanks!
Laurence

 

[HaVIC5]

Here's one I just did that expands on the concept a bit more.

 

[fretlessman71]

"Stay Tuned".... (sigh, groan)

Nice videos HaVIC5! Thanks for posting them!

 

[DocBop]

I teach them how to figure the chord voicing out on their own. If they have to think about it and work a little the information sticks. In general I have them voice the 3rd and 7th on two high strings and root on their low strings. Simple open voicing that can work for 4, 5, 6 or more strings. Nothing fancy but can do a lot with them.

 

[Etbass]

Yeah just teach them 5ths, 3rds, and those 3 note 7th chords that DocBop mentioned, and you're set. Let them work out how to put those together. Nobody really 'needs' to know how to play 13th chords on a bass anyway.

 

[HaVIC5]

And nobody needs to know how to play root 3 7 voicings either. Doesn't hurt to expand your horizons though.

 

[fretlessman71]

And nobody needs to know how to play root 3 7 voicings either. Doesn't hurt to expand your horizons though.

Right. We're bassists; anything other than Root-5 is superlative. Ya heard it here first.

 

[dhemstra]

I wrote this several years ago
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[adammazza]

I actually just started talking with my teacher this week about chords. He did as DocBop suggested, a low string (either E or B) plays the root, then 7th on the A or D then 3rd on the D or G. I know some theory and have been playing through the Real Book playing all the chords changes using arpeggios so he is having me go through it now playing chrords for each. For the most part I'm avoiding the 5ths, except for some flat 5s and when I add in a 9th, that sounds really good to my ear (root, 5th, 9th) I'm also playing with substituting the 4ths for 3rds in some cases.

Adam