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cords

i know that there are very few people who use cords on a base, but how bad would it really be?
It's not. I use chords all the time. Three strings. Fifth, octave, third. Leave out the root. The E string screws it all up.think of it as a bar chord without the top string.
 
It's all about 10ths. If your root is on the low fourth string, then the 10th is on the 1st string. You can lead into it with the 9th or the 11th while playing the root. It sounds sweet and full with just those two notes. You can totally Comp like that while the guitar solos, even on upright.
If you wanna spice it up, the 6th, 7th and octave are available on the second string, and the 5th and third are there on the third string.

I feel dizzy now.:D
 
It's all about 10ths. If your root is on the low fourth string, then the 10th is on the 1st string. You can lead into it with the 9th or the 11th while playing the root. It sounds sweet and full with just those two notes. You can totally Comp like that while the guitar solos, even on upright.
If you wanna spice it up, the 6th, 7th and octave are available on the second string, and the 5th and third are there on the third string.
Mark does a lot of root/10th in this great piece of his (other stuff, too that makes this a very cool song to learn, as I did many years ago).

 
This very talented TB user has tons of YouTube uploads that employ lots of rich and beautiful chords, such as:


The first thing I thought of regarding chords on bass was "Damian Coccio on a 6-string."

The chording on some of his latest work is pretty kickin'

(And I believe he's from the Philly area, so I'm always up to give props to killer musicians in my neck of the woods.)
 
The first thing I thought of regarding chords on bass was "Damian Coccio on a 6-string."

The chording on some of his latest work is pretty kickin'

(And I believe he's from the Philly area, so I'm always up to give props to killer musicians in my neck of the woods.)
Thank you for posting about Damien Coccio.
As a six string bass player,this is the direction I am going.
 
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To elaborate:
On guitar, you play chords with notes on adjacent strings. With the higher frequency of guitar notes, this sounds good. On the lower frequency of low bass notes, this sounds like mud.
Fewer notes in the chord, spaced widely apart, are your friend. So for example, root on the E string, third and octave up on the G string. That sounds pretty great.
Two notes on the same string in a chord? I'm going to have to work on that, and maybe change physics a little :)
 
Here are a couple of examples of the chordal work I do on bass. These are from my "Stream of Unconsciousness"™ series.

Bass Noodle #1215 Copyright © Jeffrey P. Scott 2016 All rights reserved.

Bass Noodle #1486 Copyright © Jeffrey P. Scott 2017 All rights reserved.
Hey man, thanks for sharing. I always like to hear what others do. Inspiring.
 
It's all about 10ths. If your root is on the low fourth string, then the 10th is on the 1st string. You can lead into it with the 9th or the 11th while playing the root. It sounds sweet and full with just those two notes. You can totally Comp like that while the guitar solos, even on upright.
If you wanna spice it up, the 6th, 7th and octave are available on the second string, and the 5th and third are there on the third string.
You mean the third, right? You don't call it a tenth. It's just the third on top. It doesn't get the same treatment as nines or elevens because it's too integral to the harmony. The third decides the function of the chord, whereas 9s, 11s, and even 13ths are all truly extended in that they don't affect the basic function of a chord. You're gonna get shot down hard if you walk into a classical or jazz gig calling thirds tenths.
 
The guitar string for high F didn't quite work out, so I ordered a new full set. Fretnation is promoting GHS plain steel 18's and 20's for less than $2/string.

In addition to the root + 10th voices, I find a lot of practical use for Root+3rd+7th voicings, from mid-neck on up. And while sometimes awkward, 6ths sound very nice.

I am excited to find out what I can do with a high F string. I went with the .18 because in forum searches, the biggest problem with a plain steel string on bass is the magnetic response making it louder, and people were recommending going ultra-light on the high F. I found that to be a problem also with the C string, even at only .28w it can easily jump out on me.

In fact maybe next order I'll go with the .25w for high C. I get obsessed with tension/feel, but there are other factors in string output to consider.
 
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Thank you for posting about Damien Coccio.
As a six string bass player,this is the direction I am going.

Sure thing. As someone else mentioned, Damian is a TalkBass member so you probably could connect with him through this forum.

And best wishes to everyone in this thread looking to get better at playing chords. I'm garbage at playing chords myself, but I want to get better at them so I can have another skill in my toolbelt.
 
You mean the third, right? You don't call it a tenth. It's just the third on top. It doesn't get the same treatment as nines or elevens because it's too integral to the harmony. The third decides the function of the chord, whereas 9s, 11s, and even 13ths are all truly extended in that they don't affect the basic function of a chord. You're gonna get shot down hard if you walk into a classical or jazz gig calling thirds tenths.
Jazz players refer to 10ths when discussing double stops, in order to clarify the interval to be played. It's a lot simpler than saying "3rd raised an octave".
 
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