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Learning a New Song. Need Help

ODDBALL

ODDBALL

Inactive
Mar 2, 2005
2,150
1,195
Salida, CA
#1
Hello All,

I have a question. So I am joining my worship band and I have a few songs to learn. They gave me the songs with lyrics and above the lyrics are the chords and changes. It also tells me the key they will be playing in.

Now my question as a bass player is how do I use this information to play the song? I know this is basic knowledge but I need help.

Thanks Everyone in advance.

Shaun
 
#2
The way I learn is by using intervals and how they relate to chord structure. Simply put in a Major Scale you have 7 different notes (8 notes total) so each note of the scale is assigned a number so in G Major, G would be 1, A would be 2, B is 3, C is 4, D is 5, E is 6, F# is 7, and octave G would be 8. Now in a Worship Band (depending on style, most are the sort of Christian Alternative Style) you'll mainly be sticking on the 1 so if the chord progression was G, C, D, Am, G you would play the 1 of each chord to be on the safe side, so you would literally play a G note, C note, A note, and G note. The next best "safe" note to play is the 5 so over a G chord; G and D for example. Most people will avoid the 7 all together as it is very powerful on bass and can completely change the feel/sound of a chord. Most people will also avoid the 2 and 4 except for walk ups. The 6 is a good interval used in conjunction with the 5. The 3 is another good interval. Obviously, any place you can use the 1, the 8 will also work as it is the same note. Now when discussing length of notes and feel of the song that is all dependent on the song, use your best judgement and play sparingly, always serve the song first. If you can get away with just playing the root, do it! I hope this helped, let me know if you have any other questions, I'll be happy to help anyway I can. Also, no offense was meant with how simply I explained this, I just didn't know how much theory you know and wanted to make sure you understood the concept well enough to play in your Worship Band! :)
 
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#5
Go here for some fake chord sheet music: Darrell Evans Chords - My God Reigns Chords (ver. 1)

OK now what? The song is in the key of A major. How do I know that? If the song starts off with an A and each verse ends in A you can bet the farm the song is to be played in the key of A.

What are the chords in the Key of A? Look here: Chords In The Key Of A Major OK where are the roots of those chords - on my fretboard? Go to the Get Started thread and read post # 14 How to get started?
Bass+Guitar+Fretboard+Diagram+-+Gary+Deacon.jpg


OK find the A, D and E notes on your fretboard. If you will use the A on the 3rd string the D is right above the A and the E is right below the A. Kinda neat to have the A, D & E all together in one spot on your fretboard. Those notes (roots) are the open string notes, thus you find them at the nut and then again at the 12th fret. Or you could find an A on the 4th string 5th fret. Where is the D? Where is the E? Now go to post #4 at that "Get Started" thread I gave you. Piece of cake.


Sound an A and repeat it at each lyric syllable, i.e. There's no-where else that
At I'd you change to the D root and then at the word rat-her the "rat" gets a D and then you move to the A root for the second part of that word - "her" and here you sound an A.

Sing or recite the lyric words so you know when to change chords.

Keep going. Ask specific questions, someone will answer.

Have fun.
 
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#7
When in doubt play the roots. If you can play the root notes in a an appropriate rhythm , you are 90% there.
If you want more choices you can play octaves and 5ths fairly safely (watch for diminished 5ths) and also use notes form the key (scale) to connect your roots

Beyond that you need to learn harmony, how chords are built and derived from scales.
The PDF linked to my signature is a great start
 
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#12
ODDBALL said:
How do I figure out the root notes by looking at the song I am playing? The chords that are being played are above the lyrics. I need to learn quick.

Thanks

Shaun
Click to expand...
Yes the chords are listed above the lyrics. For example a Cmaj7 chord's root is the C note. A G7 chord's root is the G note, i.e. the name of the chord pretty well tells you what the root note of that chord is.

Here is a little more detail on how chords are put together. Chord Formulas

So that Cmaj7 chord is made of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes in the C major scale,
The G7 chord is made of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and flat 7 in the G major scale.

Right now all you need is the 1 or root note, aka the name of the chord. We will worry about the 3, 5 & 7 - the other notes in the chord's makeup later.

This monster is best eaten one bite at a time... To much at one time will make you sick.
 
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#13
The simple answer is play the note the chord is named after. For a "C" chord, play a "C". For a G7 chord, play a "G". For a Dm chord, play a "D", for Am play "A", etc. That will at least get you started.

One thing: if there is a "slash chord", like G/B for example, play the under note, in this case "B". This notation is used specifically when the composer doesn't want the root of the chord in the bass.
 
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#15
HolmeBass said:
The simple answer is play the note the chord is named after. For a "C" chord, play a "C". For a G7 chord, play a "G". For a Dm chord, play a "D", for Am play "A", etc. That will at least get you started.

One thing: if there is a "slash chord", like G/B for example, play the under note, in this case "B". This notation is used specifically when the composer doesn't want the root of the chord in the bass.
Click to expand...

I was just going to go there with the "slash chord". And remember to do you best and have fun. As you progress, work on your major and minor scales. And just when you think you have the song down, you don't, because the WL will change the key Sunday morning.:D:thumbsup:
 
#17
I normally play along with a YouTube track. Normally we'll play in a different key than the original, so I'll just memorize the progression by its numerical value. For example ii V I will not change even if you shift from C (D- , G7, C) to A (B-, E7, A). It will still be ii V I. I doubt this helps if you don't have any knowledge of theory. Sorry bud.
 
#18
My worship team sends out the music with an mp3 to practice to. If you don't have that option, go to YouTube, type in the title and the artist to get the right version and play along with that. It may not be in the key your team is playing in, but at least you can get a feel for the song. You should also get together with the team leader for a short practice during the week to help you learn the songs. Another thing to help you learn these songs is to listen to a Christian praise and worship radio station if one is available in your area. I am fortunate to have an excellent worship/praise radio station here in central FL and several songs that we play, I often hear on the radio. I know there are several stations in Southern CA, you may be able to access them on the web or you might find them coming out of the Bay Area. Good luck, I can't think of a better way to praise God than to worship through song and dance.:);):thumbsup::bassist::hyper:
 
#19
Thanks again to everyone for helping me out.

Let's see if I get this....Baby steps.....
So I can use the chord progressions above the lyrics on the music sheet I was given to play the root notes until I feel more comfortable. Use the mp3's and YouTube to figure out the timings.

Now my next question is now that I know what the root notes are how do I know where to play them related to which string?

Thanks

Shaun
 
#20
If they don't supply recordings of the original versions you can search Youtube and listen there. I did that for the 3 years I played in a worship band and was the only one of the singers and players who could not read music. I'd record the Wednesday night rehearsal on my Zoom H4n, so I could hear how they'd be doing it in the service.
 

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