• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Notes against these chords

#3
Hmm . . . I think the F# is the bass note, but the G is the root note. Where are these chords coming from? If its a well-done jazz chart then I don't think its really a G maj7 chord, as that would be written GMaj7/F#. I think its just a G major chord with an F# (a non-chord tone) in the bass. Anyway, to apply this stuff, while we, as bass players often play the root note of a chord, when you see a slash chord you almost always want to play what's on the right side of the slash.
 
#4
Invariably the bass note played is the one on the right.
The guitar or piano part is on the left, and the bass note
moves from the root to move on to another area, usually to
create tension prior to the next resolution.

You might see notation like this for piano and bass:

C - C/E - F - F/A -
G - G/F# -C/E - C

Dissected the piano changes are:

C - C - F - F
G - G - C - C

But the bass line walks through and plays:
C - E - F - A
G - F# - E - C

All the notes the bass plays that are different from the
root create tension and movement until it resolves to root
at the end.
 
#6
G/F# means a G Major chord with an F# in the bass,
C7/E means a C Dominant 7 chord with an E in the bass,
F#m7/C# means an F#m7 chord with a C# in the bass, etc. You play the bass note.

This kind of notation is very common in pop/rock/jazz chord charts. Just remember that the letter on the left of the slash is not just a note, but the actual chord you are playing, and it tells you the quality (major, minor, diminished, augmented). The Letter on the right of the slash is the bass note.
 
#7
There is a simple rule of thumb:
if the bass note is in the first four notes of the chord,then it is an inversion of the chord with the 3rd,5th or 6th or 7th in the bass. If not, the bass note is the root the chord. You have to know a bit of harmony to figure those chords out.

EX: C/E is a C chord with the third in the bass.
Bb/C would be a C 9 sus4 because C is not in the Bb chord.
C7/Bb would be a C7 with the 7th in the bass.

Hope this will help,
SB
 
#8
r05c03 said:
Hola,


Can someone tell me the root notes to the following chords would be?

G/F#, G/E, G/D, C/B, C/A, and so C/F#

thanks
Click to expand...

So to answer your question here:
G/F# is a G with the major 7th in the bass. BTW this is one of the worst sounding chord in music because of the minor ninth interval between the bass note and and the root of the triad.

G/E is actually a way of writing a Emin7
G/D is a G with the fifth in the bass
C/B same as the first one
C/A is an Amin7
C/F# is an incomplete F#7(b9,b5).

Hope this will help,
SB
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back