Where do the 2, 4 & 6 fit into our bass lines?

[MalcolmAmos]

Question – which interval to have in our bass line?

I understand the role of the 1(root), 3, 5, 7 and 8 being;

Root – Used to identify the chord. Root on the first beat is the basic starting point.
8 – The 8 takes you to the next octave. Adds interest in a root nothing line.
5 – The dominant interval. Leading tone to the root. R-5 is the basic power chord. Not major or minor - generic.
3 – The 3 brings the major or minor sound into the mix. Natural 3 for major and b3 for minor.
7 - The 7 or b7 is used with four note chords. Natural 7 with maj7 chords and b7 with dominant seventh and minor seventh chords.​

OK that’s pretty basic and easy to understand now… where do the 2, 4 and 6 fit into this? I’m sure there is a basic function for the 2, 4 and 6. How do you use them? Lets not get involved with the Phrygian, Lydian or Dorian modes. That would also apply to the 9, 11 and 13. Same question how do you use 9, 11 and 13 in your bass lines?

I seldom go there, perhaps I should. How do you fellows (guy/gals) use those intervals?

 

[KingRazor]

There are suspended chords where you substitute the 3 with the 4 or the 2. There's also 6th chords. Other than that, not sure myself :\

 

[Stick_Player]

where do the 2, 4 and 6 fit into this?

These nonchord tones can be used as passing tones to connect the chord tones. Usually occurring on upbeats or a weaker beat.

That would also apply to the 9, 11 and 13. Same question how do you use 9, 11 and 13 in your bass lines?

If these are indeed chord tones (extensions), use them in the higher register and possibly on the stronger beats.

These are just two possibilities.

 

[funkybass]

I actualy like using the 6th a lot. Blues players use the 6th a lot as well.

 

[thatotherguy]

I actualy like using the 6th a lot. Blues players use the 6th a lot as well.

6th is nice can sound like an inverted 3rd

 

[BassChuck]

The 6th is indeed a wonderful note and yes, you do hear it a lot in blues. IMO the 4th can be a troublesome note and leave it out, or put it on a weak beat.

It depends on the situation. IMO you can get away with a lot as long as the basic harmonic structure and progression is clear.

 

[puddin tame]

I have no idea how I use them if i'm just sitting here and you ask.

Could show you how I use them with a bass in my hands. Anyone else in this sort of boat?

 

[Billy Low]

I use the 11th and 13th as well!

 

[Stick_Player]

6th is nice can sound like an inverted 3rd

Huh?

 

[colcifer]

Passing tones.

 

[slybass3000]

These are the notes you use for connecting chords tones or are intervals you can bring in your bass lines to support some colors in the chords.

 

[Billy Low]

Now that I think about it, I use 4ths quite a bit too!!!! Not in passing either. I noticed that alot of times I will go into an improvised funk groove, and whaddaya know...up jumps the 4th!

 

[J-B'ass]

6th 4th and 2nd can be thought of as passing tones. To my mind they add a kind of floating quality, a very soft tension as the bass moves away from the heart of the chord before returning. They are a great way to add a melodic feel to a bassline, for example What Is And What Should Never Be by Led Zeppelin features a very lyrical bassline which flows like a melody while still outlining the chord; something JPJ is my role model for.
The thing to look out for is the 4th on a major or dominant chord. On a minor chord it sits nicely, but if there's a major third in the chord then the 4th is best reserved for use on the upbeats, or in some similar syncopated location. Anywhere but on the beat

 

[SteveC]

I use the 2 a lot - but as a 9 like: 1 - 5 - 9

 

[OmnitzGarima]

I actualy like using the 6th a lot. Blues players use the 6th a lot as well.

I started tinkering with some bossa awhile back. I've seen a fair number of 6th chords, and the 6th is sometimes THE note to play.

 

[fearceol]

I actualy like using the 6th a lot. Blues players use the 6th a lot as well.

+1.


Here is an example of root and 6th.

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

Lots of ostinato bass lines make use of these notes - there are many Jazz tunes with written bass parts that use them. Like All Blues by Mile Davis..?

 

[mambo4]

It's all about travelling from root to root in a manner appropriate to the style/song.
Beyond the basic 1357 harmony, the choice of passing notes will depend heavily on the rhythmic style -and certainly won't always be confined to the scale/key/mode.

To me, there's really just chord tones and 'other' tones. I'm as likely to throw in something chromatic as I am to use 2,6, or 4...style and ears permitting, of course.

Don't look for "harmonic" excuses to play them - like waiting for a Maj 6 or 9th chord to come along....but if there is a chord that explicitly calls for an extended tone, be sure to use the correct one.

 

[GreggBummer]

I play in a "blues/jam" kind of band. I tend to think in intervals, especially during a jam. When I am just letting the guitars or harp kind of "do their thing" I stick the the root, 3rd (major/minor), 5th and 7th as appropriate. However, those 2nd, 4th, and 6th end up in chromatic runs during songs or jams that I am more comfortable with, or during what little "solo" stuff I do. I think that playing a note that is not a "chord tone" is bold, and sometimes the pay off can be huge... but other times it will sound WRONG. It is situation dependent. For me anyway.

Here is a question: Do you agree that playing notes outside of a chord tone make your line sound "jazzy"? I (sort of) think so.

 

[BassyBill]

General comments - if you know the chords to a song (and you really should, in nearly all cases) then when you're constructing your own lines, choose bass notes to go with each chord as it occurs. Use chord tones and other aspects of "the rules" as a guide, don't be afraid to experiment and bend or break the rules a little if it sounds good. Also, remember chromatic stuff can lead you where you want to go in a tune when used musically and if you know where to leave the gaps. Heh heh.

Okay, to answer the question about where you might very often find 2, 4 and 6...

A 6th will work just fine as part of a line played wherever there's pretty much any major chord, because it's part of the major pentatonic scale, although you won't be using it that often on really strong beats (like the first beat of the bar where that chord occurs). You'll probaby use the 6th a little less frequently with minor chords, although it's far from uncommon in that context (check out some Dorian mode riffs, like "Good Times" by Chic).

Similar comments apply to the 4th and more or less any minor chord. Read the paragraph above, swap 6th for 4th and major for minor - bingo. Lots of hard rock riffs like classic Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Sabbath tunes are based around a minor pentatonic scale and so use the 4th extensively. "Smoke On The Water", anyone? You're also going to be using the 4th a lot in major keys in I-IV-V type sequences, obviously, but not really that much over the root chord, but more when the progression changes to the IV (duh) and as the seventh in the V7 chord. The 4th also crops up in suspended chords in a lot of tunes (listen to how the 4th moves to the major 3rd in the guitar part at the start of "Pinball Wizard").

As for the 2nd - well, at the risk of being totally obvious, you'll generally use it when you're moving towards a root or a 3rd /m3rd, depending on context and the direction you're going at the time. Like the 6th, it will work in pretty much any situation where you have a major chord (and for the same reason), but it's perhaps also more commonly used over minor chords than the 6th is. Pretty versatile chappie is your second if you don't lean on him too hard. Try listening to Cat Scratch Fever by Ted Nugent or Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music. Won't work well with stuff based around Phrygian mode though; drop your second down a semitone here, especially if want to give a Latin/Spanish flavour to what you're playing.

Just rough guidelines here to get you experimenting.