Chords & Notes on the Bass

Posted in Bass by Sean @ Jun 26, 2008

One aspect of playing bass guitar that several people tend to overlook when learning how to play the instrument is the use of chords. This includes block chords, broken chords, arpeggios, Alberti bass, and any other applicable means of playing chords, even tone clusters (”cluster chords”).

Before one can effectively learn the chords they should learn all of the notes on the instrument. It would also be very helpful to learn several types of scales (in all 12 keys). It is generally through the process of learning scales that one actually memorizes the notes on the instrument (and on paper). However, without at least memorizing the notes, the process of learning chords could turn into a tedious and frustrating ordeal.

After learning the notes and basic scales, a more common approach to learning chords on the bass is to start out with the four basic triads and to build up from there. Once the structures of the four basic chord types have been memorized and can be applied to all 12 keys, one can then learn their inversions and apply those in all keys. After understanding the inversions, other forms of chords (and their inversions) can be introduced.

It is important to note that there is a variety of optimal voicings, or arrangement of chord tones, for every instrument. There are also several conditions in the context of the music, such as style or genre, instrumentation, elements of voice leading, or other factors, that often determine which voicings might be more appropriate.

The better understanding one has on the fundamental criteria that has been established in music theory as it pertains to the underlying principles of chord structure and application, the better foundations they will have at their disposal for use with music in general. Learning notes, scales, and chords is a great place to start. It’s not exactly music form and analysis, though it’s a giant leap in the right direction for anyones music training, which not only makes music easier to understand but easier to play and a more enjoyable experience.

The first step would be the notes:

• Learn all 12 notes on the first 12 frets on every string.
• Know the notes in all positions and combined/extended positions.
• Associate each note with their location on the bass clef staff.

The second step could be the basic scales, by note name on the instrument and on manuscript/staff paper:

• Major scales in all keys.
• Natural/pure minor scales in all keys.
• Harmonic minor scales in all keys.
• Melodic minor scales in all keys.

It actually is not absolutely necessary to learn the basic modes just yet (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian). Though the modes should at least be introduced prior to covering the more complex chords. The basic modes and modified forms of the modes are directly related to the more complex chords, just as the basic scales are related to the basic chords. In many cases, scales and chords are used synonymously. The main difference, in a traditional sense, is that scales consist of “horizontal” notes and chords consist of “vertical” notes. Otherwise, the notes are the same.* (See note at the end of this entry explaining this point.)

Next, we finally have the first step of chord structure, starting with the basic triads:

• Major
• Minor
• Augmented
• Diminished

The next step would be the basic 7th chords, such as:

• major 7th
• “dominant” 7th (or major/minor 7th)
• minor 7th
• minor/major 7th
• augmented/major 7th (or occasionally (and incorrectly) “major augmented 7th”)
• augmented 7th
• half-diminished 7th (or “minor/diminished 7th” or “minor 7th flat 5″)
• fully-diminished 7th (or “diminished/diminished 7th”)

The next step would be the suspended chords, including:

• Sus 2 (or suspended second)
• Sus 4 (or suspended fourth)

The “sus” chords could be covered before the 7th chords. They aren’t really contributing chord types in the “stacking” order of chords. All that they do is replace the 3rd with either the 2nd or 4th (the 3rd is completely removed from the chord). By “3rd”, or “2nd” and “4th”, I refer to the scale degrees of the scale that is associated with the chord.

The next step would be extended chords, such as:

• 9th
• 11th
• 13th
• 6th
• 6-9
• add 9
• add 11

The step after that would be chords with chromatic alterations, such as:

• 7 aug 5 (read as “7th augmented 5th” (or, informally, just “7 aug 5″))
• 7 flat 9
• 7 sharp 9
• 7 aug 11
• 7 flat 13

The next step would include unique arrangements of notes as chords, such as:

• bichords and bichordal harmonies
• polychords and polychordal harmonies
• secundal harmonies and chords
• quartal harmonies and chords
• quintal harmonies and chords

It might be a good idea to learn the power chord too (all two pitches).

Now, it’s easy to look at all of that and think, “that’s a lot”. However, you can get away with learning a select few in the beginning and save the rest for later on down the road. The following list is an extremely condensed version of the chord types mentioned above, with specific chord types selected based on practical uses in everyday music. Just be sure you still learn the rest at some point.

• Power chords
• Major and minor triads (and diminished would be a good idea)
• Major 7th, dominant 7th, minor 7th (both diminished 7th forms would help)

All of the remaining chords fall right into place after learning those. You could see a lot of the other chord types in everyday music, depending on the style or genre of music you prefer listening to, though the extremely condensed list (above) is a good place to start if you do not wish to go through the entire, more lengthy, list from the beginning.

I came across the following diagrams from an online search.

Note names within the first octave of each string:

Sample page of bass chord diagrams:

(Note that there are two mistakes in the above chart. The column labeled “7th sus.” should actually be “7th sus. 4″. Also, the first chord in that same column is labeled “A-C-E-G” and should be “A-D-E-G”. Otherwise, the diagrams should come in handy, at least for a few samples of chord possibilities.)

A blank page of bass diagrams, which can be used for scales or chords:

(Click on image to view full size.)

* The following is regarding the point mentioned earlier on scales and chords sharing the same notes.

If you spell a standard chord out to the full extent, you end up with these scale degrees:

1 3 5 7 9 11 13

(The 9, 11, and 13 are the same as 2, 4, and 6, only can be perceived as an octave higher.)

Replace the 9, 11, and 13 with 2, 4, and 6, and you end up with these scale degrees:

1 3 5 7 2 4 6

That is, the chord consists of the following scale degrees:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

If you spell a standard scale out, you end up with these scale degrees:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7