When playing chords on bass it’s essential to space out intervals as much as possible between notes; open voicing shapes like those found here help achieve this aim.
Movable bass chord shapes can be moved up and down your bass neck for playing different major chords.
Root Note
Root Note – When playing bass chords, the initial note played beneath each chord is known as the root note, which acts as the basis for its creation and can be any note on the bass.
These major chords we are working with here can be built in various ways; all featuring major and minor intervals; however, each will always consist of three notes – root, fifth and octave.
An example of such an arrangement used often by guitar players is a power chord: composed of a root note, fifth note and sixth tone ascending an octave higher.
Playing major chords using stacked thirds is another approach to learning them, wherein a root chord is selected before moving up one string and two frets to find its minor third and then back down and up again to find its fifth note. This technique can be performed with any number of strings making it an invaluable method.
Third Note
Triads, played on bass guitar, can create stunning results. For example, Bruce Springsteen’s “Jersey Girl” or The Drifters’ “Under the Boardwalk” both use them effectively.
Movable bass chord shapes are essential knowledge for bassists as they allow them to easily switch up chord shapes along the neck of their guitar and play different chords by shifting one chord shape up or down. This way they don’t have to learn an entirely new set of fretboard patterns and fingering techniques each time.
Another approach for playing major triads on bass involves approaching them chromatically from above the target chord root, as in: D, D, G# and A. This form is still technically a triad but may sound more complex due to adding two semitone steps for this approach – although still manageable!
Fifth Note
Roots and fifths form the core of most chord voicings, but adding additional tones (known as chord tones ) will give your major chord more depth and round out its sound.
Bass players tend to emphasize three chord tones: thirds, fifths and ninths (or dominant sevenths). Bassists frequently incorporate these tones (root and fifth) in bass lines.
One of the key aspects of learning bass guitar is becoming familiar with its circle of fifths and fourths. A great way to do this is to memorize its order both clockwise and counter-clockwise so you can move around more effortlessly on fretboard. A great way to do this is practicing major scale fingered up and down fretboard by placing one finger on each string’s low root note; this will familiarize yourself with all of its possible patterns on bass guitar fretboard.
Seventh Note
Flattening the seventh note of a major chord gives it an impactful, dramatic sound that pairs well with certain styles of music.
Substituting one or more notes from the scale for the seventh note creates a sus (or suspended) chord, creating an unresolved sound that adds tension to your bassline. This chord type can often be heard in jazz music as well as some rock and pop genres.
To locate the flat seventh note, begin at the root of your chord and move two notes up in succession – or frets – until you find its flat seventh (G). This gives you access to an entirely different set of chord patterns on bass that can be applied to any chord root – an approach known as chromatic approach from above that theory geeks love!