Bass players often perform chord voicings to complement other instruments playing chords. To create a chord, at least three notes must be played simultaneously from any scale.
Notes that make up a chord are known as chord tones; any note before reaching the destination (the root note of another chord) is known as a leading tone. Movable bass chord shapes can be moved up and down the fretboard to modify root notes of chords being played.
Triads
Triads are patterns of at least three notes that can be played in any key, and moved around the fretboard to create chord progression – an essential component in many popular songs today.
A triad is composed of the root, third and fifth notes in any scale. As your understanding of scales increases, you will discover that both major and minor scales contain identical notes; what differs is which note gives them their specific sound quality – be it major or minor.
Utilizing major triads bass guitar can allow you to craft dynamic chord progressions that suit any song perfectly, inspiring creative bass lines and fills while helping you learn the neck of your bass guitar better. Use any triadic type over various bass notes for distinct sounding voicings.
Sevenths
Add sevenths to major chords to bring out their brighter sound in your bass lines. Sevenths should generally be played as passing notes for major triads; ultimately though, your ears should make the decision as to which notes you play.
As with octaves, sevenths must also be spaced out more evenly on bass guitar to avoid becoming overbearing and unruly on its low end. This will keep them from being too overwhelming or overpowering on bass’s bass guitar body.
Minor 7 flat 5 chords provide a nice exception to this general rule; though they work in most circumstances, their seventh usually wants to resolve down a step; so for example if playing G7 (G, Bb, D) in bass it would likely sound better to play an A flat instead (A, Eb) for a smoother sounding chord.
Major/Minor Tenths
When playing chords on a bass guitar, it’s essential to space out chord tones as much as possible. One effective strategy for doing so is the major/minor tenth interval; this interval acts like a third but has one additional octave wider. Tenths possess certain qualities (major or minor) just like thirds do.
Tenths can also be utilized to create diminished or augmented fifths. Simply lower the top note by half step – perfect fifths will become diminished sixes and major fifths into minor fifths!
Utilizing these intervals makes playing chord progressions simpler by decreasing the amount of time spent jumping up the neck – particularly helpful when playing bass lines since frets narrow as you progress up.
Double Stops
If the guitar can strum a 3-note chord and say “CAT”, bass can best outline it by playing each note of an arpeggio separately (known as an arpeggio). These individual bass notes offer greater flexibility and sound beautiful while providing both power and beauty to its chord.
These flexible bass chord shapes can be moved along the neck of an instrument to play different root notes. Additionally, they can also be played as double stops – whereby fingered note plus open string form an interval that is wider than what would otherwise exist as single note chord.
Bassists typically employ intervals based on the root, major third and perfect fifth notes of common chords to create varied sounds that add emotion to a bassline. Intervals can also be extended or decreased as desired but for now we will focus on major, minor and augmented third double stops as these are most frequently employed.