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Anybody play chords on the bass....


thepurpleblob
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[quote name='Major-Minor' post='640160' date='Oct 29 2009, 03:57 PM']Once you've mastered the left hand fingering, try playing this as triplet quavers using, on the right hand, thumb index and middle fingers in classical guitar style.

More soon .........


The Major[/quote]

Thanks major, I'll have a bash later. Not struggling with the fingering as I've played classical guitar (badly) for a few years, but realise my actual understanding of chords is pretty poor, esp' on the bass so all this is great stuff. Many thanks and please keep it coming.

Les

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[quote name='Major-Minor' post='640160' date='Oct 29 2009, 03:57 PM']Try this turn-around sequence in C major:
...[/quote]
And again, the tab:
[code] C C#dim Dm7 D#dim Em7 Eb7 Dm7 Db7
--17-- --15-- --17-- --17-- --19-- --18-- --17-- --16--
--14-- --14-- --15-- --16-- --17-- --17-- --15-- --15--
--15-- --16-- --17-- --18-- --19-- --18-- --17-- --16--
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------[/code]
Another lovely little sequence, Major!

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Les
I've always loved the sound of a major triad with the major 3rd as the root (1st inversion).

Try these:
[attachment=35621:Ist_inve...n_triads.pdf]

Let me know if you have a problem with the written note. Now I've learnt how to do pdf's, my previous method seems rather long-winded to me, but I do understand if notation causes difficulty. Perhaps somebody would like to tab this for me ?

The Major

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[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='644230' date='Nov 3 2009, 10:51 AM']I played the first chord in that sequence - Dm7 - a few times and all I could think of was Girl from Ipanema. I'm ill :)[/quote]
You must be ill !
Ipanima starts on Fmaj9 - similar to Dm7 but subtly yet significantly different.

The Major

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[quote name='Major-Minor' post='643602' date='Nov 2 2009, 05:09 PM']Les
I've always loved the sound of a major triad with the major 3rd as the root (1st inversion).

Try these:
[attachment=35621:Ist_inve...n_triads.pdf]

Let me know if you have a problem with the written note. Now I've learnt how to do pdf's, my previous method seems rather long-winded to me, but I do understand if notation causes difficulty. Perhaps somebody would like to tab this for me ?

The Major[/quote]


Thanks Major, yep notation means my brain hurting and sticking my tongue out and my finger on the paper, but I can manage it slowly, but I'm not sure I'm playing it right. TAB's great but failing that your long winded way round works, or even the name of the note and the string would do, don't need the fret. ie F# E string or even just the notes from bottom to top, I'll figure the fingering from there.

However you want to do it is fine at the end of the day, I'll work round it and I appreciate you taking the time whichever way you do it.

Thanks

Les

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[quote name='urb' post='621523' date='Oct 9 2009, 11:46 AM']Here's a chord based solo piece I wrote, I use variations on some of the commonly used triple stops, i.e. root, third, seventh, but I also like to use some barred chords which give a slightly more ambiguous quality to their sound, these are sort of 6ths and 13ths, but I've given it all a twist with the variation on Wooten's open, hammer, pluck thing, hope you like it:



Cheers

Mike[/quote]

Mate, that is *superb* - I especially like the "percussive" section starting 1.40 and then the ascending and descending sequence at 3.00.

Got any more?!

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[quote name='Les' post='644624' date='Nov 3 2009, 07:33 PM']Thanks Major, yep notation means my brain hurting and sticking my tongue out and my finger on the paper, but I can manage it slowly, but I'm not sure I'm playing it right. TAB's great but failing that your long winded way round works, or even the name of the note and the string would do, don't need the fret. ie F# E string or even just the notes from bottom to top, I'll figure the fingering from there.

However you want to do it is fine at the end of the day, I'll work round it and I appreciate you taking the time whichever way you do it.

Thanks

Les[/quote]
OK Les, here it is in my old long-winded method:

The D Major Triad with the major 3rd at the bottom is simply this:

F# (3rd finger 14th fret on the E string ) D (1st fing 12th fret D string) A (4th fing 14th fret G string)

To play the next chord (E over G#) just slide this shape up 2 frets
Then slide the shape up 1 more fret to get F over A, then back down 2 frets to get Eb over G, and finally back down 1 fret to where you started.
This chord works particularly well I think when moving in parallel like this. And because I've spread the voicing of the chord it isn't too muddy.

Similarly, to get the Minor version, just use 2nd finger one fret lower than where you had the 3rd finger thus:

F (2nd fing 13th fret E string) D (1st fing 12th fret D string) A (4th fing 14th fret G string)

The triplet exercise is one that i find really good for dexterity, and it can sound pretty good when played at speed !

B (3rd fing 19th fret E string) G (1st fing 17th fret D string) D (4th fing 19th fret G string)
Bb (1st fing 18th fret E string) Ab (2nd fing 18th fret D string) Eb (4th fing 20th fret G string)
Now move the 3rd finger to A 17th fret E string and play the same pattern. Then move down again twice more (or just keep going down in the same way till the stretch becomes too much for you).

Does this all make sense ?

The Major

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[quote name='Les' post='654522' date='Nov 14 2009, 02:56 PM']Thats really nice mate. Apart from the reverb what are using ?[/quote]

Cheers Les :)

It's an effect on my Korg Pandora called "Supercilin". No idea what its made up of. Reverb in there, maybe a little chorus? It's actually a guitar effect...

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Any chance someone could scan n upload the article in question please.

Or would this be a major copyright infringement, i'd just like to know how they phrased the article for so many people not to understand it. (no offence intended i imagine i wouldn't be able to get my head round it either...hence my asking)

thanks, though i understand if this isn't possible.

Enjoy.

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Haven't read all this, but I am sure someone has said it already...

you need 2 or 3 notes mostly... anything else is going to be just too muddy and heavy.. and hard to control

Root and 3rd mostly ...if you want to bass in the note then play the root on the e string, and the 3rd on the g string...
think depth and colour, in terms of chords..IMV.

3 or 4 note chords are going to be very hard work below the 7th fret and you'll probably have to pluck the notes seperately with the right hand to get them to sound reasonable.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's another little chord exercise, this time with a Latin feel:

The first 2 bars are straight chords, plucked with thumb plus index and middle fingers. In the next 2 bars, its the same chords but given a nice Latin groove.

Enjoy !
[attachment=37152:Latin_Ch...Sequence.pdf][attachment=37151:Latin_Ch..._Example.mp3]

The Major

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[quote name='AM1' post='644664' date='Nov 3 2009, 08:16 PM']Mate, that is *superb* - I especially like the "percussive" section starting 1.40 and then the ascending and descending sequence at 3.00.

Got any more?![/quote]

Thanks dude, I'm not really a 'solo' basssist but I do dabble with this stuff from time to time, I've written a few more things like this but not recorded them yet, this one came out rather well so I have to at least make one as good as this before I post it on youtube!

thanks again

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...

One 4 note chord that does work on BG is the "dominant 7#9" played right at the top end of the fretboard. Its a great jazzy bluesy sound.

In this example, I've used C7#9 to start this short sequence followed by B7#9 one fret lower and Bb7#9 one fret lower again.

In the interests of theoretical precision, I've used the correct enharmonics, resulting in a C## (double sharp) ie the 9th note of B major is C# so in sharpening this note we get C## - it looks like an X before the note.

In my early days in Mecca bands and various other dance bands, British arrangers always referred to this chord as C7b10 (flat 10), and I still prefer this method. But the American music education system seems to have won the day, and now everybody refers to it as a sharpened 9.

[attachment=37952:Dom7_9sequence.pdf]
[attachment=37953:Dom7_9sequence.mp3]

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playing chords on bass, especially in an ensemble, I find you're much better off thinking in terms of double stops and just picking out the funtional notes of the chord rather than trying to voice it fully.

Heres a short example I made, its just a simple groove that goes into a chordal break, in the break the harmony ranges from quite simple to moderately complicated chords that would be fully represented by 5 tone voicings, but I never play more than a double stopped set of guide tones. I played the double stops in artificial harmonics to bring the harmony out more clearly.

[url="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/134504/double%20stopped%20guide%20tones.mp3"]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/134504/double%20st...ide%20tones.mp3[/url]

Edited by Oscar South
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