In this installment we’ll explore the playing of chords on the bass. While this stretches a bit beyond ‘basic’ I think is is an often unexplored area for new bassists. It is another tool for creating interesting basslines and is particularly useful in situations such as a trio (or 4 piece with a singer who’s not playing another instrument) where the bass may need to occupy more space. Use of chords on bass crosses many genres as well, including jazz, classical and rock. Some bands and players to check out for chordal bass work would be Rush, Primus, Stu Hamm, and John Patitucci (especially his “Heart of the Bass” cd.). My band Strange Land also employs this technique.
First, we’re not talking about arpeggios, or playing the notes of a chord one at a time. We are going to play the notes of the chord at the same time. Second, we’re not really talking about chords the same way they would be played on the guitar, although a few guitar chord shapes can be adapted to the bass.
The most basic chord you can play on the bass is a dyad, or a two note chord. This would be simply the act of playing the two notes of an interval at the same time. See Tyler’s article on intervals for a detailed look at all their various types http://intellectualmusician.com/oakleaf/intervals. Any interval could be a useful addition to your playing arsenal. You can also add an octave to fill out the sound even more.
The tried and true essential bass dyad is the tenth (a third up an octave). This one sounds good on both electric and upright bass. It can be played as either a major or minor tenth. Because of the wide note spacing these can only be played with the root in the 4th string or by tapping, unless you have a 5 or 6 string bass.
So why a tenth and not a third? In brief, the lower the two pitches, the more their harmonic overtones will interfere with each other. Also, lower notes have more overtones. Even if the notes should be harmonious on paper, they may clash in practice. In some cases you can get around this by changing your tone or EQ or by careful articulation.
Now lets take this tenth and add to it. In the right range you can add a fifth and and octave to the shape, ending up with something that resembles a barre chord as played on guitar.
Another often used dyad in contained in this full chord, the interval of the fifth. This is commonly known as a power chord. The root and the fifth contain overtones that typically blend well and this dyad can be used in lower ranges than the third.
Triads and Seventh chords (omit 5)
A triad is a three note chord and a seventh chord adds a fourth note to the triad. For playability you can omit the 5th degree of the seventh chord while maintaining its sound and function. Here are some examples of triad and seventh (no 5th) chords you can play on the bass.
Another style of chord playing on the bass is the use of pedal tones and open strings. The following example uses a pedal tone (a note held or repeated over all the chords) along with a sequence of dyads.
There are a number of ways to articulate these different chords on the bass. You can pluck the notes with fingers or fingers and thumb. You can rake up with a finger. You can strum down with the fingers or thumb. You can use a pick. You can tap chord tones with two hands. All are valid options and I use each one depending on the song.
One final note: almost all the chords given in the examples are in root position, that is, the root note is the lowest pitch. Any chord can be inverted so its 3rd, 5th or 7th is the lowest pitch. Inversion of chords could be an article on its own. I encourage you to experiment with inversions of bass chords. Check out Daniel’s Triadic soloing article http://intellectualmusician.com/ddratch/208 and Brien’s I-IV-V Harmony article http://intellectualmusician.com/bhenderson/i-iv-v-harmony-part-2 for more on chord inversion.
more articles by Sean Gill
