FatFleaFreeman Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 Don't laugh I'm fairly new playing a bass, let alone any guitar....but I'm having trouble playing chords on the bass. Any suggestions. I'm just having trouble getting a comfortable finger position on the fret board when I try to cover all four strings in different positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuR Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 Your supposed to play the bass one note at a time he he. Chords can be done down lower on the neck they sound better there and are easier to play. But in general bassists don't use chords. One note at A time. in many cases chords on basses don't sound that good so don't try. And if you still want to do chords on the bass be prepared to be busting some fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFleaFreeman Posted March 22, 2001 Author Share Posted March 22, 2001 Yes, http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif I am well aware of the traditional style of playing bass one note at a time (thank the lord! If that wasn't the case I'd be silly). That's not a problem. There are a few songs I am working on that have some chords thrown in the mix though. I'm literally busting up my fingers trying to play them. It's hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leond Posted March 22, 2001 Share Posted March 22, 2001 Try using just three note chords. The root, third and seventh (or sixth) should be enough to get the flavor of the chord. Remember to flat the third and or seventh depending on the chord. Also, if you play to low, it will sound muddy no matter what type of chord you play. This is why I just got a bass with a high C string. It gives me more chord options. LeonD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 Originally posted by leond: Try using just three note chords. The root, third and seventh (or sixth) should be enough to get the flavor of the chord. Remember to flat the third and or seventh depending on the chord. egad, have you people forgotten power chords? just play the root, the fifth, and the octave with your index, ring, and pinky fingers. it's only slightly harder than doing so on guitar. i agree with leon, though, that you really ought not play below an A power chord...it starts to sound like noise. of course, some of the chords i like to play are with a root on an open A, and then some sort of chord up the neck: E - - - A 0 0 0 D 11 12 12 G 9 14 12 they're harmonically simple, but they sound great in rock music. also, you might want to check out a band called failure if you're into bass chords. failure. it's too bad they broke up. but you can probably still buy fantastic planet at borders or barnes and noble. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 Okay, chords on the four string bass, while offering a more limited range for voicings than a six string and even more so (gasp) a guitar,(Sorry guys, that major third between the G and B strings allows for some nice shapes without cramp), are still quite adept at voicing changes. Your complaint about your fingers cramping up is hard to comment on since you don't elaborate, but I'd wager it's either from: (a) a lack of practice on the bass (don't flame me if I'm wrong) If this is true, I'd recommend practicing playing scales in intervals of 3rds, 4th's 5ths, 6ths, 7ths, octaves, 9ths, 10ths etc... to get your fingers used to spacing a certain way and also to help build up your calluses... (b) You've been playing the bass a long time and are having a hell of a time getting your fingers used to playing chords instead of single note lines. This might be due to any number of things from the angle of your wrist to whether you use all four of your fingers effectively to play. If this is true, going to a teacher could be very helpful and improve your playing overall, not just with playing chords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 I wrote an article on Bass Chord back in the 1/94 issue of BP. If you can't find it, it has been expanded into a chapter in my new book "The Working Bassist's Toolikt" (BackBeat Books) out very soon! Mike Dimin has also written extensivelyon chordal playing and he moderates a forum at talkbass.com, so go there and dig around too. My quickie suggestions: Stay above the 10th fret for 3 note chords, you can play double stop 10ths as low as you want. Learn the root/third/seventh for all the tyoical chord tyoes. Avoid playing major or minor thirds between the E and A strings. Play more on the tips of your fingers for 3 note chords, it's bug you at first but you get used to it, and learn to relax. Most of the chord shapes (4 string) have the 3rd finger on the G string, changing chords is often just a matter of switching around the position of the 1st and 2nd fingers. Roll off some of the low end, use the rear pickup, pluck down by the bridge, have fun! It's a great way to piss off keyvboard players! ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 I concur on Mike Dimin's book, his concepts are great. Chuck Rainey's book on bass chording is another great resource, although some of his fingering choices are a little strange... I like his book too because his etudes make you learn to play chords both with closed hand positions above the 10th fret AND with double and triple-stops played against open strings for some tasty sounds... Oh, and listen to jazz guitar players for comping ideas. They tend to play small three and four-note shapes, so their ideas can be adapted to the bass relatively easily (well, sometimes, anyway. Dammit, Jim Hall, I'm gonna figure your stuff out someday, I swear!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bspangleyahoo.com Posted March 23, 2001 Share Posted March 23, 2001 Hey Ed, can you give us a list of mail order or internet vendors where your instructional books are available? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted March 24, 2001 Share Posted March 24, 2001 Bill, Sure, one way to get hold of my books is to go to the "Books" page at my website - www.edfriedland.com/books.html You'll find a description of each one, a link to a free sample lesson with an mp3, and you can click on the book cover to link to www.musicdispatch.com. Of course, you can just go right to musicdispatch, but it's not as much fun! And they don't give out free samples. You can also order them from www.bassbooks.com "The Working Bassist's Toolkit" is at the printer's and should be hitting the stores very soon. It's a compilation of many of my BP "in the trenches" articles. They have all been expanded and include tracks to play with, there's an ear training workout, a random modulation torture test, a style-o-rama vamp, lots of cool tracks to practice thumb/mute technique and a chapter on chords. ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFleaFreeman Posted March 26, 2001 Author Share Posted March 26, 2001 Hey thanks for all the advice here. This is good reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5feetfromcool Posted April 30, 2001 Share Posted April 30, 2001 synaes is right, i totally agree with his ideas about power chords. I use them a lot, and i can really end up getting a kickass sound with them.of course, im playing in a punk band, and isnt that the lowest form of music http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif ? Anyway, i think that power chords can really end up driving the music if they are used correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassLand Posted April 30, 2001 Share Posted April 30, 2001 Re: Chords on bass... I play them all the time and have since the beggining. Usually they are double stops (technically not chords but outlining the prevailing chord structure) and triple stops. I do chord melody on bass above the 9th fret or position that consist of 4 notes and usually double the third. BL BassLand www.BassLand.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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