Bass Chords?

Fatstrat622

Fatstrat622

Feb 4, 2020
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Virginia
#1
I have a newbie question regarding playing chords on the bass. I saw an online bass tutor touting playing bass chords. I understand from the guitar world about playing chords, but am having a hard time with them bass playing. They sound muddy to me. Probably me still working things out, but wanted to know from the bass community if chords are a normal bass element or rarely used.
Tnx!
 
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#2
Low open chords can sound muddy. People often use tenths to clear up the sound.

Chords can have all the clarity and/complexity you want it's all in how you voice them.

So chords aren't really typical but they are becoming more popular.

Even the first gig I ever played I played bass lines and chords (w/ sax and drums).

So no it's not really normal but it is normal for me, I don't think there has been a day in the last five years that I haven't played at least one bass chord.

Any form of the instrument can work but additional strings allows more polyphony and range and in turn complexity if desired. Harmonics can also be incorporated into voicings.

Which is why I now use six tuned E1-F3 all the range of a standard bass and an extended high range for clear chord voicings.
 
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#3
Playing chords, yes we are to follow the chords and play......notes of the chord. One note at a time. Strumming the chord is best left for later. How much later? Several years. It does, as you said, get muddy.

Yes you can form and strum a chord, however, that is something you may do after you get root on one and using the chord's notes to form your bass line down. For example:

C = R-3-5. Your bass line could be root on the first beat and the five on the third beat, or R-5-8-5 or R-R-R-R, etc.
Cm = R-b3-5 As this is a minor chord the b3 needs to be in your bass line...
C7 = R-3-5-b7. And the b7 begs to be heard.

Roots plus a five have played zillions of songs. A bass line need not be complicated. The beat is the thing, what notes we use is secondary, as long as they sound good with what the song is doing, at this moment in time.
 
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#4
The bass guitar is the bass-pitched member of the guitar family of instruments. Anything you can do on a guitar, you can also do on a bass guitar (including chords!) because the bass guitar, is a guitar.

As mentioned above, wider voicings tend to sound less muddy than close voicings, on the bass. For example 10ths often sound better than 3rds.
 
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#7
Malcolm35 said:
Playing chords, yes we are to follow the chords and play......notes of the chord. One note at a time. Strumming the chord is best left for later. How much later? Several years. It does, as you said, get muddy.

Yes you can form and strum a chord, however, that is something you may do after you get root on one and using the chord's notes to form your bass line down. For example:

C = R-3-5. Your bass line could be root on the first beat and the five on the third beat, or R-5-8-5 or R-R-R-R, etc.
Cm = R-b3-5 As this is a minor chord the b3 needs to be in your bass line...
C7 = R-3-5-b7. And the b7 begs to be heard.

Roots plus a five have played zillions of songs. A bass line need not be complicated. The beat is the thing, what notes we use is secondary, as long as they sound good with what the song is doing, at this moment in time.
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Very cool. This makes more sense and helps alot. Did not think of chords in this way, but will make playing more interesting. This is more helpful than my bass books!
 
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#8
Fatstrat622 said:
Wow. Awesome video. Seeing Oteil Burbridge is amazing. Recently saw Tedeshi Trucks Band play in DC last month. What a band! I am not worthy after seeing his chord playing. Six string bass with the low string being a B is interesting. Need to rewire my brain from playing guitar somewhat.
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Do you know about the Bass VI (typically tuned EADGBE, one octave below the guitar, short scale, narrow string spacing), as opposed to the six-string bass (typically tuned BEADGC, long scale, wide string spacing)? The Bass VI sounds like a natural fit for you.
 
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#10
Monterey Bay-ss said:
Do you know about the Bass VI (typically tuned EADGBE, one octave below the guitar, short scale, narrow string spacing), as opposed to the six-string bass (typically tuned BEADGC, long scale, wide string spacing)? The Bass VI sounds like a natural fit for you.
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No, didn't know that. Cool! Something to check out for sure. I figured I would start bass with a four string to get the basics (no pun intended?!) and go from there. Now to work in another instrument with my wife after I said the bass is my last guitar...lol
 
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#11
Fatstrat622 said:
No, didn't know that. Cool! Something to check out for sure. I figured I would start bass with a four string to get the basics (no pun intended?!) and go from there. Now to work in another instrument with my wife after I said the bass is my last guitar...lol
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At least the Bass VI is one of the stronger cases for the “but this one’s different!” justification.
 
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#13
When you play multiple notes on a bass, you get the notes you're playing, plus some difference frequencies. The difference stuff is due to non-linearities in our pickups, amps, speakers, and ears. I'll skip the Physics/Psychoacoustics lecture here, and assume that's a good enough explanation for this thread) If you play a Low E (41 Hz) and an octave higher (82), the difference note (82-41) is 41 Hz - that same as your low E. That works. But a Low E and a third up, the difference note is REALLY low in frequency - that's the source of your mud.

As you go up in pitch, you can play closer intervals and get away with it. Octaves work anywhere. A 5th (which is a note at one and a half times the frequency, so the difference note is an octave below the lower note) works OK somewhere a few frets up on the A string and up (exactly where it starts to sound OK depends somewhat on your gear) - I sometimes use the C. C#, or D on that string plus a fifth up at times to make it sound thicker (since I can't play it lower - assuming I'm on a 4 string). You can play thirds, but as they're closer n pitch than 5ths, you need to be even further up in pitch for that to sound OK.
 
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#17
Fatstrat622 said:
wanted to know from the bass community if chords are a normal bass element or rarely used.
Tnx!
Click to expand...

Playing chords on bass is sort of rare. It's done in special situations or in songs written for it, but the vast majority of songs have bass lines that are one note at a time.

It's still very important for a bass player to understand what chords are and what notes are in them, because those are the notes you focus on in your bass lines.

But don't feel pressured to go out and buy a 6 string bass or any of that fancy stuff; a plain old 4 string is sufficient for most tunes and is probably best for learning the basics. Later, when you're proficient and you feel like you really need to do something a 4 strong can't, start checking out songs that use 5 or 6 string basses, or Bass VI type instruments.

One band I now off the top of my head that made use of the Bass Vi is the Cure, example.
 
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#19
micguy said:
When you play multiple notes on a bass, you get the notes you're playing, plus some difference frequencies. The difference stuff is due to non-linearities in our pickups, amps, speakers, and ears. I'll skip the Physics/Psychoacoustics lecture here, and assume that's a good enough explanation for this thread) If you play a Low E (41 Hz) and an octave higher (82), the difference note (82-41) is 41 Hz - that same as your low E. That works. But a Low E and a third up, the difference note is REALLY low in frequency - that's the source of your mud.

As you go up in pitch, you can play closer intervals and get away with it. Octaves work anywhere. A 5th (which is a note at one and a half times the frequency, so the difference note is an octave below the lower note) works OK somewhere a few frets up on the A string and up (exactly where it starts to sound OK depends somewhat on your gear) - I sometimes use the C. C#, or D on that string plus a fifth up at times to make it sound thicker (since I can't play it lower - assuming I'm on a 4 string). You can play thirds, but as they're closer n pitch than 5ths, you need to be even further up in pitch for that to sound OK.
Click to expand...

Good examples. I tried a few "power chords" (1 and 5th) with root on the E string and it was not good. The physics is interesting regarding difference in the frequencies.
 
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