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MARTYN

BASS MANUAL

Book 5: Chords

FREE ELECTRONIC PDF VERSION 1.1 - 2009

NOT FOR SALE This is a COMPLIMENTARY Internet e-book made available for 01 January 2009

First draft completed 2007 Revised and Updated 2008

Copyright by Martyn Krgel 2007 onwards

This publication will be updated quarterly by the author and presented on the Internet

All Rights Reserved

The moral right of the author has been asserted

This PDF file was created as an additional educational aid for students of the bass guitar. The content, structure, format, analysis, design,

artwork, photographs, methodology and model, remain the property of Martyn Krgel.

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PREFACE

This work is dedicated to teachers and students of the bass and particularly to and for the development of new aspiring bassists.

This bass manual series consisting of seven books was designed as an additional study aid for students of the bass guitar and to show aspiring bassists just exactly how music theory is applied on the instrument and to promptly set the new bassist who cannot yet read music on the right track.

It is not the type of instruction book that suggests a specified method to be followed and as a result students are urged to develop their own course of action in working through these books. The assistance of a teacher or mentor will be invaluable and I urge aspiring musicians to always seek out a good mentor in music. I am also confident that a good mentor will immediately grasp the intention of my presentation and put the objectives of this presentation into practice, for the benefit of the student.

If anyone has any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.

And good luck with the music.

Martyn Krgel

Special thanks to Edwin Schroeder musician extraordinaire who introduced and taught me the art of music and especially the greater art of

improvisational music.

Also a special thanks to my family and friends for their support.

INVITATION TO ADVERTISERS

The will be updated on a quarterly basis by the author and presented on his web site. Anyone involved in the music industry can therefore utilize this medium to promote their business.

Potential advertisers can contact the author directly if they wish to place advertisements of their products and/or services in the next edition of the for a cost-effective way to advertise and market their products and/or services. For more details contact Martyn and request a price list.

CONTACT DETAILS

Martyn Krgel

web site: www.freebassmanual.com

e-mail: martyn@freebassmanual.com

http://www.freebassmanual.com/mailto:martyn@freebassmanual.com

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION Chord Formulas Harmony Playing Chords on the Bass

Comments on Improvisation Comments on Fingerings Pg. 5

Chapter 1 MAJOR CHORDS Chord Formulas Chord Diagrams Chord Photographs Pg. 12

Chapter 2 MINOR CHORDS Chord Formulas Chord Diagrams Chord Photographs Pg. 28

Chapter 3 DOMINANT SEVENTH

CHORDS Chord Formulas Chord Diagrams Chord Photographs Pg. 42

Chapter 4 AUGMENTED &

DIMINISHED CHORDS Chord Formulas Chord Diagrams Chord Photograph Pg. 57

Chapter 5 CHORD PROGRESSIONS III VI II V I * III VI IV VII I * III VI II VII I

III VI IV V I 12-Bar Blues Ascending and Descending Fourths and Fifths

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INTRODUCTION

Chord Formulas In book 1 the student was advised to learn the numeric value of the major scale and it is also this numeric value of a scale that assists us in constructing or building chords. In book 2 we also observed that the numerical value attributed to any other scale will be determined relative to the numeric value of the major scale just to recap: The numeric values used in any other scale will always be determined relative to the numeric value of the major scale of the same root note (starting point). Comparing the numeric value of the A major scale to the numeric value of the A natural minor scale for example, you will notice that the third degree in the natural minor scale has the numeric value b3 (flat three or flattened third) because in the A natural minor scale the note C is a natural note and in the A major scale the note is a C#. The same occurs at the 6

th and 7

th degrees of the natural

minor scale. Observe the numeric values in the following examples of scales that we have covered thus far:

A - MAJOR Scale A B C# D E F# G#

Numeric Value 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

A - MINOR Scale A B C D E F G

Numeric Value 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

A - MAJOR Scale A B C# D E F# G#

Numeric Value 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

A - HARMONIC

Scale A B C D E F G#

Numeric Value 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7

A - MAJOR Scale A B C# D E F# G#

Numeric Value 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

A - MELODIC

Scale A B C D E F# G#

Numeric Value 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7

Every chord has a NUMERIC FORMULA and it is this formula that we learn to understand and recognize as oppose to memorizing a countless amount of individual chord voicings, as they would appear on the instrument. This method of using the numeric value of a scale and the numeric formula of a chord will enable you to easily construct any chord and even enable you to construct chords that you have never played before because it is in the name of a chord that you will find the chord formula that you will learn to recognize as you work through this book. Our objective in our study of chords is therefore not to memorize a large number of individual chord voicings (like a parrot) but to understand how chords are assembled build constructed. Intervals are also an important facet in building chords since chords are groupings of intervals so make sure that you are familiar with

We have four main types of triads (the principal chords consisting of three notes) namely the: MAJOR MINOR AUGMENTED and DIMINISHED chord triads and it is then these four types of chord triads that serve as the

can observe their characteristics and also see this principal the chord formulas:

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The formula for a MAJOR chord is: 1 3 5

The numerical value 1 will always be the root note of the chord and this note in conjunction with the type C major

scale: C D E F G A B d formula build the C major chord. 1 = C 3 = E 5 = G

So the C MAJOR chord will be made up of the notes C E G

You can also think of it as a root note with an added major third & perfect fifth interval.

The formula for a MINOR chord is: 1 b3 5

The numerical value 1 will always be the root note of the chord and this note in conjunction with the type C major

scale: C D E F G A B been given the minor chord formula build the C minor chord. 1 = C b3 = Eb 5 = G

So the C MINOR chord will be made up of the notes C Eb G

You can also think of it as a root note with an added minor third & perfect fifth interval.

The formula for an AUGMENTED chord is: 1 3 #5

The numerical value 1 will always be the root note of the chord and this note in conjunction with the type C

major scale: C D E F G A B C augmented chord. 1 = C 3 = E #5 = G#

So the C AUGMENTED chord will be made up of the notes C E G#

You can also think of it as a root note with an added major third & augmented fifth interval.

The formula for a DIMINISHED chord is: 1 b3 b5

The numerical value 1 will always be the root note of the chord and this note in conjunction with the type of formula (in this case a diminished chord formul C major scale: C D E F G A B C diminished chord. 1 = C b3 = Eb b5 = Gb

So the C DIMINISHED chord will be made up of the notes C Eb Gb

You can also think of it as a root note with an added minor third & diminished fifth interval. Another important category is the seventh or dominant seventh chord category. The dominant seventh chord is built upon a major chord triad foundation together with a minor seventh interval.

The formula for a seventh chord is: 1 3 5 b7 (Also called dominant seventh)

The numerical value 1 will always be the root note of the chord and this note in conjunction with the type of formula (in this case C major scale: C D E F G A B C seventh chord. 1 = C 3 = E 5 = G b7 = Bb

So the C SEVENTH chord will be made up of the notes C E G Bb

You can also think of it as a root note with an added major third perfect fifth & minor 7th interval.

observe what happens when we build upon a triad and in this instance a major triad and also observe the difference between a major seventh and a dominant seventh chord.

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The formula for a major seventh chord is: 1 3 5 7 (Belonging to the major chord category)

The numerical value 1 will always be the root note of the chord and this note in conjunction with the type

take the C major scale: C D E F G A B C major seventh chord. 1 = C 3 = E 5 = G 7 = B

So the C MAJOR SEVENTH chord will be made up of the notes C E G B

You can also think of it as a root note with an added major third perfect fifth & major 7th interval.

Harmony A very simple definition would be to say that a piece of music consists of a melody (which is a succession of various single notes various pitches of different rhythmic values) and it is around a selection of these melody notes that chords are then constructed. This building of chords around a melody is commonly referred to as harmonization or harmony and this term also denotes to the fact that we are now dealing with more than a single individual note, but the two (as in intervals) or three or more notes belonging to a chord. It is not every note of the melody in a piece of music that is harmonized (even though you could do that) but in practice you will

the melody notes of that particular bar. You could look at the melody as the skeleton of a piece of music and the chords then, the flesh. The chain of chords built by using a selection of the melody notes in a piece of music then forms the chord progression and you should see this progression as a movement of chords or see the individual chords as being in motion or moving from one chord to the other and not merely perceive harmony as just the construction of a single static chord. But of course, understanding the makeup of a single static chord will be our first objective in this study of chords and harmony. In chapter 5 of this book some chord progressions in all the keys are given so that you can observe the movement of scale tone chords within a particular key and you will also observe that roman numerals are commonly used to identify the seven scale tone chords of a key. It will be worth your while to work diligently through this section to familiarize yourself with this movement of chords in a particular key and to also learn the scale tone chords of keys well.

IMPORTANT NOTE: MODULATION OR PLAYING THROUGH CHANGES The melody and the harmonization (the building of chords around a melody) in a piece of music are not necessarily confined to a single individual key and when in a piece of music the melody or chords travel over more than one key this is called modulation. In Jazz for example, modulation is rather the rule than the exception, where the melody in conjunction with the chords that are built around the melody (forming the progression) serves as a platform on which the musicians can then improvise and often this will happen over several keys in a single tune and then this progression of chords over several different keys will be repeated. They simply refer to this as Playing Through Changes. So, you need to have a good understanding of the chords in this book so that when you see a piece of music, you are able to identify the chords in that piece of music and play along with the tune utilizing your knowledge of chords as a guideline for what it is you need to play. The ability to recognize a chord and what a chord is made up of, will then be your guide of what to play in a piece of music. All of this stresses yet again the importance of learning all the major keys and the application of the major keys on your instrument and in this instance, a thorough knowledge of the major keys will also help you to recognize and identify the modulation in a piece of music and allow you to play through these changes and also give you the ability to distinguish to which key any particular chord belongs because of your knowledge of the scale tone chords in the major keys.

Playing Chords on the Bass The ability to play chords fluently on the bass is technically demanding but far from impossible. More important though, is the basic understanding of how chords are constructed. Chapters 1 to 4 in this book with the chord diagram and photograph of the fingering of the chord should therefore only be used as a reference guide the

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objective is not to memorize all the various chord voicings but to see the principle of how chords are constructed by learning the formulas of chords and the numerical values of scales.

chords on the bass should be fairly unproblematic. The ease with which you play the chords may even serve as an indication of how well you know and can play the major scale patterns. There will be some chord voicings that are more difficult than others and a couple that is indeed impossible to play in unison on the bass and can therefore only be played arpeggiated (notes of the chord played individually in succession) and a bassist must certainly be able to play arpeggios but the focal point is the basic understanding of how chords are constructed and to only then find a way to play that chord on your bass. In the introduction of book 1 the following remark was made with regards to learning and playing the major scale patterns:

- Just bear in mind that the ability to play a pattern up and down fluently is not the music just yet (but it will be the first objective in terms of technique and learning your instrument). When we think of music and the function of these patterns, it is best explained when we observe the improvisational musician like a Jazz bassist who would create melodies, riffs, licks and musical themes spontaneously within these patterns by playing an assortment of different note selections and rhythmic variations around these patterns that has already been committed to memory -

You should adopt the above approach of improvising when playing and practicing around chords and chord G Major Seventh chord. Now

because you have so many options available of playing the chord you should improvise and learn to play as many options as possible. Here are a few suggestions:

Play a voicing in uniso

Play the chord arpeggiated. (Arpeggios can and should be linked over the fingerboard to form something like an arpeggio scale).

Play several different triad voicings of the chord.

Play just the root note.

Play a syncopated rhythmic arpeggiated version of the chord.

Play different intervals of the chord in unison or separate the notes.

Play and find voicings of the chord all over the bass and not only in one position.

should also ask other musicians like a guitarist to play or record a couple of chord progressions that you can comp along with so that you can practice and apply some of the options mentioned above.

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Comments on Improvisation

[IMPORTANT NOTICE: The new aspiring musician should just take a moment and think about and conceptualize the notion of IMPROVISATION in the context

of music with the goal of applying it when learning, practicing and playing].

A few things to think about and apply when incorporating improvisation when playing or practicing chords and open to your own interpretation

Accents Phrasing Arpeggios Relaxation Note Repetition

Tempo Speed Note Selection Taking Risks Volume

Beat Melody Trills Listening Finger

Articulation

Coordination Legato Intervals Timing Single String

Amplitude Pizzicato Modes Syncopation Chords

Rhythms Articulation Question &

Answer Emotion Blues

Tremolo Phantom Notes Concentration Jazz Silence

Dynamics Triplets Open Strings Length of Note Space

Ornaments Harmonics Bebop Triads Discipline

Scatting Tapping Visualizations Sliding Music

Comments on Fingerings In book 1 of this series the concept of Finger Articulation was introduced to you for you to find a natural and logical way to play the major and/or any other scale with your hand that presses against the fingerboard.

you use in playing the scale, to play the chord. For example: If you take the first major scale pattern that we did in book 1 and

playing that pattern:

7 Index 8 Middle 9 Pinkie

5 Index 6 Ring 2 Index 3 Ring 4 Pinkie

1 Pinkie

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If we now take the first major chord voicing in chapter 1 of this book:

You will see that the logical fingerings for this major chord will be 1 Pinkie 3 Ring 5 Index and in this particular case it is the exact same fingerings that are used in the scale that are used for the individual notes of the chord. The same logic should be used in finding the most suitable fingerings for any other chord. You will stumble upon really difficult chord voicings but it is the principal here that will help you to find the most suitable fingerings.

Just to recap and refresh your memory, here is the Finger Articulation method again: To immediately grasp the correct fingerings of the major scale patterns or any pattern for that matter, it is best

-

1

2

3

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Finger Articulation. This is the ability to play any pattern with all of the four fingers or a combination of the fingers that presses against the fingerboard. This is how you commence practicing it:

1. Start by playing the above sub-patterns with only one finger, but all four fingers individually: Index Middle Ring Pinkie

2. Then play the above sub-patterns with combinations of two fingers: Index Middle Index Ring Index Pinkie Middle Ring Middle Pinkie Ring Pinkie

3. Then play combinations of three fingers: Index Middle Ring Index Middle Pinkie [Observe how sub-pattern 1 and 2 naturally falls into this combination] Index Ring Pinkie [Observe how sub-pattern 3 naturally falls into this combination] Middle Ring Pinkie

4. And then finally play the combination of all four fingers and then apply this method of finger articulation when you learn to play the patterns that chords fit into.

Advancing Guitarist by Mick Goodrick published by Hal Leonard, who recommended this method for learning and exploring single string playing].

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Chapter 1 MAJOR CHORDS

bass.

Symbol

* Major * maj * M *

Formula (In relation to the Major Scale) 1-3-5

Position 1 Position 1 is calculated with the root note on the top string or the octave thereof (third string)

Position 2 Position 2 is calculated with the root note on the second string or the octave thereof (fourth string)

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Symbol

sus Formula

(In relation to the Major Scale) 1-3-4-5

Position 1 Position 1 is calculated with the root note on the top string or the octave thereof (third string)

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Position 2 Position 2 is calculated with the root note on the second string or the octave thereof (fourth string)

Symbol

6 Formula

(In relation to the Major Scale) 1-3-5-6

Position 1 Position 1 is calculated with the root note on the top string or the octave thereof (third string)