Day 2 Lesson - Chordal Study:

Everything You Want To Know About Chords:

Understanding how chords work and the theory behind it is paramount in being able to mold cohesive bass lines. Our job as bass players serves both to help keep time in the ensemble and outline the harmonic structure of the music. If we don’t have a basic understanding in chordal theory we cannot fulfill our required role. For the purpose of this lesson we are going to build from the basics and add on as we go.

Scale Degrees:

Before we begin, it is important to understand that any chord is made up of corresponding scale degrees as pictured below

When we talk about any numbers in relationship to chords, we are just ultimately referring to scale degrees.

Triads

This is the basic form of a chord. As the name suggests, this is a 3 note chord (tri). All of the chords we study from here will be built off of this theory. With the next chords we will be building using the 1st,3rd and 5th scale degrees.

Major Triad

Like any chord, we will start building upon the root note. After that the next note is a major3rd from the root and the last note is a perfect 5th from the root. From a sound and feel standpoint, we usually think of major chords being “happy” and up lifting.

Minor Triad

The minor triad or chord is just like our major counterpart except the 3rd is now a minor 3rd away from the root. We still use a perfect 5th for our other note. This chord is synonymous with the “sad” feeling unlike the happy major chord

Diminished Triad

Diminished chords are comprised of the root tone and a minor 3rd and a diminished 5th (or flat 5). You can also think of this chord being built with two minor 3rds stacked. There is a lot of tension in this chord.

Augmented Triad

Augmented triads consist of your root tone and then a major 3rd and augmented 5th (or raised 5th). When you see the term “augmented 5th” just think of raising the 5th by a semitone or half step. These chords have an open, airy suspenseful, unresolved feel.

7th Chords

Now before we begin, consider the fact that everything else in this lesson is built upon the foundation of the chords listed below. We are now adding extra notes for added color and direction.

Major 7

A major 7 chord is a major triad with a M7 scale tone on top. So if we were in the key of C major, we would have C, E, G, B. The major 7th chord is a great way to take a simple happy major triad and make it a little more pretty. Major 7 chords can also be notated by using the ▲ symbol. The perk to this symbol is it leaves no confusion whether the chord is Major or minor. So for example, all of the following chords are the same…CM7, Cmaj7, C▲7.

Minor 7

The minor 7 chord is built using a minor triad with a flat 7 on top (or not on top depending on the inversion, but we will get to that later). So if we were in the key of C minor, we would have C,Eb,G,Bb as pictured below. This serves the same function harmonically as a basic minor triad but adds more color and potentially more direction depending on how it is used. It is important to note that the minor 7 chord can also be notated using a minus sign. For example Cmin7 is the same at C-7 and the same as Cm7. There are always a few ways to notate the same chord

Dominant 7

The dominant 7 chord is a major triad but with a flat 7 or minor 7 on top. This chord is very common in any blues and helps give that blues feel. The m7 over the major triad when used correctly can help easily navigate you to a different chord. In the case of C7, the next obvious choice would be an F chord. This is because when used by itself, the dominant 7th wants to resolve in either direction.

Half Diminished

The half diminished 7th chord is built on a diminished triad with the flat 7 scale degree on top

Fully Diminished

The fully diminished 7th chord is also built on a diminished triad but with a diminished 7th on top as pictured below.

Extensions

Now technically anything built upon a triad could be considered an “extension” of that basic chord, but typically in musical terms, we refer to extensions being anything built with scale degrees above the 7. Now you may be wondering how does that work. Well, it is simple. The important thing to understand is that there are only 7 notes in a scales we have referred to thus far. If you see any degrees above the 7, it is because we just keep counting higher. So the 9th of a chord is also the second, the 11th note is also the 4th and the 13th is also the 6th. At the end of the day there are just 7 notes in these scales and we build to add color and direction. What is important to understand is depending on how they are notated influences the context in which they should be used.

9ths

Nine chords are composed of a 7th chord with the added 9th scale degree. If we were in “C” the 9th would be “D” and also considered to the the second scale degree. Keep in mind, there are many uses and functions of 9 chords and they can be built on any of the structures we mentioned above. You can also use a flat 9, natural 9 or sharp 9 and achieve all different color tones.

11ths

The eleventh chord is also composed on a 7 chord just as we mentioned above. Often times the 11th is raised to a #11. If it were not, it could also be considered a sus chord depending on the context. You can use any combination of the above chords to make an 11th chord.

13ths

The thirteen chord is again made up of a 7 chord with the added 13. You can also use a flat 13, natural 13 to achieve all different color tones. If the 13th were raised, it would just land in the dominant 7 position.

Other Chord Types

Sus Chord

The name of the sus chord hints at its function. The feeling of these chords leave you in suspense and typically direct a motion to want to resolve. There are 2 types of sus chords, a “sus2” and “sus4.” Both chords take a major triad and move the third either a half step higher to achieve the sus4 or a full step lower to achieve the sus2.

6th Chord

Six chords are comprised of either a major or minor triad with an added unaltered 6th interval

6/9 Chord

This chord is commonly considered a Major 7 chord with the 6th and the 9th added for color. Often times the 7th is not used when the 6 and 9 are added, but that’s not a hard and fast rule.

Add 5 Chord

This is really not even a triad but only 2 notes. This is made up of a root tone and perfect 5th above that. For guitarists, this is considered your “power chord.” At the same time, John Williams loved using the add 5 chord in his compositions. This interval can often signify strength without defining it in either a major or minor tone.

Slash Chords

Although these can be a little more confusing at first, these chord types are actually very easy to follow as a bass player. The area above the slash is the chord and the area underneath is the bass note. There are many different reasons for notating chords this way but if you can remember the simple rule to play the note on the bottom as the bassist, this will get you in the right area (if thats where you want to be…).

Practice Tips

The best way to understand all of these chord types is to get yourself in front of a piano or keyboard. The difficult thing with any wind instrument is that we only have a few buttons and that creates no visual reference for how music is actually spaced out and constructed. I can’t personally name any gainfully employed musician that can’t at least get around on the piano. For me, I would consider my time learning my way around the piano to be the SINGLE best investment I have ever made to my development as a musician.

A great way to practice these chords on the piano is also just simply by learning tunes. The more songs you learn on piano, the more chords and colors you are teaching yourself and ultimately training your ear to recognize the difference. This will help you tremendously as a bassist.