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From: BassLessonsOnline
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  • how can I do a sweeping upside chord, George?

  • I don't know exactly what you mean with "sweeping upside". Can you elaborate?

    Thanks,

    George

  • @BassLessonsOnline I mean do a chord from G string to E string

    But I play with a pick for a punk rock style :)

  • Thanks for the additional info; it is very helpful.

    Sweeping with a pick is in fact very easy. I suggest you check out a few guitar lessons on the technique (such as those from Frank Gambale). Just modify the technique and the chord voicings so they work on bass.

    Bass of Luck!

    George

  • Great! Now play a E7b13add9

  • Among several voicings available on 4-string bass, here is one for the chord you mention:

    E0 A15 D16 G13

    Bass of luck!

    George

  • me and some friends of mine had the idea of forming a band and i got the bass, but i'm afraid to buy a bass and then don't do anything with it. do you thing is worth buying one?

  • You are asking the wrong person, simply because I am a bass player and love bass.

    Maybe you can borrow a bass before committing to buying?

    George

  • heh.. on the g-string. im ashamed, but i lol

  • i've always wondered how people find the chord note when they are holding up to 3 different frets, is it found through your root note? also i see people on youtube who manage to play there bass like a guitar do they do things like this lower on the neck?

  • Knowledge of music theory, plus knowing all notes on your bass helps with chord shapes and arpeggios.

    Generally, playing chords lower on the bass neck sounds muddy. However, that depends on the sound you have set up, such as trebbly, distorted, playing with a pick etc. - all of these may lead to a more listenable sound in low positions.

    I hope this helps - if not, get back to me.

    George

  • @BassLessonsOnline well like if i play the D you demonstrated lower on the neck will it still be a D? or would that be a whole different fingering?

  • You can play anything you want anywhere on the neck, as long as you choose a comfortable fingering.

    Try the D lower on the neck and see if it works for you - experimentation is the key :)

    George

  • Thank you for providing this video. Do you believe that practicing chords such as these helps your overall dexterity? I usually don't play chord style on bass but I have considered learning more about chords on the bass as a way to improve my overall playing ability and independence of the fingers. I feel like playing multiple notes concurrently (chords) would be a great exercise for this.

  • You're welcome.

    Playing chords helps finger independence. However, I find that playing chords is more important for improving aural skills and learning more about harmony.

    George

  • im having a hard time trying to find a chord chart for some bass chords. do you have a site where i can find some?

  • I have searched my resources and could not find anything useful for you.

    There are books available.

    My suggestion is to do what I do: When you know the notes in a chord you want to play, just figure out how to play that chord. That will give you the deepest learning ;-)

    George

  • @TheBassman5000

    studybass. com/lessons/bass-chord-pattern­s/

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  • i have a question when playing a bass chord is it the same 3 notes you would use on a guitar (i know how to play guitar but learning chords is sligtly harder on a bass)

    so if i use the same notes in each chords can i use to my advantage (using same notes in a different position) or do i change my notes

    ive been playing 4 - 5 years so i know my way around the bass quite easily

  • Chord tones (the notes in chords) are the same, no matter where or how they are played. On bass it is relatively important how you "voice" those chords. (That is demonstrated in this video and another one of mine that's called "Learn Bass Chords in 10ths".

    Enjoy some new sounds :)

    George

  • chord is actually 3 or more notes together 2 notes is a power chord

  • You are right and yet not quite right. One classical description for "chord" is "3 scale tones a 3rd apart played simultaneously" and another is "a combination of tones that blend harmoniously when sounded together".

    A "power chord" is 2 notes with the distance of a "perfect 5th" between them, for example C and the next higher-pitched G.

    Kind regards,

    George

  • maan, thanks. i have been abassist for almost 8 months, i think more, and you are one of the guys who tought me stuff online ! withought knowing us! and u replied my coments!! man...thanks :D

  • Thank you for your wonderful endorsement.

    Bass of Luck with your learning and playing!

    George

  • Do you do slap bass? I really love the funk, and jazz, and want to learn the bass styles of bassists like Stanley Clarke, and Larry Graham. Especially Larry.

  • Yes, I do, and I have 2 slap bass videos on You Tube. In addition, I am almost finished recording an extremely affordable 12-part video series on learning slap bass.

    George

  • @BassLessonsOnline Nice. Do you go over any of the best slap bassists?

  • Yes, I show you how to use the techniques these players use.

    George

  • @heckto35 Thanks a ton!

  • Great - thanks for your post.

    George

  • i need to learn chords so i can play bass

  • You do not need to learn (to play) chords to be able to play bass. However, it helps a lot if you know the notes in chords (chord tones) because bass lines are often built on chord tones.

    George

  • you look like john lennon

  • I'll take that as a compliment. I've almost finished reading the John Lennon biography.

    George

  • fuck i really need to catch up on my shit

  • i playy my righty bass lefty upsidown and to get the chord hand positions, its a bitch

  • That will take some practice :-(

    George

  • i kinda understand were your fingers are going on your left hand, but with your left hand i only see that your using your thumb and your pointer finger, but its cords, wut other finger is hitting the d string? and how

  • If you are referring to my right hand, I am using thumb, index and middle fingers to pluck three neighboring strings.

    George

  • You are a good teacher I bet, my bass teacher is so freakin mean! If he hit me on my head one more time..., lmao!

  • It is really good stuff, indeed.

    Thanks George...

  • Thanks and enjoy your own creations with chords.

    George

  • This is awsome! Thanks for uploading this, I've played for about 15 years and only recently started experimenting with chording.

  • Hello and thanks for your contribution. There is certainly lots to experiment with (and ultimately use in the most musical way) with chords on bass.

    George

  • dude tabs would be awsome

  • When you listen and watch again you will be able to write your own tabs. That is true ingestion ;-)

    George

  • @BassLessonsOnline like, bad gass? nah jk. but its realy hard to see on this cumputer and the speakers are broken

  • you must be cool when you were young! and you still are!

  • Thanks :-)

    George 

  • Thanks - clear simple and cool!

  • Hello and thanks for your kind comment.

    George

  • Hey, very interesting.. can you make a pdf file with the bass line with the chrods too (like A- Am, ect ect? thanks, I will give u my mail)

  • If you just listen and look again - maybe a few times - you will learn this very well.

    Bass of Luck!

    George

  • Sounds like BTO'S Looking out for # 1

  • Thanks for the video!! Good work!!

  • Thanks for your comment. I much appreciate it.

    George

  • I have a question: How many different chords are there? Or, are they infinite?

  • There are about 20 different commonly used chord types. That in 12 keys makes 240.

    George

  • @BassLessonsOnline

    Thanks a lot.

  • Thanks for your appreciation.

    George

  • sorry i dont no much about music what does the 7 mean? as in g minor 7 etc

  • 7 means the 7th note of the scale of the chord root. However, it is always a flat 7 (minor seventh) unless it says "major 7".

    Here is your example -

    Gm7 has the notes G Bb D F

    G7 has the notes G B D F

    Gmaj7, however, has the notes G B D F# (the major 7th of the G major scale)

    I hope this helps.

    George

    

  • @BassLessonsOnline thank you very much!

  • Hello and thanks for your support.

    George

  • @BassLessonsOnline u deserve it! :)

  • Can i ask what is the point of learning the chords for the bass? just wondering

  • That is an excellent question.

    Most of the time most bass players are not even required to know chords on the bass.

    However, it is very important to know and be able to play all notes contained in all chords as well as being able to identify the sounds of chords by ear.

    Being able to play chords on bass helps our aural skills, helps us work out chords off recordings or allocate chords to our own compositions, plus, we can occasionally accompany students and other instrumentalists and vocalists.

  • @BassLessonsOnline thank you for your fast response

  • @mackatoonarmy It adds harmonies to the bass lines that's the simple explanation. He over explained.

  • Thanks for taking the time out of your day!!!

    Very clear man...

    Peace

  • Hello and thanks for your post.

    This was my first YT video, so still a bit stiff and camera shy. I'm glad you found it clear enough.

    Kind regards,

    George

  • Thanks for the video man. At school I'm one of the few kids that can play chords on basses..... Everyone else plays only the bass note of the chord and play that note really fast...... (I've been told that with my bass skills I can pick up chicks O.o)

    Anywayz thankyou for the video. REALLY! It really helps a self taught like me. I've been taught how to voice chords in music theory, and this video has helped me learn how to apply it to bass. Keep it up sir!

  • Its great to see you can really make use of this technique and theory. With your knowledge, skills and dedication you will be able to take this concept much further.

    Kind regards,

    George

  • woaaaohhh ur kinda old, but who cares u play like a real pro!!!

  • Thanks on both accounts - I put it down to experience ;-)

    Kind regards,

    George

  • Do you know anywhere to find good bass chord charts?

    Because I really wanna learn my chords.

  • There are a couple of printed booklets around. However, I think it is best if you work out many many chord voicings yourself. You will be able to do this once you know all notes on the bass and all notes in all chords.

    If you "learn" by the book, you will usually only be playing shapes and therefore not gaining true and useful knowledge.

    Bass of Luck!

    George

  • @BassLessonsOnline i respect that.....the only reason ive never learned from a book is because it takes away from the heart of the music and makes it mechanical i really like the work you do....might be short but its obvious your music....only thing is i work by tabs and not chords :) ty for the video gonna be workin on it all day now

  • what are tabs i have asked like 5 people and no one gave me an answer? and is a dean bass a good bass couse im getting one in a few months and i never played a bass!! hannah

  • TAB is an abbreviation for "tablature", a medieval system of simplified music notation, where the fret numbers are shown in order of note succession on their corresponding strings.

    Dean basses are fine.

    Bass regards,

    George

  • If possible, I'd like to see a video showing "This is a G chord around the neck...this is a C chord...this is a D chord...etc. I can transpose from there but that would be cool.

  • Such videos already exist on YT. Good luck with your search!

    George

  • I just got my first bass guitar. (It's an Epiphone Gibson Thunderbird:D) And I would like to know if you could make a video on the positions of chords. I'd really appreciate that. And if you already did, please tell me. Thank you so much.

    Joshua

  • Hello Joshua. Congratulations on your T-Bird! I love that bass.

    What do you mean by "positions of chords"?

    George

  • @BassLessonsOnline Thanks! I do, too. And I mean like where I put my fingers and such. It's hard to see where you put them.

  • It may be a good idea for you to first check out my video on Chord Theory. You will find it through my channel.

    BTW, for bass players, playing chords is not at all important; it is much more important to know what the individual notes of chords are so you can create your own bass lines. That is powerful knowledge and a very useful skill for bass players to have.

    Kind regards,

    George

  • @BassLessonsOnline Alrighty then. I will definitely do that. And thank you. :)

  • I'm gona get a bass in 2 days and I'll be watching this again in a wile and george dude u rule man u have to keep up ur work

  • Thank you very much for your kind comments. Enjoy your new bass!

    George

  • is it common to strike all of the notes in chord on bass. it seems to be pretty hard to do. i'm a beginner. tell me is it nessary for a bass player to know the chords.

  • It is not at all necessary for a bass player to play chords. It is necessary, however, for a bass player to know the notes contained in chords to enable the creation of bass lines.

    George

  • got my bass 2day thanks 4 the insight George much love:-)

  • Congratulations on your new bass and thanks for posting this video on your channel.

    Kind regards from Down Under

    George

  • hi!...can u help me?!i want to play the bass of through the fire by chaka khan, i dont know if im doing it correctly, ..please..thanks!--nyna

  • um could u say that in tabs idk notes haha

  • Besides naming the notes and strings, the finger positions should be clear. From 1:12 you will see that I start on the 17th fret.

    Bass of Luck!

    George

  • they are technically not 7 chords if you only use three notes

  • Chord names and qualities are not based on the number of notes they contain.

    Essentially, a chord is a stacking of thirds, i.e. 1 3 5 7 9 11 13. If, for example, the 5th is left out of a 7-chord (which is very common) the chord name does not change.

    Here is an example:

    G7 contains the notes G B D F

    If I play only G B F, the chord name is still G7.

    Enough theory ....

    George

  • chord names and qualities are not based on the notes they contain????? Im pretty sure you may have worded that terribly wrong.

    maybe removing the perfect fifth is common, I have personally never seen it, but who knows? I would still say that if you told a pianist to play a G7 they would play GBDF as G7 mean the chord of Gmaj with an added min7

    It would be more informative to call the GBF as a B5add6 1st inversion. not as easy to say in conversation but definitely more accurate.

  • also yes chord names and qualities are based on the number of notes they contain, the difference between a C9 and a Cadd9 one has more notes. the C nine has to have at least 5 notes CEGBD the Cadd9 only needs four CEGD

  • I like how no ones said* Brittish people can't play bass!" at the same time, British being spelt wrong. Great vid mate. helped a bit.

    Bass of luck

    ,craig

  • hi i just wanna say you look so much like Bruce Willis in this video. oh and thanks you helped me a lot. :-)

  • could you possible do a beginners vid regardin the chord formations you are using, and how they are made up please?

  • Hello and thanks for your request.

    I suggest you first look at my You Tube video titled "Free Beginner Bass Lesson - Chord Theory". That will show you the makeup of foundation chords. Thwn take it further.

    Bass of Luck!

    George

  • Hello and thank you for your post.

    Enjoy your learning!

    George

  • fantastic vid mate

  • Very cool - thank you.

    (This is the first video I ever made for You Tube; I trust they have improved since ;-)

    George

  • amazing video and very helpful. thank you so much george!

  • Thank you very much. I'm glad I could help.

    George

  • You rock George, awsum vidz and lesson...I just picked up a fender jazz 75 bass...so, will post some new chord studies-soloing clips soon...hope you had a great x-mas and here is to a wicked new year!

  • Hello Grant

    Congrats on the 75 Jazz!

    Thanks for the well-wishes. I wish you All the Bass too!

    This was my first ever You Tube video - now I'm up to Number 18.

    George

  • cheers mate...!!

  • Love your lessons.

    Awesome!!!

  • Thanks heaps for checking out my lessons ... and for posting.

    George

  • Dude, these lessons are converting me to jazz!

  • When we learn and are able to play Jazz comfortably, we have come a long way.

    Go for it!

    George

  • finally a video that actually has proper chords and not just tabs i learnt alot from this

  • Thanks heaps for your insightful comment. I'm glad you were able to add to your learnings.

    George

  • what chord is for e minor?

  • Do you mean what chord shape?

    George

  • Hi, George. I seem to have some problems getting the fingering right. Do you think you may have any suggestions of how to properly fret it or how to loosen up my fingers?

    Thanks

    -Keith

  • To loosen up your fingers do some random finger stretches, like put your hand on a flat surface and push down, making your fingers spread apart.

  • is this all the chords???

  • No, here I show only three out of at least 20 different chord types.

    George

  • This is slightly challenging as the strings are much thicker than a guitar's would be. I'll be working on that problem soon though.

  • I find it less challenging than guitar - probably because I mainly play bass.

    Happy "problem" working!

    George

  • yes, the bass is much more physical than the guitar

  • I'm having a problem understanding when to use triad chords can you help me please?

  • A triad is when you play notes 1, 3 and 5 of a scale. That produces major, minor, diminished and augmented triads.

    Therefore there are four types of triads.

    I assume you mean "three-note chords" when you say "triad chords"? Although triads are often played as chords on piano and guitar, the bass usually does not do this for various reasons.

    In this video, I am mostly playing 3 notes out of 4-note chords. For example, Dm7 has the notes D F A C and I play only D F C.

    Post again if required

  • The 3rd muddies bass chords IMO. 2 note voicings are my preference.

    Thanks for the video mate.

  • I agree, and therefore usually use 2-note voicings.

    Thanks for posting.

    George

  • FINALY! I cant find a Bass teacher in my area. This is gonna be useful

  • I'm glad you got here :)

    Enjoy your progress.

    George

  • when do you use chords for bass, is it when other people in your band play a chord, eg guitar plays F chord, do u play the f Chord on the bass, or jus the F

  • In my case it is usually the opposite, I will play chords when the guitarist is not (for example when he/she is playing a solo). Also, I often play chords while teaching face-to-face, so the student can hear the harmony.

    Chords on bass should be used judiciously.

    There are certainly places in the music where guitar and bass can play chords in unison.

    If it sounds good, it is good.

    George

  • @BassLessonsOnline

    Yes, use bass chords judiciously in an ensemble setting, using them when another instrument is not playing chords is a good idea. It is also helpful to play them up higher on the fretboard so they don't sound muddy (especially with other players). To hear a bass chord master/monster, check out Matthew Garrison.

  • Good call - thanks.

    George

  • I did not know existed chords for bass xD

  • i want to learn spank bass...how do u spank a bass?

  • "Spanking" produces a great sound, and I use the technique occasionally myself.

    Just whack the strings with the undersides of your fingers, like regular spanking.

    George

  • Great vid... Are you by chance a fan of Warwicks? Those basses are probably the finest instruments on the market.

  • I played many Warwick basses for many years. Sometimes our tastes change, and Warwick does not suit my current "ideal" of sound.

    George

  • What a fantastic lesson...good stuff Paul, i mean George xx

  • Thanks Andy - I just checked out a couple of your Byron Bay videos on You Tube ... groovy as usual :)

    George

  • I have a dean edge 09 and it produces a pretty good quality sound, but I mostly play metallica so :)

  • i have now a yamaha rbx-270 and i am thinking of getting a new and better bass do you have any ideas? thanks

  • There are so many basses to choose from. Consider your style, budget, what type of electronics, number of pickups, controls, active, passive, number of frets, sound, feel ... and so on.

    The US-made Fender basses are good quality and still have the classic fender sound.

    Lakland basses are worth a look. Also Music Man (especially for pop music and slapping).

    This is only a starting point, but see how you go.

    Good luck!

    George

  • sounds alot like bossa nova, good stuff

  • Thank you. You are correct - the playing style and chord sequence is used in bossa nova. (How about bassa nova? :)

    George

  • When you play a chord on a bass guitar .. Which string do you hit with your right hand.. ?

  • The right hand "follows" the left, i.e. it plays any string the left hand is fretting.

    George

  • i play electric guitar and am thinking of trying out bass but i was just wondering if i should cus it might be confuseing for me to learn both bass and electric songs so should i get a bass or just stick to electric :P

  • Guitar and bass are very related and playing one (although some techniques and functions may vary) can help you understand and play the other. There is no harm in trying.

    Bass regards,

    George

  • I'm considering purchasing a second bass, and I need to know what would be best for heavy metal: a Rickenbacker or a Thunderbird?

  • cliff used a rickenbacker

  • They are both excellent ... and different. The T-bird usually sounds darker then the Rick.

    It is best if you make hands-on comparisons.

    George

  • rickenbacker all the way buddy,

  • lul this is why i cudnt do chords on guitar because i suck and struming with a pick. bass is just plucking them i luv it

  • You can pluck or strum on both bass and guitar. It just takes practice.

    If a pick is uncomfortable, try strumming with your fingertips.

    George

  • Mate does anyone know where i can find a bass chordbook with all 240 chords? cuz i only know about 183...plase thanks

  • Do you mean 20 chord types in 12 keys each?

    George

  • i think the're 28 chords per key...maj, 5, 6, 7, maj7, 9, maj9, 11, 13, maj 13, m, m6, m7, m9, m11, m13, m(maj7), sus7, sus4, dim, aug, 6/9, 7sus4, 7b5, 7b9, 9sus4, add9, aug9...at least on guitar...but yeah i still don't know all the chords on bass and since i found out there are 240 and know no more than 180 i gotta learn them...If anyone could tell me where to get a chordbook with ALL chords for bass (cuz for guitar there are plenty ...but not for bass) i would be very grateful

  • i luv u man, ur passin ur knowledge fo good (: very nice

  • Thank you very much! I do love this :)

    George

  • WATCH THIS

    watch?v=suDxISFa9bg

  • Im not to good at learning chords or even remembering them.

  • "We are what we think."

    Just take it a step at a time, for example learn only the first two notes of a chord by shape, sound and name. You will already have progressed.

    George

  • I can't really work out which frets your pressing with each of your fingers from this video... it would be fantastic if you could spend more time showing the chord formation or put a tab in the side bar?

  • Hello Kate

    Just use the 12th fret (the two position markers) as a guide and pause the video wherever necessary.

    These chord shapes are movable, so it does not matter exactly where you play them.

    (My apologies for any omissions - this was my first You Tube video.)

    Bass of Luck!

    George

    P.S. I rarely use tabs, simply because the ear is more useful than the eye in music.

  • is ther a note where you strum 2 strings at once???

  • I'm not sure what you mean. Please rephrase your question.

    Thanks for your involvement.

    George

  • In the song adams song by blink182 the bassist strums 2 strings and i was having problems doing it

  • Strumming is exactly as the word implies: You strum across the strings very quickly (almost simultaneously).

    In this video I am plucking the strings.

    George

  • can you show the chords in a video with just chords

  • Hi Mate ! I have posted some new bass lesson videos which covers playing the major scale modes-chords in position...a good follow -on to this lessons. You rock mate...hope all is well. Cheers