Canadian Musician - November-December 2022 | Page 60

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Using different Bass Notes for Harmonic Variety

By Mike Downes

With great power comes great responsibility .”

One of the main roles of a bassist in any group , in any style , is to provide the foundation for the harmonic progression of a piece of music . The lowest frequency ( bass note ) of a given chord defines the meaning of the chord . That ’ s why bassists are often required to play roots and fifths ( the bottom parts of a chord ). However , great bassists know that they can play much more than just the given roots and fifths of a given set of chords . In fact , the bass notes you choose can drastically change the sound and vibe of any chord progression .
Let ’ s start by examining how the bass note you choose affects harmony . Imagine that the guitarist or keyboardist in your band plays a root position B♭ major triad like this :
As a bassist , if you play a B♭ under that triad , the resulting chord is still a B♭ major triad . The lowest note is the root ( 1 ) and that means the triad is heard from bottom to top as root ( 1 ), major third ( 3 ), and fifth ( 5 ). The chord symbol is indicated above .
Now that you hear how this works , let ’ s imagine one of your bandmates brings in a new tune and gives you this chord progression :
You could , of course , play the roots in your bass line and leave the chord progression as-is . However , by understanding how your bass notes can re-define chords , you might find a more interesting sound by exploring some options . Below are two of many options available to you . Note the resulting chords , even though nothing changes in the treble clef staves . Both options create a different feel and vibe . Again , I recommend playing these on a keyboard :
However , what happens if you choose some different bass notes under that same triad ? As you can see , each different bass note changes the meaning of the triad on top and changes the chord . I have indicated the chord structures using numbers ( 1 is always the root , then the other numbers relate to the given root ). I have also indicated the new resulting chord symbols :
I hope you ’ ll experiment with different bass notes on any progressions you encounter in the future . You might come up with something magical that brings a chord progression to life . This is where your musicality will come in . Always keep in mind that just because you can change a chord doesn ’ t mean you should . Back to “ with great power comes great responsibility .” Happy experimenting !
As you can see , it ’ s incredible the difference a bass note makes ! I highly recommend playing these examples on a keyboard so you can hear each chord . There are more notes that “ work ” under a B♭ triad , and you can experiment with those too .
Note that if you choose one of the existing notes of the triad as the bass note ( other than the root ), we ’ ll still hear it as a B♭ triad , but in first or second inversion :
Mike Downes has been a prominent fixture both within the Canadian music scene and abroad , praised for his limitless versatility , seemingly effortless technique , and not only his extensive knowledge of the bass , but of the foundation of music . His extensive discography includes his own Juno Award-winning recordings Ripple Effect ( 2014 ) and Root Structure ( 2018 ), along with multiple recordings as a side musician . www . mikedownes . com .
60 CANADIAN MUSICIAN