TUNING IN
[ THE EVER-NEEDED BASS WALK | Mitch Bohannon ]
Do you play or lead without a band on solo this bass-note-walk from “A” to “G#” to “F#” E/G# | A? Look at the song “Always” by Kristian
acoustic guitar? Do you find that you lose the works really well. The progression in the pre- Stanfill. The chorus starts with a long “A” chord
effective movement that can take place with a chorus and chorus is the same with an “E” and then begins to move on “I will not fear.”
full band? I’ve recently written about the benefit instead of a “G#” bass note for the “E-chord.” These are powerful words in the song and need
of droning notes when playing with the Short- That change alone makes the “G#” more the support of the music to help emphasize
Cut capo. Also, in the archive issues of Worship effective and needed because it sets the pre- that lift. The progression F#m | E/G# | A makes
Musician, you can find articles about playing chorus and chorus apart and gives them both that happen.
melody and lead lines with it. more power.
While you’re trying this out, like I mentioned
There are times that the drone needs to be Playing in different keys? Look at the song, above, try playing the progression both forward
broken up with some movement. It’s really “Your Grace Finds Me” by Matt Redman in the A | E/G# | F#m and in reverse… F#m | E/G#
cool when you get to have a bass player who key of “Bb.” I play it with a full capo on fret 1 | A and listen to the changes. Wrap that up by
can make that happen. But even if you have a and the Short-Cut capo on fret 3. This moves going to the “B” and “E” chord shapes. Try it in
player bringing in the low notes, it’s also good everything UP one half-step, changing the different key positions like in “Your Grace Finds
to be able to make that happen on the guitar “A” to a “Bb.” The chorus opens up with the Me” with the capos at frets 1 and 3… try 2 and
first, and then pass the movement to the bass same progression Bb | F/A | G#m (which is A | 4 (like the photo below) or 3 and 5… listen to
(or to the keys) when the song builds. E/G# | F#m). For this song, it’s at the power of the movement and see what you hear. You may
the chorus and played full instead of a lighter find just what your songs have been needing!
Let’s look at three chords first. “A,” “E/G#,” finger-style. Same chords, different approach…
and “F#m.” [Figure 1] This is a bass walk or equal impact.
movement that can go either way…up or
down. Playing this progression without the
What about the opposite progression F#m |
Mitch Bohannon
Developed the Short-Cut Capo for Kyser. Worship
Leader in Louisiana. Married to his beautiful
wife, Noelle, for 23 years and they have three
awesome kids.
Short-Cut capo is just not as effective, in my
opinion, as playing with one. The desire is for
those bass notes (A, G#, F#) to all come from
the 6 th string…the lowest note on the guitar.
Being that all of these shapes are two-finger
chords with the Short-Cut capo is a bonus! It’s
really easy.
Here’s some application. Take the song “Forever
(We Sing Hallelujah)” that you know from Bethel
and Kari Jobe. The first three chords are A |
E/G# | F#m. Whether or not you’re playing with
the tracks, a nice finger-style approach using
the Short-Cut capo with the chords resting on
Figure 1
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April 2018
WorshipMusician.com