A good understanding of bass chords construction is a must for all bass guitarists to be able to create bass parts. All chords are based upon formulas. These formulas relate to the major scale. This article is a brief explanation on how we teach these chords in our bass guitar lessons at Do Re Mi Studios.
Major Chord Construction
A major scale is made up of 8 notes. These 8 notes are referred to as scale degrees. To construct a major chord, we use the I-III-V degrees of a major scale. Below are the notes of the C major scale. The notes that make up C major chord are C (I), E (III) and G (V)
Below is the C major scale on the bass guitar fretboard:
And here are the notes of the C major chord on the bass guitar:
Let’s look at another example: Below is the G major scale. The notes that make up chord G major are G (I), B, (III) and D (V).
Below is the G major scale on the bass guitar:
And here is the G major chord notes on the bass guitar:
Minor Chord Construction
The difference between a major chord and a minor chord is that we flatten the 3rd degree (i.e. we play the 3rd degree a semitone lower). Therefore, the minor chord formula consists of I-bIII (flattened 3rd)-V degrees of a major scale.
Below are the notes of the C minor chord on the bass guitar:
And here is the G minor chord notes on the bass guitar:
7th Chord Construction
You create a 7th chord by adding a flattened 7th degree to a major chord. Thus, 7th chord formula is I, III, V and bVII.
Below are the notes of a 7th chord on the bass guitar with the root (i.e. scale degree I) starting on the 4th string:
Below are the notes of a 7th chord on the bass guitar with the root (i.e. scale degree I) starting on the 3rd string:
Major 7th Chord
The major 7th chord formula is I-III-V-VII.
Below are the notes of a Major 7th chord on the bass guitar with the root on the 4th string:
And here are the notes of a Major 7th chord on the bass guitar with the root on the 3rd string:
Minor 7th Chord
The minor 7th chord formula is I-bIII-V-bVII.
Below are the notes of a Minor 7th chord on the bass guitar with the root on the 4th string:
And here are the notes of a Minor 7th chord on the bass guitar with the root on the 3rd string:
Suspended 4th Chord
The suspended 4th chord formula is I-IV-V.
Below are the notes of a suspended 4th chord on the bass guitar with the root on the 4th string. The octave (scale degree VIII) has been added:
And here are the notes of a suspended 4th chord on the bass guitar with the root on the 3rd string:
9th Chord
A 9th chord is an extension of a 7th chord. The formula is I-III-V-bVII-IX
Below are the notes of a 9th chord on the bass guitar with the root on the 4th string:
The bass chords construction examples in this article are the most common ones found in pop and rock music. To learn more about chord formulas click here.