|
Chords - An Introduction |
||
Note – This column takes it for granted that you are a right-handed player. Being a solo instrumentalist, it makes financial sense to take care of as many of the parts as possible myself on my compositions. Over the years, I’ve learnt how to play keyboards and learnt how to programme a number of drum machines but although I’ve owned 3 guitars (two electric’s and one acoustic), my heart has never really been in that particular instrument and so, when I require a guitar solo on one of my pieces, I hire an axeman to come in to do the necessary parts which usually includes a rhythm track. There are, however, occasions when I don’t require a guitar solo so I use my bass in place of the rhythm guitar to ‘flesh out the sound’ a bit. Just bear in mind a few things before you embark on chordal playing. Guitarists and keyboard players have got much more experience than us guys when it comes to playing chords so listen to any advice that they’re willing to offer you. Another thing is that two guys playing chords together in a band can sound awful if things aren’t arranged properly. You will probably find it’s better for the guitarist and/or keyboard player to be playing single notes when you’re doing your chordal thing which, by the way, is known as comping (short for accompanying). Right Hand Techniques There are various right hand techniques that can be utilised when executing chords on the bass. Plectrum players will need to adjust their technique only slightly from striking one string at a time to striking 4 strings at once. For finger style players (like myself) the techniques are varied and some would argue, more challenging. One technique involves a down-stroke of the thumb on the bass string of the chord (usually the E or A string) while simultaneously plucking the higher strings. Carlo favours this technique and I’m sure, if you ask him nicely, he’ll be only too happy to give you a demonstration. Being a fully paid up member of Bass Hooligans Inc., I favour the far less subtle approach of ‘thwacking’ the strings with the back of my fingers, allowing the fingernails of the middle, ring and little fingers to rake over the strings for a much more percussive attack similar to the technique that Stanley Clarke uses. There is also the technique of strumming the strings with the thumb but this technique isn’t so widely used – many players feel there’s no place for it in today’s music. There is another technique – Tapping – but I’m going to talk about this approach next month as it involves both left hand and right hand hitting the fretboard at the same time and I don’t want to get into the ‘holding the strings down on the fretboard’ bit just yet. Position of the left-hand fingers How many of you have been in this situation? You’re in the rehearsing studio with the band and you’re having a short smoke break when the guitarist says ”let me show you how to play chords on your bass”. He then proceeds to take up the classic barre chord position somewhere down towards the nut and then strums the strings and creates a noise that can only be described as sonic mud. This is definitely NOT the way to play chords on the bass. Guitars and Basses may look similar but they’re very different beasts and the approach must vary between the two instruments. The best way to approach bass chords is to play them higher up the neck – anywhere around the 12th fret area is ideal from a sound and clarity aspect. Too far down the neck and the sound is muddy, too high and the chord doesn’t sustain anywhere near long enough to be of any use. My personal preference is from the 9th fret to the 17th fret but this can vary from bass to bass and from tune to tune. As mentioned in my Alternatives column, I have a Cort Artisan Bass that is tuned E through C and it’s this bass that I favour for playing chords – the sound is a little inferior to that of my Warwick Streamer but the high C string enables me to play chords that are much closer in sound to a guitar chord than a conventionally stringed four string will give you. This doesn’t mean that you can’t use a conventionally stringed four string bass – on the contrary – the sound you’ll get is much darker and is ideal for a wide number of musical styles. The ‘jangly’ kind of chords I go for compliment my music – it’s just a personal preference and it’s very definitely not to everyone’s taste – many bass players opting for the chordal approach prefer their sound to be far from that of a guitar –its an identity thing - Colin ‘bomber’ Hodgkinson is probably the best chordal bass player in the entire universe and beyond and he just plays a conventionally tuned fender bass for his dazzling and mind blowing exploits. I saw Colin performing with his band Back Door at the Marquee club in 1976 and to see a master chordal player at work was one of the true highlights of my life!!!!! Next month we’ll continue our study of chordal playing. |
||
