Chords for Reggae Bass Lesson - #7 Modern Triads - Andrew Ford
Tempo:
142.6 bpm
Chords used:
A
E
D
F#
C#
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Okay, here we have a triad approach to playing reggae bass.
Basically we're just
going to use the 1, 3, and 5.
We're going to use a rhythmic approach, be
sparse, but be melodic.
But you can get a lot of mileage out of just using the 1,
3, and 5.
You might think of that as being dumbed down or simple, but using
different octaves, different rhythms, it can become a nice reggae bass line that
feels good and is appropriate for the groove.
Let's try a couple examples.
[D]
[E] [A]
[F#]
[D] [E] [A]
[D]
[E] [A]
[D] [E] [A]
[D] [E]
Okay, this approach, like I said, is just using the triads, the simple 1, 3, and 5
of each chord.
This is over a 1, 4, 5, kind of like Bob Marley's Stir It Up or
hundreds of other songs.
But in the first bar of example 1, [A] we're starting on
the root, [C#] go to the 3, the major third, [E] to the 5, [A] [C#] [E] [A]
back to the root.
In the second bar,
we're going to start with the major third [F#] of D, which makes it a little more
melodic when we do that.
We're starting on the 3 instead of the 1.
So [D] we're
[F#] playing that a little more muted, [A] instead of, [D]
[E] you [F#] know, makes it sing a
little bit better.
[A] [D] [A]
[D] [F#] Okay, so we're starting with the 3 [A] to the [D] 5 of D, then to the
root.
[D#] And then in the E chord, the last chord, it's [E] gonna be the root, [B] to the 5,
[G#] to the 3.
[E] [G#m] All 1, 3, 5s for that whole example there.
In the second example,
pretty much the same thing, just root, third, and fifth.
Get a lot of mileage out
of that.
Okay, also in this one, you'll notice the use of different rhythms
besides just straight quarter notes or eighth notes.
We've got some 16th note
rhythms going on.
In the first [A] bar, [C#]
[E] in that 16th note, [A]
[C#] [E] [A]
[A#] [A]
[D] go back to a couple [F#] of
[D] eighths and a quarter in the [F] second bar, then again [A] with the 16th notes.
So we're
mixing in the eighths and sixteenths and quarters to kind of make a diverse
rhythmic groove.
So with those triads, we're using the different rhythms to
spice up the triads, as I was talking about earlier, to make them so they're
not boring.
They're not just, [E]
[C#] we're using different rhythms, you know, different
note lengths.
You know, actually with the right hand also, I'm kind of, you know,
muting a little bit, either with the second finger or even with the
left hand.
So [E]
[A] [E] [A]
whatever rhythm, different muting techniques you can use in
there.
Like I said, I use some with the left hand where I mute with the strings
that aren't playing, that aren't being used to finger other notes.
With the
right hand also, I'll sometimes play with the first finger and mute with the
second one.
But there's no hard and fast rules.
However, you can mute
the note to get that sound out.
You know, play it shorter.
[C#] [E] [A]
[C#] [A] You know, use your other fingers.
Like I said, you can use a variety of different
muting methods.
In the second example, what we do is, the first thing, you know,
is we don't start on the downbeat on beat one.
It comes in on an upbeat.
One,
two, three, four, one.
[E] You know, [F#] so you're dropping one, in essence.
[A]
But still using
the triad, the basic triad.
[C#]
[A] Start on the root, a couple [C#] roots, major [A] third, back to
the root, [C#]
major [E] third, to five.
One, three, five.
Again though, we spice it up with the
different sixteenth note rhythms in there, mixed with the eighth note rhythms,
and starting on that upbeat kind of really gives this one its flavor.
In the
second half of that bar, [A] [F#] [E] [G#]
[A#] still just triads.
[A] You know, we start on the five,
which makes it a little more melodic, that D chord.
[D] Go down to [F#] the root, F sharp,
F sharp there.
[A] [F#]
[E] Then just a straight triad.
[G] Like I said, what [A] makes it cool, what
makes it sing a little better, and makes them a little more appropriate for the
style, is those rhythms that are mixed in.
You know, the note lengths, not having
that, [E] [B]
that [D] sounds a little boring.
A little more play.
[F#]
[E] [F] You know, a little more
skippy.
It skips a little, you know, a little more bounce to it.
That type of
thing.
So, a lot can be done with triads.
If you use different rhythm combinations,
different octaves, start playing off of one, do different things to make the
Basically we're just
going to use the 1, 3, and 5.
We're going to use a rhythmic approach, be
sparse, but be melodic.
But you can get a lot of mileage out of just using the 1,
3, and 5.
You might think of that as being dumbed down or simple, but using
different octaves, different rhythms, it can become a nice reggae bass line that
feels good and is appropriate for the groove.
Let's try a couple examples.
[D]
[E] [A]
[F#]
[D] [E] [A]
[D]
[E] [A]
[D] [E] [A]
[D] [E]
Okay, this approach, like I said, is just using the triads, the simple 1, 3, and 5
of each chord.
This is over a 1, 4, 5, kind of like Bob Marley's Stir It Up or
hundreds of other songs.
But in the first bar of example 1, [A] we're starting on
the root, [C#] go to the 3, the major third, [E] to the 5, [A] [C#] [E] [A]
back to the root.
In the second bar,
we're going to start with the major third [F#] of D, which makes it a little more
melodic when we do that.
We're starting on the 3 instead of the 1.
So [D] we're
[F#] playing that a little more muted, [A] instead of, [D]
[E] you [F#] know, makes it sing a
little bit better.
[A] [D] [A]
[D] [F#] Okay, so we're starting with the 3 [A] to the [D] 5 of D, then to the
root.
[D#] And then in the E chord, the last chord, it's [E] gonna be the root, [B] to the 5,
[G#] to the 3.
[E] [G#m] All 1, 3, 5s for that whole example there.
In the second example,
pretty much the same thing, just root, third, and fifth.
Get a lot of mileage out
of that.
Okay, also in this one, you'll notice the use of different rhythms
besides just straight quarter notes or eighth notes.
We've got some 16th note
rhythms going on.
In the first [A] bar, [C#]
[E] in that 16th note, [A]
[C#] [E] [A]
[A#] [A]
[D] go back to a couple [F#] of
[D] eighths and a quarter in the [F] second bar, then again [A] with the 16th notes.
So we're
mixing in the eighths and sixteenths and quarters to kind of make a diverse
rhythmic groove.
So with those triads, we're using the different rhythms to
spice up the triads, as I was talking about earlier, to make them so they're
not boring.
They're not just, [E]
[C#] we're using different rhythms, you know, different
note lengths.
You know, actually with the right hand also, I'm kind of, you know,
muting a little bit, either with the second finger or even with the
left hand.
So [E]
[A] [E] [A]
whatever rhythm, different muting techniques you can use in
there.
Like I said, I use some with the left hand where I mute with the strings
that aren't playing, that aren't being used to finger other notes.
With the
right hand also, I'll sometimes play with the first finger and mute with the
second one.
But there's no hard and fast rules.
However, you can mute
the note to get that sound out.
You know, play it shorter.
[C#] [E] [A]
[C#] [A] You know, use your other fingers.
Like I said, you can use a variety of different
muting methods.
In the second example, what we do is, the first thing, you know,
is we don't start on the downbeat on beat one.
It comes in on an upbeat.
One,
two, three, four, one.
[E] You know, [F#] so you're dropping one, in essence.
[A]
But still using
the triad, the basic triad.
[C#]
[A] Start on the root, a couple [C#] roots, major [A] third, back to
the root, [C#]
major [E] third, to five.
One, three, five.
Again though, we spice it up with the
different sixteenth note rhythms in there, mixed with the eighth note rhythms,
and starting on that upbeat kind of really gives this one its flavor.
In the
second half of that bar, [A] [F#] [E] [G#]
[A#] still just triads.
[A] You know, we start on the five,
which makes it a little more melodic, that D chord.
[D] Go down to [F#] the root, F sharp,
F sharp there.
[A] [F#]
[E] Then just a straight triad.
[G] Like I said, what [A] makes it cool, what
makes it sing a little better, and makes them a little more appropriate for the
style, is those rhythms that are mixed in.
You know, the note lengths, not having
that, [E] [B]
that [D] sounds a little boring.
A little more play.
[F#]
[E] [F] You know, a little more
skippy.
It skips a little, you know, a little more bounce to it.
That type of
thing.
So, a lot can be done with triads.
If you use different rhythm combinations,
different octaves, start playing off of one, do different things to make the
Key:
A
E
D
F#
C#
A
E
D
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Okay, here we have a triad approach to playing reggae bass. _
Basically we're just
going to use the 1, 3, and 5.
We're going to use a rhythmic approach, be
sparse, but be melodic.
But you can get a lot of mileage out of just using the 1,
3, and 5.
You might think of that as being dumbed down or simple, _ but using
different octaves, _ different rhythms, _ it can become a nice _ reggae bass line that
feels good and is appropriate for the groove.
_ Let's try a couple examples. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F#] _
[D] _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ Okay, this approach, like I said, is just using the triads, the simple 1, 3, and 5
of each chord.
This is over a 1, _ 4, 5, kind of like Bob Marley's Stir It Up or
hundreds of other songs.
But in the first bar of example 1, [A] _ we're starting on
the root, _ _ _ [C#] go to the 3, the major third, _ [E] _ _ _ to the 5, [A] _ _ [C#] _ _ [E] _ _ [A]
back to the root.
In the second bar,
we're going to start with the major third [F#] of D, which makes it a little more
melodic when we do that.
We're starting on the 3 instead of the 1.
_ So [D] _ we're
[F#] playing that a little more muted, _ [A] _ instead of, _ [D] _
_ _ _ _ _ [E] you [F#] know, makes it sing a
little bit better.
[A] _ [D] _ _ _ [A] _
[D] _ _ _ [F#] Okay, so we're starting with the 3 [A] to the [D] 5 of D, then to the
root.
_ _ _ [D#] _ And then in the E chord, the last chord, _ it's [E] gonna be the root, _ _ _ [B] to the 5, _
[G#] to the 3.
[E] _ [G#m] _ All 1, 3, 5s for that whole example there.
In the second example,
pretty much the same thing, just root, third, and fifth.
Get a lot of mileage out
of that.
Okay, also in this one, you'll notice the use of different rhythms
besides just straight quarter notes or eighth notes.
We've got some 16th note
rhythms going on.
_ In the first [A] bar, _ [C#] _ _
[E] _ _ in that 16th note, _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ [C#] _ [E] _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ [A#] _ _ _ _ [A] _
[D] go back to a couple [F#] of
[D] eighths and a quarter in the [F] second bar, then again [A] with the 16th notes.
So we're
mixing in the eighths and sixteenths and quarters to kind of make a diverse
rhythmic groove.
So with those triads, _ we're using the different rhythms to
spice up the triads, as I was talking about earlier, to make them so they're
not boring.
They're not just, _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ [C#] we're using different rhythms, you know, different
note lengths.
You know, actually with the right hand also, I'm kind of, you know, _
muting a little bit, either with the second finger or even with the
left hand. _
So _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
[A] _ _ _ [E] _ _ [A] _ _ _
whatever rhythm, different muting techniques you can use in
there.
Like I said, I use some with the left hand where I mute with the strings
that aren't playing, that aren't being used to finger other notes.
With the
right hand also, I'll sometimes play with the first finger and mute with the
second one.
_ But there's no hard and fast rules.
_ However, you can mute
the note to get that sound out.
_ _ You know, play it shorter. _ _
_ _ [C#] _ _ [E] _ [A] _ _ _
[C#] _ _ _ [A] _ _ You know, use your other fingers.
Like I said, you can use a variety of different
muting methods.
_ In the second example, _ what we do is, the first thing, you know,
is we don't start on the downbeat on beat one.
It comes in on an upbeat.
_ _ _ One,
two, three, four, one.
_ _ [E] You know, [F#] so you're dropping one, in essence.
_ [A] _ _ _
But still using
the triad, the basic triad.
[C#] _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ Start on the root, _ a couple [C#] roots, major [A] third, back to
the root, _ _ _ _ _ [C#]
major [E] third, to five.
One, three, five. _
Again though, we spice it up with the
different sixteenth note rhythms in there, _ mixed with the eighth note rhythms,
_ and starting on that upbeat kind of really gives this one its flavor.
_ In the
second half of that bar, [A] _ _ _ [F#] _ [E] _ _ [G#] _
_ [A#] still just triads.
[A] You know, we start on the five,
which makes it a little more melodic, that D chord.
_ _ [D] _ _ Go down to [F#] the root, F sharp,
F sharp there.
[A] _ _ _ [F#] _
_ [E] Then just a straight triad. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] Like I said, what [A] makes it cool, what
makes it sing a little better, and makes them a little more appropriate for the
style, is those rhythms that are mixed in.
You know, the note lengths, not having
that, _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ [B]
that [D] sounds a little boring.
A little more play.
_ [F#] _
[E] _ _ _ _ [F] You know, a little more
skippy.
It skips a little, you know, a little more bounce to it.
That type of
thing.
So, a lot can be done with triads.
_ If you use different rhythm combinations,
_ _ different octaves, _ _ start playing off of one, do different things to make the
_ _ _ _ Okay, here we have a triad approach to playing reggae bass. _
Basically we're just
going to use the 1, 3, and 5.
We're going to use a rhythmic approach, be
sparse, but be melodic.
But you can get a lot of mileage out of just using the 1,
3, and 5.
You might think of that as being dumbed down or simple, _ but using
different octaves, _ different rhythms, _ it can become a nice _ reggae bass line that
feels good and is appropriate for the groove.
_ Let's try a couple examples. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F#] _
[D] _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ Okay, this approach, like I said, is just using the triads, the simple 1, 3, and 5
of each chord.
This is over a 1, _ 4, 5, kind of like Bob Marley's Stir It Up or
hundreds of other songs.
But in the first bar of example 1, [A] _ we're starting on
the root, _ _ _ [C#] go to the 3, the major third, _ [E] _ _ _ to the 5, [A] _ _ [C#] _ _ [E] _ _ [A]
back to the root.
In the second bar,
we're going to start with the major third [F#] of D, which makes it a little more
melodic when we do that.
We're starting on the 3 instead of the 1.
_ So [D] _ we're
[F#] playing that a little more muted, _ [A] _ instead of, _ [D] _
_ _ _ _ _ [E] you [F#] know, makes it sing a
little bit better.
[A] _ [D] _ _ _ [A] _
[D] _ _ _ [F#] Okay, so we're starting with the 3 [A] to the [D] 5 of D, then to the
root.
_ _ _ [D#] _ And then in the E chord, the last chord, _ it's [E] gonna be the root, _ _ _ [B] to the 5, _
[G#] to the 3.
[E] _ [G#m] _ All 1, 3, 5s for that whole example there.
In the second example,
pretty much the same thing, just root, third, and fifth.
Get a lot of mileage out
of that.
Okay, also in this one, you'll notice the use of different rhythms
besides just straight quarter notes or eighth notes.
We've got some 16th note
rhythms going on.
_ In the first [A] bar, _ [C#] _ _
[E] _ _ in that 16th note, _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ [C#] _ [E] _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ [A#] _ _ _ _ [A] _
[D] go back to a couple [F#] of
[D] eighths and a quarter in the [F] second bar, then again [A] with the 16th notes.
So we're
mixing in the eighths and sixteenths and quarters to kind of make a diverse
rhythmic groove.
So with those triads, _ we're using the different rhythms to
spice up the triads, as I was talking about earlier, to make them so they're
not boring.
They're not just, _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ [C#] we're using different rhythms, you know, different
note lengths.
You know, actually with the right hand also, I'm kind of, you know, _
muting a little bit, either with the second finger or even with the
left hand. _
So _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
[A] _ _ _ [E] _ _ [A] _ _ _
whatever rhythm, different muting techniques you can use in
there.
Like I said, I use some with the left hand where I mute with the strings
that aren't playing, that aren't being used to finger other notes.
With the
right hand also, I'll sometimes play with the first finger and mute with the
second one.
_ But there's no hard and fast rules.
_ However, you can mute
the note to get that sound out.
_ _ You know, play it shorter. _ _
_ _ [C#] _ _ [E] _ [A] _ _ _
[C#] _ _ _ [A] _ _ You know, use your other fingers.
Like I said, you can use a variety of different
muting methods.
_ In the second example, _ what we do is, the first thing, you know,
is we don't start on the downbeat on beat one.
It comes in on an upbeat.
_ _ _ One,
two, three, four, one.
_ _ [E] You know, [F#] so you're dropping one, in essence.
_ [A] _ _ _
But still using
the triad, the basic triad.
[C#] _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ Start on the root, _ a couple [C#] roots, major [A] third, back to
the root, _ _ _ _ _ [C#]
major [E] third, to five.
One, three, five. _
Again though, we spice it up with the
different sixteenth note rhythms in there, _ mixed with the eighth note rhythms,
_ and starting on that upbeat kind of really gives this one its flavor.
_ In the
second half of that bar, [A] _ _ _ [F#] _ [E] _ _ [G#] _
_ [A#] still just triads.
[A] You know, we start on the five,
which makes it a little more melodic, that D chord.
_ _ [D] _ _ Go down to [F#] the root, F sharp,
F sharp there.
[A] _ _ _ [F#] _
_ [E] Then just a straight triad. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] Like I said, what [A] makes it cool, what
makes it sing a little better, and makes them a little more appropriate for the
style, is those rhythms that are mixed in.
You know, the note lengths, not having
that, _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ [B]
that [D] sounds a little boring.
A little more play.
_ [F#] _
[E] _ _ _ _ [F] You know, a little more
skippy.
It skips a little, you know, a little more bounce to it.
That type of
thing.
So, a lot can be done with triads.
_ If you use different rhythm combinations,
_ _ different octaves, _ _ start playing off of one, do different things to make the