From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals

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Changing the bass note of a chord

Changing the bass note of a chord

From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals

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Changing the bass note of a chord

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- Thus far we've explored the ways we can voice the chord progressions by taking the three notes of a triad and moving them the smallest distance possible to achieve other chords. This method treats each voice of a harmony as if it's a melody. There is one voice we haven't used this technique with and that's the bass voice. I've already introduced the concept of doubling the root of a triad to create a bass part as a function of voicing. Typically in popular music, this bass part is played by an electric bass, acoustic bass, or a synth. It can also be played by other instruments that occupy this register, like the tuba and brass ensembles or the bass singer in four-part vocal harmony. In the instance of a singer-songwriter accompanying him or herself on guitar or piano, the bass part is typically included in the voicings of the chords, much like I've been demonstrating with my left hand thus far. In Western…

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