The chords in
a major key
A visual relationship
The bass is a very visual instrument.
We learn to play arpeggios and scales as shapes and patterns.
So you can also use this visual aspect to learn how the chords
in a major key relate to each other. Just like you can learn a
fingering for a major scale, and then move it up and down the
neck to change keys. When you play chords on the bass most of
the time they are in the form of arpeggios. An arpeggio is just
the notes of a chord played one at a time rather than simultaneously.
Chords
in relationship the I chord on the 4th string
As an example, lets use the key of
A. You are going to play some basic arpeggios in the key centering
around a major arpeggio with the root on the 4th string.
Below are the chords in the key of
A.
|
I
|
IIm
|
IIIm
|
IV
|
V
|
VIm
|
VIIo
|
|
A
|
Bm
|
C#m
|
D
|
E
|
F#m
|
G#o
|
Here is a basic A major scale fingering. What you are going to
be playing are basic arpeggios with the root on the 4th and 3rd
strings, so I have highlighted those notes in red.
So once you learn how to play the arpeggios in the key of A major,
you could just move everything up 2 frets and play in the key
of B major.
|------|------|--2---|------|--3---|--4---|------|------|-1st
|------|------|--6---|------|--7---|--1---|------|------|
|------|------|--3---|--4---|------|--5---|------|------|
|------|------|------|--1---|------|--2---|------|------|-4th
| | | |
3rd fret 5th
fret 7th fret 9th
fret
Now play the corresponding arpeggios starting on each of the
5 notes.
|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|-1st
|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|
|------|------|-IIIm-|--IV--|------|--V---|------|------|
|------|------|------|--I---|------|--IIm-|------|------|-4th
| | | |
3rd fret 5th
fret 7th fret 9th
fret
Arpeggios
built from the first 5 notes of an A major scale
(the numbers indicate the fingering)
| I |
|---|---|---|---|
-1st string
|---|---|---|-4-|
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|-2-|---|---| -4th string
|
5th fret |
| IIm |
|---|---|---|---|
-1st string
|---|---|-3-|---|
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-| -4th string
|
7th fret |
| IIIm |
|---|---|-3-|---|
-1st string
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|---|---|---| -4th string
|
4th fret |
| IV |
|---|---|---|-4-|
-1st string
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|-2-|---|---|
|---|---|---|---| -4th string
|
5th fret |
| V |
|---|---|---|-4-|
-1st string
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|-2-|---|---|
|---|---|---|---| -4th string
|
7th fret |
Those 5 arpeggios are the easiest to visualize in relationship
to the basic major scale. But in addition to these 5, we want
to learn where all of the possibilities are within 4 frets of
that A on the 4th string. A major scale consists of half steps
(1 fret) and whole steps (2 frets), and those half steps fall between
the 3rd and 4th degrees of the scale, and the 7th and 8th (or
7 going back to 1). So with this knowledge you can find where
the other possibilities are in relationship to the 5 that we already
have.
|---|---|-3-|---|
-1st string
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|---|---|---| -4th string
|
2nd fret |
The IIm chord is 2 frets lower
than the IIIm chord on the 3rd string. So you can also play
the Bm arpeggio with the root on the 3rd string at the 2nd
fret. |
|---|---|---|---|
-1st string
|---|---|-3-|---|
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-| -4th string
|
9th fret |
The IIIm chord is 2 frets higher
than the IIm chord on the 4th string. |
|---|---|-3-|---|
-1st string
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|---|---|---| -4th string
|
7th fret |
The VIm chord is 2 frets higher
than the V chord on the 3rd string. |
|---|---|---|---|
-1st string
|---|---|-3-|---|
|---|-2-|---|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-| -4th string
|
4th fret |
The VIIo chord would
be 1 fret lower than the I chord on the 4th string. |
|---|---|---|---|
-1st string
|---|---|-3-|---|
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-| -4th string
|
2nd fret |
The VIm chord is 2 frets lower
than the VIIo chord on the 4th string. |
This now gives you all of the chord functions in relationship
the I chord with the root on the 4th string.
|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|-1st
|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|------|
|-IIm--|------|-IIIm-|--IV--|------|--V---|------|-VIm--|
|-VIm--|------|-VIIo-|--I---|------|--IIm-|------|-IIIm-|-4th
| | | |
3rd fret 5th
fret 7th fret 9th
fret
Basic
arpeggios in the key of A
| I |
|---|---|---|---|
-1st
|---|---|---|-4-|
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|-2-|---|---| -4th
|
5th fret |
|
| IIm |
|---|---|---|---|
-1st
|---|---|-3-|---|
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-| -4th
|
7th fret |
|---|---|-3-|---|
-1st
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|---|---|---| -4th
|
2nd fret |
| IIIm |
|---|---|-3-|---|
-1st
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|---|---|---| -4th
|
4th fret |
|---|---|---|---|
-1st
|---|---|-3-|---|
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-| -4th
|
9th fret |
| IV |
|---|---|---|-4-|
-1st
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|-2-|---|---|
|---|---|---|---| -4th
|
5th fret |
|
| V |
|---|---|---|-4-|
-1st
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|-2-|---|---|
|---|---|---|---| -4th
|
7th fret |
|
| VI |
|---|---|-3-|---|
-1st
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|---|---|---| -4th
|
7th fret |
|---|---|---|---|
-1st
|---|---|-3-|---|
|---|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-| -4th
|
2nd fret |
| VIIo |
|---|---|---|---|
-1st
|---|---|-3-|---|
|---|-2-|---|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-| -4th
|
4th fret |
|
Here are a few of common chord progressions to test out your
new found knowledge on. Try and think generically about the chords.
Meaning don't think about a chord/arpeggio as C#m or Bm, think
about it as IIIm and IIm
I IV
V I
I VIm
IIm V I
IIIm
VIm IIm V I
Page 2, Basic chords and functions in all of the major keys
Page 4, A visual
relationship of the chords in a major key, I chord on the 3rd
string 
Major
key harmony jump zone
|
