Bass Guitar Chords for Beginners

The key to become a good musician is not only to learn to play musical instruments but to think music and all of its related aspects beyond limits. Simply think about the chords or beats, even if you are not playing them on actual musical instruments. - Author

You can never demote a bass player to anything lower than an integral part of the band, regardless of the band's genre. If a song does not have bass sound as a backup, it will sound more empty than a song with a bass line. Just like the electric guitar, the bass guitar has also inspired many guitarists to learn this awesome instrument. Aspiring bassists need to understand that the very first step in learning to play the bass is to get to know the notes on a rhythm guitar. Once you are familiar with the notations and chords on an electric or acoustic guitar, you will naturally obtain the understanding to play single notes on the bass guitar. I've noticed there are generally two types of bassists - the ones that move on to the bass from the acoustic or the electric guitar, and the ones that pick up the bass the moment they see it. Both eventually develop different playing styles, each better in some ways than the other. This article is meant for those who are quite good on scales on the bass, but need a place to start off with chords.

Learning Bass Guitar Chords

You can either finger-pluck a bass string (preferred by most bassists) or you can use a bass pick. When it comes to playing the chords, you can switch to the pick if you've been finger-plucking, but the choice still depends on your comfort. There are many creative techniques used on the bass guitar such as slapping, pulling, tapping, etc. While slapping and tapping requires the absence of the pick, your chord play may need one. For the fretting hand, you are typically supposed to hold individual notes on the fretboard, unlike chords in the rhythm guitar. However, professional musicians are proficient in the techniques of using chords on the bass guitar. They have experimented with bass chords for beginners. If you are thinking of playing chords on the bass, remember that the pattern is similar to how you would be playing barre chords on the last four strings on a rhythm guitar. The following explanation will help you understand the fundamentals of bass guitar chords.

String Patterns of Rhythm and Bass Guitar

Standard 6-stringed guitar tuning -

e(1st)----------------------------
B(2nd)---------------------------
G(3rd)---------------------------
D(4th)---------------------------
A(5th)---------------------------
E(6th)----------------------------

Standard bass guitar tuning -

G(3rd)---------------------------
D(4th)---------------------------
A(5th)---------------------------
E(6th)---------------------------

It's simple to notice that the bass only uses the last four notes of the guitar. Therefore the notations on the four strings of the bass guitar are same as the barre chords on the last four strings of the rhythm guitar. Just to brief you about how to read guitar tabs, the numbers on the lines denote the fret on which you are supposed to place the fingertips of the fretting hand. Simply refer to the below tablatures about basic guitar chords on the rhythm as well as bass guitar.

Major Chords on the Bass

'C' Chord

Barre Chord on the Rhythm Guitar

e-------------3------------------
B------------5-------------------
G------------5-------------------
D------------5-------------------
A------------3-------------------
E------------3-------------------

Chord on the Bass Guitar

G-----------5----------------
D-----------5----------------
A-----------3----------------
E----------------------------

'D' Chord

Barre Chord on the Rhythm Guitar

e-------------5-------------------
B------------7-------------------
G------------7-------------------
D------------7-------------------
A------------5-------------------
E------------5-------------------

Chord on the Bass Guitar

G------------7---------------
D------------7---------------
A------------5---------------
E----------------------------

'E' Chord

Barre Chord on the Rhythm Guitar

e-------------7-------------------
B------------9-------------------
G------------9-------------------
D------------9-------------------
A------------7-------------------
E------------7-------------------

Chord on the Bass Guitar

G------------9---------------
D------------9---------------
A------------7---------------
E------------0----------------

'F' Chord

Barre Chord on the Rhythm Guitar

e-------------1-------------------
B------------1-------------------
G------------2-------------------
D------------3-------------------
A------------3-------------------
E------------1-------------------

Chord on the Bass Guitar

G-----------------------------
D-------------3--------------
A-------------3--------------
E-------------1---------------

'G' Chord

Barre Chord on the Rhythm Guitar

e-------------3-------------------
B------------3-------------------
G------------4-------------------
D------------5-------------------
A------------5-------------------
E------------3-------------------

Chord on the Bass Guitar

G-----------------------------
D------------5---------------
A------------5---------------
E------------3----------------

'A' Chord

Barre Chord on the Rhythm Guitar

e------------5-------------------
B----------- 5-------------------
G------------6-------------------
D------------7-------------------
A------------7-------------------
E------------5-------------------

Chord on the Bass Guitar

G-----------------------------
D------------7---------------
A------------7---------------
E------------5----------------

'B' Chord

Barre Chord on the Rhythm Guitar

e-------------2-------------------
B------------4-------------------
G------------4-------------------
D------------4-------------------
A------------2-------------------
E------------2-------------------

Chord on the Bass Guitar

G------------4---------------
D------------4---------------
A------------2---------------
E-----------------------------

You can change chord positions on other strings as well, provided that the notes are correct and in scale. When chords are played on the bass guitar, the sound output turns out to be very high. This is why bass guitar amplifiers used should be powerful enough to handle loud and lowest tones. Also remember that playing chords on the bass guitar demands a lot of practice. One who is familiar with playing barre chords on the electric guitar can easily learn to play chords on the bass.