C major

[Bandit]

Most people play C this way:

--------
--1-----
--------
--2-----
--3-----
--------

I've always added the fifth on the low E string like this:

--------
--1----- first finger
--------
--2----- second
--3----- fourth
--3------ third

I know it's just a small difference, but it sounds better to me.

[Larry F]

Interesting idea presented here. While the low G is a member of the chord, it has some characteristics that make it special. First, if you are playing with a bass player, you run the risk of clashing if he is playing the root. Second, if the bass player is playing a walking bass line, then your G can interfere with that. Third, some theories of tonal music would say that your chord is a G chord, with the other notes being suspensions (C to B, E to D, while G is held) or passing tones (D C B, G F E D, and G still held). I teach my undergrad theory students to label such a chord with the fifth in the bass as a chord a fifth down with the root in the bass. In the context of most common-practice Classical music, this usually makes the most sense.

In the context of playing that chord by yourself, I'd bet you will get a kick out of alternating the C on the fifth string with the G on the 6th string, like a country bass player going dong, dunngh, dong, dunngh, dong, ...

[StuH]

I really like that chord bandit, not knowing any music theory I always called it a C add G.

I really like a varient of it played with just 6-3, 5-3,4-2 and switching to a G with the third note chopped off like a 6-3,5-2

Cool chord whatever it is, love it.

[Tim Bowen]

As for placing the fifth in the bass and not clashing with rhythm sections and such, acoustic rhythm guitars generally sound pretty rich in this regard. I know several singer/songwriter types that routinely choose C/G, and very few guitarists that would choose this voicing by default, other than for the aforementioned root-five alternating "boom-chick", as per pertinent musical genre. As always, choosing other than the root (such as 3rd, 5th, 7th) in the bass is a matter of taste and targeted voice leading. Mandolin voicings often do not contain the root in the lower registers. If it sounds good, it is good.

[Tim Bowen]

double post, sorry.

[Mid Life Crisis]

Sometimes chords sound good even with a major third as the bass note.

An open D chord sounds really full on an acoustic if you fret the F# on the low E string with your thumb, and play all strings (including the open A). It sounds particularly good as a passing chord between Em and G, to get an Em bass melody of E-F#-G.

[Larry F]

Stravinsky considered chords with thirds in the bass as separate entities of their own. A good example is the Em chord with G in bass in Symphony of Psalms.

[Joe-Bob]

From a music theory standpoint, putting the G in the bass of a C chord means you have put the wrong note in the bass. I recommend against it, because it changes the meaning of the chord.

[TwanginTexan]

my god u people sound like rocket scientists lol blows my mind it may as well be japanese

[klasaine]

... be "careful" when playing with others if you decide to put the 5th in bass. It "can", but not always clash with bass, piano, 2nd guitar, etc. As Tim mentioned, on acoustic, you'd probably be fine doing it all the time. On electric - listen and see if it's working.

Dylan almost always plays an F on the 4th string, 3rd fret when he grabs open D minor. Just an interesting observation.

[fakeocaster]

I dont see any problem.Its just doubling the fifth.Its unlikely that the bass player will play an altered 5th against it.I can see the problem in a jazz setting,but no one is going to play an unadorned major chord there anyway

[blue metalflake]

I always played C like that, but I swop the 3rd & 4th fingers over from what Bandit showed.

Works well on the boom chicka, if you alternate 5th and 6th strings as bass.

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by fakeocaster

I dont see any problem.Its just doubling the fifth.

You don't have to believe me, but it changes the meaning of the chord.

This is one of the reasons that people who play instruments like the oboe don't consider guitarists to be musicians...they choose not to learn anything about music.

[Larry F]

Here's a good use for it. Playing in the key of G, play a G C G pattern, leaving the G in the bass. The note C will act like an upper neighbor to B and the note E will act like an upper neighbor to the note D. This treatment implies that the C chord is an embellishment of the G chord.

This is similar to the motion of D D sus4 D that is very common in some styles. Here, the pattern of F# G F# on the first string is like the pattern of B C B on the second string with the example in the previous paragraph. In both cases, the root stays in the bass. Assuming that you regard the C chord in the above paragraph as an embellishment of a G chord.

I'm mentioning this in order to give an idea of how music theorists look at things. There is occasional talk of theory in this forum, but most of that is about scale or chord spelling. The discipline of music theory kicks in when one tries to draw parallels between two different chord patterns, as I did in the preceding two paragraphs. Theorists regard this as important because it offers an interpretation of how one hears. If you think that C is a chord having its own identity, then you are hearing the pattern differently than someone who hears C as an embellishment of the G chord. I'd be interested in "hearing" about how others hear these chords. Of course, other things like voicing, acoustic vs electric, meter, and rhythm are factors, too. So I'd say that my examples are the standard open chords playing G on beat 1, C on beat 2, and G on beat 3 and 4. Or exanded to G on beats 1, 2 and C on beats 3, 4, then G on beats 1,2,3,4 in the next measure. You can substitute D and D sus4 appropriately.

If you can hear these examples in your head, great. If not, play them on the guitar and see how you intrepret them.

Oh, I almost forgot another theory term: pedal 6/4 (read 6 over 4). Pedal means keeping the same bass note while the notes above it change. This is what happens when you keep the G in the bass. 6/4 is a shorthand notation indicating that the 5th of the chord is in the bass. This is because is you take the note C, then the note G is a 5th below. If you take the note E, then the note G is a 6th below.

In the Baroque era, keyboard players did not read from fully notated keyboard parts. Instead, they were given a bass line (often doubled by cello or bassoon) with arabics numbers written above the notes. These numbers were like: 6, 6/4, 5/3, 7, 6/4/3, and 4/3. Sometimes they were elaborated to show suspensions and passing tones. It's kind of like the Nashville number system, but working off of the base instead of chord functions. But this figured bass notation (as it is called) is very specific not only about chords, but also about how they were voiced. In modern times, theorists use figured bass when they analyze music. It's not so hard once you get used to it. Incidently, this points to a fundamental difference between classical and popular music. In classical music, the bass is regarded as a melodic entity in its own right. In popular music, the bass line is derived from the chord progression and left up to the performer to create. To simplify: in baroque music, the chords are determined from the bass line; in popular music, the bass line is determined from the chords. I don't know about jazz composition. Did Mingus compose bass lines for his tunes?

[klasaine]

A lot of times I "will" put a G in the bass of a C major (6/4) chord if the next change is an F. I might play that F with an A in the bass (6). and maybe if G follows all that - G/B. I also tend to do it in the middle or upper octaves of the instrument where I know that it usually won't get in the way.

"Did Mingus compose bass lines for his tunes?" I don't know for sure, but a lot of his music is very throughly arranged as to the other instruments. He does repeat bass lines in specific tunes. Not always 'exactly' the same way but similarly enough to be recognizable.

[Larry F]

Originally Posted by klasaine

a lot of times I "will" put a G in the bass of a C major (6/4) chord if the next change is an F. I will sometimes play that F with an A in the bass (6). I also tend to do it in the middle or upper octaves of the instrument where I know that usually won't get in the way.

"Did Mingus compose bass lines for his tunes?" I don't know for sure, but a lot of his music is very throughly arranged as to the other instruments. He does repeat bass lines in specific tunes. Not always 'exactly' the same way but similarly enough to be recognizable.

Cool about Mingus. What you're describing is what a classical theorist would call a passing 6/4.

[Sleph]

I don't see a problem with playing C that way...depending on the context of course....you're still playing the root on the 5th string...G is part of the C major triad....it's almost like playing and inversion...but not quite....but if you're doing charts I would label it C add G as stuH mentioned to make it clear to anyone playing with you.

[Jeffscreamedcorn]

Originally Posted by Larry F

Did Mingus compose bass lines for his tunes?

Sometimes! I've studied his music in depth for over 30 years, including analysis of his original manuscripts. Like Ellington, Mingus' music was often meticulously notated, and changed in performance.

[Jeffscreamedcorn]

Originally Posted by Bandit

Most people play C this way:

--------
--1-----
--------
--2-----
--3-----
--------

I've always added the fifth on the low E string like this:

--------
--1----- first finger
--------
--2----- second
--3----- fourth
--3------ third

I know it's just a small difference, but it sounds better to me.

I often grab the 5th on the 1st string when I want a bit of extra harmonic instability and/or ambiguity.

--3----- forth
--1----- first
--------
--2----- second
--3----- third
--X------

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by Sleph

I don't see a problem with playing C that way...depending on the context of course....you're still playing the root on the 5th string...G is part of the C major triad....it's almost like playing and inversion...but not quite....

Actually, it is an inversion...that's why it's the wrong bass note.