Bass has the power to change all chords.

[Al Nico]

Hi. Music theory. Very boring until something clicks. Then you have a new tool.

 

I am a big fan of Relative Minor. Mostly because I understand this one.

Piano keyboards really help to visualise this.

The method is simple. Play a major triad, wait, play a three note chord, e.g C major, made up of notes C, E & G. Then count three notes down from the root note C, you get an A.

So now the chord has four notes A, C, E, G. It has a new root note A. Now it is A minor 7th. Wow. That is a complicated chord and sounds all deamy.

 

It works for any major chord. With this you and your bass can adjust all the major chords, in all your bands songs, into dreamy minor sevenths, and the melody with still fit. You could move the vocal down three notes too and see what happens.

I've used it for remixing. As soon as you play a known vocal and slam heavy bass in the relative minor, all goes dark and spooky.

Now that I'm the bass guitarist, when I get in a band, I'll have a weapon to change all their songs into minor seventh remixes which I'm sure they'll really appreciate.

Has anyone tried this with their band? How did it go?

 

Next week we'll learn how when playing a minor triad, adding a new note four semitones down from the root will create a major seventh from the new root note. But I don't want to say too much yet or it will give it away.

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Al Nico