Major Triad Study for Electric Bass

To create  functional and musical bass lines that truly reflect the harmony and changes, a solid understanding of chord construction and chord families is essential.   By learning to outline all of  the basic chord types as arpeggios, we develop some wonderful skills:

1. We  begin to  recognize small fingering patterns associated with various chord types. 
2. We are comfortable executing chord patterns throughout the fingerboard.
3. We learn the to see the  various chord degrees (Root, 3rd, 5th, 7th etc) and their positioning relative to the root on the fingerboard. 
4. We internalize the sound of the chord to a much greater degree.

Practice Suggestions

1. Work on just a few keys at a time.  3-4 week is plenty if this is new material.  
2. Learn a single measure at a time before combining them into larger patterns.
3. Learn the pattern  for each measure forwards and backwards. 
4. Clean and confident technique.  Use a metronome.  Focus on control and precision, not speed.
5. Study the numbers above the staff.  They indicate the chord degree of each note.  Look for patterns. 
6. As you play the arpeggios, say the chord degree for each note to internalize the sound of the chord.

I hope you find this useful.  Cheers!

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