Electric Bass Chord Chart

This is an electric bass chord chart. This is a interactive electric bass chord chart allowing you to try out some commonly used four string bass voicings in real-time. By pressing buttons on your screen (or if you are using your computer’s keyboard, use the Tab, Enter, or Space keys), you will be able to sound each chord as well as see what those particular shapes looks like diagrammed. The benefit of this is that you hear the sound and also visually see how they might work in a musical setting.

To begin with, pick out a chord from the line of buttons towards the top of the widget. These correspond to variations or voicings of the chord, including straightforward power chords through to more elaborate triads and seventh shell constructions. A tap on one of the chord names instantly updates the diagram with a clear indication of how your fingers should be placed across the neck.

How to Use This Bass Chord Chart

Four vertical lines is shown; these correspond to the usual E A D G tuning of the bass guitar. In this case, there is a simple code in the diagram that shows you what notes to include. The gold dot denotes the root note of the chord and the purple dots represent the fretted notes that make up the harmony. The open circle placed over one of the lines representing strings tells you to not fret the string but just play it normally. A cross through a string line signifies it shouldn’t be played at all as part of the chord.

There are now two possibilities regarding the sound of a chord once it appears on screen. The first option is to press the Strum button which will play all active notes at once but with a very brief pause in-between each note. This gives the chord a full, blocky sound and brings out the harmony more like a single unit. This is great for hearing the color of the chord as a whole and whether or not the voicing work well in the context of a progression.

Alternatively, there is an option on this tool called the Arpeggio button that plays the notes one after the other in sequence. This then breaks the harmony down into individual tones, often sounding more natural on a bass guitar given the lower register of the instrument. When played arpeggiated, it not only makes the root movement clearer to the listener but prevents muddy frequencies clashing with each other. For each shape, you can toggle back and forth between these two options as many times as you wish.

At the lower right side of the interface there’s a volume slider. Use this to drag the handle left/right to increase/decrease the volume of the synthesised sound to suit the level for your headphones/headphones. You can set this once only but it will apply equally to both the arpeggio and strum playback. Consider this when practising with other audio sources that may not be as loud or soft than the default level.

To see it all better click on the Fullscreen button up in the header section. This will make the widget take over your whole computer screen. As a result, the diagram of the fretboard will be much bigger and clearer to read. This is handy when you’re trying to project the fingerings on a screen, for example, or if you just need to be able to read the notes properly without straining your eyes. Clicking this button again reverts back to original embedded version.

To remind yourself what symbols represent if you don’t know, there’s an option in the app called ‘How to play‘. Pressing that will display a brief help panel detailing the chord symbols used, and also distinguishing between triads and power chords. The help remains hidden unless needed, but is available instantly whenever required. Chords are selected with it still visible or not. Once you settle into its flow, navigating between chords becomes easy.

Just tap on the Tab key to jump between the buttons for each chord, then hit Space or Enter to play that note. You can quickly cycle through the different voicings using only your keyboard; no need to reach for the mouse. This keyboard interface is much smoother than clicking around. It also lets you easily stack chords like E5 and Em side by side for comparison.

Experiment with how different chord types sits in the lower register of the instrument. Typically power chords are only two notes; the root and the fifth, leaving enough room to let the other instruments shine through. If you’re using triads, they tend to be closer together making them potentially muddy if you play them too low or strum them harshly on a bass guitar. To get more complete voicings like this, use arpeggios to separate all the notes in the stack.

These shapes also move around, make sure you spend a little time getting familiar with that. This widget illustrates a fixed position on the neck but it’s also possible to slide the finger patterns up and down the neck. The fact that a D5 shape is geometrically the same as an A5 shape moved up and down the neck will help reinforce your grasp of the fretboard.

Before applying these intervals to your instrument, get inside them using this tool. At this point, take a moment to try every chord in both playing styles. Pay close attention to the differences between the two. The arpeggiated style draws attention to the individual notes in the chord, while the strummed version emphasizes how the chords relates to each other.

Once you’re happy with the volume level, go for it and begin learning the basics of bass harmony. You should of tried all the different combinations too.