Chord Tone Essentials Module 2 Workbook

Contents

Lesson 2-1: The Cycle Of 4ths .............................................................................. 3

Lesson 2-2: Running The Cycle ........................................................................... 4
Lesson 2-3: The Three Patterns .......................................................................... 5
Lesson 2-4: Cycling In Position ........................................................................... 8
Lesson 2-5: Second Position ............................................................................. 10
Lesson 2-6: Tonic Positions .............................................................................. 12
Lesson 2-7: Extended Patterns ......................................................................... 14
Lesson 2-8: D String Tonic Position .................................................................. 19
Lesson 2-9: Position Shifts................................................................................ 22
Lesson 2-10: Arpeggio Sequences .................................................................... 26
Lesson 2-11: Two Octave Triads ....................................................................... 28
Lesson 2-12: Two String 7th Chords .................................................................. 29
Lesson 2-13: Two Octave 7th Chords ................................................................ 31
Lesson 2-14: Spelling Drills ............................................................................... 33
Lesson 2-15: Spelling Drills – Minor Triads & More .......................................... 34
Lesson 2-16: One String Arpeggios ................................................................... 35

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Chord Tone Essentials Module 2 Workbook

Chord Tone Essentials Workbook

Module 2

Welcome to the Chord Tones Essentials course. This book will provide you with
all everything you need to know about chord construction, how we see chord
tones over the entire fingerboard and how we can apply them in our bass lines.
In this 2nd module you will learn how to apply all of the chord tone
information we learned in module 1 to the bass fingerboard. The ultimate aim
is to have the ability to see every chord tone all over the bass from the open
string up to your highest fret.
Before commencing on this module it’s worth mentioning that you don’t need
to master every exercise before moving onto the next lesson or onto module 3.
There is a lifetime of study in these exercises so they should build a foundation
for your long term practice routine.

About The Author

Mark J Smith is a professional bass player from the UK and creator of
www.talkingBass.net. During the past 25 years Mark has worked all over the UK
and the World as a sideman and bandleader, performing every style of music
from pop to rock to jazz to classical in ensembles ranging from trio to orchestra.
As a reading sideman, Mark has worked with hundreds of acts such as Jimmy
James, Susan Maughn, Peter Grant, Bucks Fizz, Ruthie Henshall, Zoe Tyler,
Gerard Kenny, Iris Williams, Elaine Delmar, Barbara Dickson and many, many
more.
Mark has a First Class BA(hons) Degree in Music from Leeds College of Music
and many years of experience teaching in music colleges and universities around
the UK.

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Chord Tone Essentials Module 2 Workbook

Lesson 2-1: The Cycle Of 4ths

The cycle of 4ths is simply a sequence of notes rising in consecutive perfect 4th
intervals. If we build the sequence from C we have the following:

C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb B E A D G C
Exercise: Try playing through the cycle of 4ths on each string in isolation. Try
the E string, then the A string, D string and G string. This is a great exercise for
learning both the cycle and your notes on the fingerboard.
As an example, the cycle of 4ths on the E string would be as follows:

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Lesson 2-2: Running The Cycle

We can use the cycle of 4ths to generate a more thorough practice running
each arpeggio we learn through the whole 12 keys. As an example here we
have the Major 7 arpeggio working through the entire cycle of 4ths:

You can try running any arpeggios we covered in module 1 through the cycle.
Don’t worry about creating an exhaustive practice routine of EVERY pattern.
It’s much more efficient to focus on a particular arpeggio or set of arpeggios.
So try running each of the 4 triads through the cycle. Then try the 4 essential
seventh chords.

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Lesson 2-3: The Three Patterns

There are three essential fingerings for any arpeggio. One starting on the 1st
finger, one starting on the 2nd or 3rd finger and one starting on the 4th finger.
Here we have the 3 fingerings for a C major triad:

We can see how useful these patterns are by outlining arpeggios in a single
position:

Here are the 3 fingerings for the remaining 3 triad types. Minor, Augmented
and Diminished:

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Here are the 3 fingering patterns for the 4 essential seventh chords:

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Lesson 2-4: Cycling In Position

We can use the cycle of 4ths to create great exercises staying in a single
position. Here we are running the major triad through the cycle of 4ths in 1st
position:

We can run any arpeggio through this exercise. Here we are running the major
7 arpeggio through the cycle in one position:

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Lesson 2-5: Second Position

In the last lesson we worked through the cycle of 4ths in the 1st position, low
down on the neck, but it’s also worth playing the same exercises in a higher
position. This helps with mapping out those ‘no mans land’ areas of the
fingerboard we all hate when we start out.
The 1st position could be seen as the following natural notes:

We can then create a 2nd position by simply taking our fingerings from the A, D
and G strings on to the lower adjacent string. E.g. Move B,C,D from the A string
onto the E string.
This gives us the following natural notes:

Just as with the 1st position we can expand on this position by using a few frets
above and below to accommodate the sharps and flats.

Once you are comfortable with the fingering of the 2nd position, try learning
the cycle of 4ths in that area:

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Once you have learned the cycle in that 2nd position you can simply run
arpeggios through the exercise just as we did in the previous lesson.
Major Triads Through The Cycle Of 4ths:

Minor 7b5 Chords Through The Cycle Of 4ths:

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Lesson 2-6: Tonic Positions

In order to organize the fingerboard into manageable areas I use a system I’ve
christened ‘tonic positions’. This simply refers to the string we use for playing
the lowest root note of our arpeggio. I tend to work up from the root note so
generally think in terms of E or A string tonic positions.
For any note we simply alternate from the E to A string as we move up the
fretboard.
As an example, here is the note C in all of it’s positions moving up the
fretboard. We start on the A string for the lowest iteration:

And here we have a G. This note starts on the E string in it’s lowest iteration:

If we build the 3 fingering patterns of an arpeggio from these tonic positions in

turn we can cover the whole fretboard with our chord tones. Here is the C
major triad played through the tonic positions:

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Exercise #1: Play this exercise through the cycle of 4ths. Eg. C major, F major,
Bb major etc.
Exercise #2: Repeat exercise #1 with every chord type

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Lesson 2-7: Extended Patterns

Once we have the 3 fingering patterns in both E and A string Tonic Positions we
can extend the shapes in each area to include all the chord tones above and
below our root note and octave.
Here we have the extended patterns for the C major triad in the E string tonic
position:
C Major 2nd Finger E String

C Major 1st Finger E String

C Major 4th Finger E String

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We can then repeat these patterns at the A string Tonic Position:

C Major 2nd Finger A String

C Major 1st Finger A String

C Major 4th Finger A String

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It can help to move some patterns up an octave when the open string is being
used.
C Major 4th Finger A String (Upper Octave)

Once we have both E and A Tonic positions we can play through each pattern
in turn, working up the neck from the open string to our highest fret.
Here we have the C major triad from open string to 24th fret (go as high as you
can, many of you will have less than 24 frets):

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Exercise: Run this complete exercise on every major and minor triad through
the cycle of 4ths
Once you have the triads under your fingers you can try playing the Major 7,
Dominant 7, Minor 7 and Minor 7b5 chord tones also.
Here we have the Cmaj7 chord tones over the entire fingerboard:

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Exercise: Run this complete exercise on all common seventh chords through
the cycle of 4ths

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Lesson 2-8: D String Tonic Position

So far we’ve only looked at the E and A string tonic positions and that’s fine for
filling in the majority of the neck but we do have a gap between the 1st Finger E
string and 4th finger A string. To bridge this gap we can use the 1st finger D
string Tonic Position.
Here we have an example of the C major Triad in that D string tonic position (C
at the 10th fret of the D string):

We can then try all other chord types in this position. Here are some examples:
C Minor Triad (1st Finger D String Tonic Position)

C Major 7 (1st Finger D String Tonic Position)

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C Dominant 7 (1st Finger D String Tonic Position)

C Minor 7 (1st Finger D String Tonic Position)

C Minor 7b5 (1st Finger D String Tonic Position)

The D string Tonic Position now allows us to move through every position of
the fingerboard from open string to highest fret. Here we have C Major 7 as an
example:

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Lesson 2-9: Position Shifts

Now we have a complete set of positions all over the fretboard, we need to
learn how to shift between them. The first simple shift to develop is movement
by a single chord tone.
The following example is a C major triad at the A string tonic position moving
up into the 4th finger E string position:

We can also move back down, this time using the D string as our ‘doorway’:

We can try moving up and back all in one line:

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We can use any string as our doorway for transitioning. Here are some
examples for the C major triad:
D String Doorway:

A String Doorway:

E string Doorway:

Practice working up and down through both positions using a variety of these
doorways. Stay in one position then shift, then stay in that position and shift
back.

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Next we can move up from the 4th finger E string to the 1st finger E string
position by shifting up one chord tone. We’ll use the G string as our doorway:

Then we can practice moving back down:

Finally we can shift up once more to our original 2nd finger pattern one octave
higher:

Once we have these position shifts under our fingers we can string them
together to work up the neck in one fluid line: (next page)

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Once you have this exercise under your fingers you can try working through
the cycle of 4ths and all the other common chord types (minor triad, maj7, m7,
dominant 7 and m7b5).
Remember, the seventh arpeggios will have an additional pattern as you move
up to the 7th. Here we see the Cmaj7 arpeggio working through the positions,
note the move up to the high B and the descent through the 4th finger pattern:

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Lesson 2-10: Arpeggio Sequences

Arpeggio sequences are a fun way of practicing chord tones while developing
your technique preparing you for different methods of practical application.
For a basic 3 note grouping of a Cmaj7 arpeggio in a 2nd finger E string Tonic
Position we would have the following:

You can apply this sequence to other Major 7 finger patterns:

C Major 7 – 1st Finger E String Tonic Position

C Major 7 – 4th Finger E String Tonic Position

Exercise: Run this arpeggio sequence through every fingering, tonic position
and then through the cycle of 4ths
Next you can try introducing a 4 note sequence. The following example runs a
4 note sequence through a 2nd finger C major 7 arpeggio shifting up into the 1st
finger pattern: (next page)

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Again, play this exercise through different chords, different positions and the
cycle of 4ths.
Finally, we can look at one more sequence where we successively drop back
one chord tone at a time. In this example we rise up through the 2nd finger C
maj7 arpeggio and then come back down through the 1st finger arpeggio.

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Lesson 2-11: Two Octave Triads

Playing triads over 2 octaves is a great way of improving your technique and
position shifts. There is a common, progressive fingering that works well in
moving through the positions and across the strings. This fingering begins on
the E string and covers all 4 strings.
Here we have a 2 octave G major triad:

Exercise: Try moving this fingering through the cycle of 4ths.

Once you have the major triad under your fingers, try the minor triad. The
following example features a G minor arpeggio:

Exercise: Work the minor triad through the cycle of 4ths

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Lesson 2-12: Two String 7th Chords

Before moving onto 2 octave 7th chords it’s useful to look at one octave 7th
arpeggios over two strings. We can then string them together over larger
distances.
To create a 7th chord over 2 strings we simply take a 1st finger arpeggio pattern
and move the 7th down a string giving us Root and 3rd on one string and the 5th
and 7th on the next string.
Here we have the 4 essential 7th chords:
Major 7

Dominant 7

Minor 7

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Minor 7b5

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Lesson 2-13: Two Octave 7th Chords

Two octave 7th chords are easy to create once we have our two string
fingerings. We simply string them together with the appropriate position shifts.
Work up through the 2 string fingering then shift with the 1st finger to the next
root note and start all over again.
Here are the 4 essential 7th chords in 2 octaves:
Major 7

Dominant 7

Minor 7

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Minor 7b5

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Lesson 2-14: Spelling Drills

Chord tones are chord tones regardless of the instrument or the way we play
them. Because of this it really pays to learn arpeggios by note name. This frees
you from the box shape method of seeing arpeggios and massively improves
your overall musicianship.
Spelling drills can really help with learning arpeggios and scales by note name.
Simply recite the arpeggios you want to work on either aloud or in your head.
Here are the chord listings for this lesson:
Major Triads (Natural Root Notes)
• C Major CEG
• D Major D F# A
• E Major E G# B
• F Major FAC
• G Major GBD
• A Major A C# E
• B Major B D# F#
Major Triads (Flat Root Notes)
• Db Major Db F Ab
• Eb Major Eb G Bb
• Gb Major Gb Bb Db
• Ab Major Ab C Eb
• Bb Major Bb D F
Major Triads (Sharp Root Notes)
• C# Major C# E# G#
• D# Major D# F## A#
• F# Major F# A# C#
• G# Major G# B# D#
• A# Major A# C## E#
Exercise: Recite the major triads through the cycle of 4ths: C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, D,
Gb, B, E, A, D, G

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Lesson 2-15: Spelling Drills – Minor Triads & More

Once you’ve mastered reciting the major triads through the cycle of 4ths you
can start learning every other chord type. In this lesson we’ll work on the
minor triad and the major 7 chord.
Minor Triads (Natural Root Notes)
• C Minor C Eb G
• D Minor DFA
• E Minor EGB
• F Minor F Ab C
• G Minor G Bb D
• A Minor ACE
• B Minor B D F#
Minor Triads (Flat Root Notes)
• Db Minor Db Fb Ab
• Eb Minor Eb Gb Bb
• Gb Minor Gb Bbb Db
• Ab Minor Ab Cb Eb
• Bb Minor Bb Db F
Minor Triads (Sharp Root Notes)
• C# Minor C# E G#
• D# Minor D# F# A#
• F# Minor F# A C#
• G# Minor G# B D#
• A# Minor A# C# E#
Major 7 (Natural Root Notes)
• C Major CEGB
• D Major D F# A C#
• E Major E G# B D#
• F Major FACE
• G Major G B D F#
• A Major A C# E G#]
• B Major B D# F# A#

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Lesson 2-16: One String Arpeggios

Play arpeggios on a single string can be really tricky if you rely solely on
patterns. These can be a great test of your progress with the spelling drills.
Here’s a C major triad played on each string:

As a variation, you can also try playing every chord tone as low as possible:

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As a test, try playing a chord type through the cycle of 4ths. The following
example works the major triad through the cycle on the E string:

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