10 - Music Theory 102 This section teaches the theory of how chords are formed. We will look at the Major (M - Maj) and Minor (m - min) Chords. The bass guitar has evolved and bassists now play chords and solos along with their supportive role of keeping that pulse. Jaco did all this using a four string bass. The Chords are built on the Root, Third and Fifth notes of the scale it represents (Fig.14 and Fig.15). The C-Major Scale has no sharp or flats. In the Music Theory section we see that the notes in the C-Major Scale are C-DE-F-G-A-B-C. C is the first (Root) note, E is the third note and G is the fifth note of the scale. So the C-Major chord is made up of the notes C-E-G. The G-Major Scale has one sharp (#). The notes in the G-Major Scale are G-A-B-C-DE-F#-G. G is the first (Root) note, B is the third note and D is the fifth note of the scale. The G-Major chord is made up of the notes G-B-D. The F-Major Scale has one flat ( b ). The b notes in the F-Major Scale are F-G-A-B -C-D-E-F. F is the first (Root) note, A is the third note and C is the fifth note of the scale. The F-Major chord is made up of the notes F-A-C. In a Major Chord the interval between the first (root) note and the second note is a 34
“The root and third notes of a scale are all that is needed to give the quality of the chord. The third tells if the chord is major or minor.�