Roots and base notes
I read that the root of a chord is it's base note, and base notes are on the E and A (5th and 6th) string. If a chord doesn't use those strings, does it still have a base note?
# 1
You'll probably get a better answer, but for for now, here goes... I get what you're talking about... what if you play an open Dmaj chord?
I think its a bit of a terminology issue, mixed with a little bit of theory/concept. So, yes, all chords have a root note, and yes, when we sit down at the camp fire, yank out our acoustics and Bob says "Do ya know this one? No? Ok, well the first chord is A, the next is D..." we're pretty much talking about open chords, and the norm for those is that the LOWEST note (whatever note is on the thickest string) is the "root" note. Bob is also going to call this the "bass" note, and while bass notes are usually on the Low E or A string, there's nothing that says they can't be on the D string too, but, again, just staying in the straight, no-frill "regular guitar guy" world, we would expect the bass note to be both the lowest note of the chord, and the root of the chord.
When Bob is teaching you "Me & Bobby McGee" and wants to show you the little "bass runs" between chord changes, those runs are going to be on the low E or A string, and will probably start and/or finish on the root note of the chord.
"The root note is its bass note"... that's right, in Bob's campfire world of guitar. However, there are tons of chords, I believe it starts getting into inversions, where the lowest note of the chord is NOT the root note. So that's something that you can just be aware of. If you start learning about triads, you'll revisit the idea of root notes and inversions. But for now, just know that all chords have a root note, and there is no hard fast rule that a root note is a "bass note" that is on the Low E or A...
I think its a bit of a terminology issue, mixed with a little bit of theory/concept. So, yes, all chords have a root note, and yes, when we sit down at the camp fire, yank out our acoustics and Bob says "Do ya know this one? No? Ok, well the first chord is A, the next is D..." we're pretty much talking about open chords, and the norm for those is that the LOWEST note (whatever note is on the thickest string) is the "root" note. Bob is also going to call this the "bass" note, and while bass notes are usually on the Low E or A string, there's nothing that says they can't be on the D string too, but, again, just staying in the straight, no-frill "regular guitar guy" world, we would expect the bass note to be both the lowest note of the chord, and the root of the chord.
When Bob is teaching you "Me & Bobby McGee" and wants to show you the little "bass runs" between chord changes, those runs are going to be on the low E or A string, and will probably start and/or finish on the root note of the chord.
"The root note is its bass note"... that's right, in Bob's campfire world of guitar. However, there are tons of chords, I believe it starts getting into inversions, where the lowest note of the chord is NOT the root note. So that's something that you can just be aware of. If you start learning about triads, you'll revisit the idea of root notes and inversions. But for now, just know that all chords have a root note, and there is no hard fast rule that a root note is a "bass note" that is on the Low E or A...
# 2
Originally Posted by: SFDonovanI read that the root of a chord is it's base note, and base notes are on the E and A (5th and 6th) string. If a chord doesn't use those strings, does it still have a base note?
The bass note is simply the lowest sounding note in a chord.
The root note is the tonic note of the chord, meaning it's the 1st note of the scale upon which the chord is built. If, you are playing some kind of A chord, then the root note is A. For a B chord, the root note is B.
The root note and the bass note are not necessarily the same thing. They can be the same note. And they often are the same note for a lot of basic open & barre chords.
But, (as Slipin already mentioned :) ) the lowest sounding note of a chord could also be a note other than the root. For example, it could be the 3rd, 5th or 7th. When a chord has a bass note other than it's root note, it is called an inversion.
This is all covered in GF2 Chapter 3.
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=824
Hope this helps!
# 3
