10 EASY shapes to master bass chords... for good!

► Grab the free PDF here: learn.scottsba...
I always get lots of questions from my students regarding how to approach playing chords on the bass...
They sound cool. They're super fun. And, they're GREAT for getting your ear training chops together.
So, I thought it'd be fun to show you 10 specific chord shapes that will give you EVERYTHING you need to be a chord ninja on the bass...
Seriously, these 10 shapes are what I base pretty much ALL of my chordal patterns upon - and to make things even cooler, you only have to change 1 note to move between each chord!
So - if you can memorise just 2 shapes, and then remember which 1 note to change within each chord, you'll have memorised ALL 10 patterns.
In other words - there's NO excuses. I want you to NAIL these chords shapes within the next few weeks (max).
Oh... and there's homework at the end of the lesson for ya.
Now... check out the new lesson and let me know in the comments underneath the video whether chords are something that have confused you in the past, scared you because you don't know where to start, or they're simply something you've been meaning to get into but just haven't got around to yet. I wanna hear your experiences!
As always, see you in the shed...
Scott :)
PS. If you enjoy this lesson, and you really want to get into playing chords on bass you should check out our course: Playing Chords on Bass Guitar - The Definitive Guide - It's a 6+ hour video course where I take you through EVERYTHING you'll ever need to know about playing chords on bass.
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[@Tanglangfa]

After your last chord video, I learned and practiced playing the major scale with chords. Then ii-V-I major and minor, then iii-vi-ii-V-I. It was incredibly helpful! Now I can add the bV and dim chords! Yay!!! Thanks for another great lesson!

[@devinebass]

Awesome man! :)

[@giornogiovanna3782]

Pop

[@giornogiovanna3782]

@@devinebass o

[@TheMusicRecordingNetwork]

love it and the sound. I am getting it after 3 hours, i think i mastered the first 3.....lol work on No. 4 tomorrow. But then he added 2 chords so high or at the bottom of the bass. I can think that fast....lol But i will stick with it. Love all this

[@steviedebarge77]

Scott is the best instructor on the planet! Doesn’t rely on his perspective alone he brings in others, however he definitely can play all the amazing techniques that he has them proposed to us. I play for a living no gig no food! Yet I’m always looking to Scott for the edge up on what’s happening.

[@jacktraveller8290]

10 easy shapes to master bass chords for good? Awh, I wanted to master them for evil! :(

[@earlycuyler2295]

You beat me to it by a year.... Oh well...maybe he will actually make that vid...hail Satan!

[@noahzimmerman7913]

This really made me happy, thank you

[@tommollins523]

Joseph petersen day

[@Aurumk1]

THEN SHRED MY PLATONIC FRIEND, SHRED LIKE NEVER BEFORE, AND VISIT MICHEAL ANGELO DE BATIO AND YOU WILL SHRED LIKE NO OTHER. BECOME YOUR OWN GOD!

[@commentfreely5443]

learning chords on bass from michael jackson's glove

[@justscribbling3177]

Hey man -- thank you for the free lesson. Just started playing -- lessons are expensive. I appreciate the videos you have on here.

[@gidikalchhauser]

5:55

[@nigelpisswater484]

thank you, dude is great but takes a while to get to the point

[@awllypollyas8292]

lol 5

[@drewdavies3010]

Misold !

[@krsthummus]

Hands down best teacher/entertaining bassist on KZbin.

[@bassface8580]

You hit it right on the nail. This is what ive been experimenting with for a while with my playing. I learned a couple new ideas watching this. YOU DA MAN SCOTT!

[@shakyjake3988]

Big respect to you Mate, I'm starting Bass & your videos are just like having a teacher in the house. I feel for you having Focal Dystonia but Admire you for working around it. Keep doing what you do.

[@Jesus2di4U]

Scott, thanks so much for all the great info. Two quick points that would improve this video: (1) the downloadable charts omitted the 5th and 10th chords (the closed and open diminished shapes); (2) please turn up your bass amp as its volume level is quite low relative to your voice. Thanks again! ~C

[@oumarsall1912]

hi SCOTT Since I randomly discovered your youtube link I have not regretted it I am an average bass player who already plays and who wants to improve. So thank you a thousand times for all these lessons. I am Senegalese and therefore I express myself better in French. This text is the translation of google I hope it will say exactly what I wanted to express. Don't laugh and thank you again very much

[@TheSteelDialga]

Ton traduction est bon! It gets the point across in great English

[@smeagolthebulldog]

Great advice, as usual. When I started playing bass there was no KZbin (they'd only just invented the wheel), so I had to buy guitar books and work it all out from them. Now we've got Scott!

[@espada9973]

It's nice that you're teaching these chords, but it's definitely not a begginer thing. Atleast the way you put it down, your lessons have a huge value but it'a difficult to process if you're not familiar with the topic.

[@kencarter7205]

I agree with you Beershake. After recently picking up my bass and realizing I wanted to improve, so I started watching the tutorials in the shed. Scott is an EXCELLENT bass player with a great understanding and love of the instrument but I have some difficulty learning by watching him play, so I can get the details of what he is doing due to how close he keeps his fingertips to the fretboard. He teaches using the same hand positioning used while playing, blocking the ability to see the actual fret position from my perspective. Before someone says, " sign up for free and get the lessons with tabs", I did and can't access the documents provided using the links. Customer Support was contacted about the issue with the links and I was told to make changes to the settings in my browser. This was the first thing I did! I have checked every setting known to cause this issue and none of them are actively set to block the link. Working in I.T., I understand there were some additional items to confirm such as network and browser settings that should be checked for the sake of being thorough. I then resorted to completing some investigating on the interwebs, specific to my issue. Insight from network engineers, that might provide insight outside of my experience, that yielded no help since they suggested everything previously tried. I would love the read through the tablature since I can't always process what his hands are doing but unfortunately can't. I love watching Scott play and his astounding musicianship. So humble, great attitude and overall seems to be very down to earth. With that said, I am confident that Scott has been a tremendous help to players across the globe. Unfortunately, I have yet to fully benefit due to a lack of access to the materials and support to resolve my reported issue. I considered subscribing to the full membership but can't in good faith pay the small fee to join, knowing I can't access the material. Thanks, Scott for the tireless hours producing high-quality videos for bass players around the world and for helping provide the interaction with some tremendous players.

[@espada9973]

@@kencarter7205 The tablature material and other downloadable content is the least part of what Scott's Bass Lessons offer. I have never downloaded a thing but my playing and understanding improved a ton. I've realised that in these KZbin freebies he just shows off what kind of a teacher you get. He's going really down to the basics as well!

[@ruthlessadmin]

You really only need to know basic major scale shapes, intervals, and what "flat" and "sharp" mean, to start understanding chords. If you're a beginner taking classical lessons to like read music and whatnot, then yeah this stuff would be down the road (and they'll probably be better musicians for it). But if you're teaching yourself online, there's a good chance you've already figured out how powerful it is to think in intervals and shapes.

[@peterhogan1963]

For those who asked, the strings appear to be nylon tapewound strings. I use them and I love them! I was using flatwound before that (I'm not a lover of roundwound - don't like the squeak you can get) but the sound of the tapewounds is just gorgeous.

[@tomandaj1]

Scott. Thanks for this. I teach a lot of kids. 9-14. This is easy and will get them thinking outside the box.

[@johntrevena4280]

7thfret D string. 9th fret G string.. Open A string.. And strum the fk out of those 3 strings and that is the most powerful bass chord that LEMMY taught me.....

[@ukaszjaniak801]

without the open A, you are playing epic intro of love will tear us apart by Joy Div

[@hernanandreziebell773]

great dude ur a big reason why i wont give up on music,.. ur a killer teacher!

[@dancassidy7471]

Chords have made my bass performance so much better

[@GazAce]

Scott's channel is freakin awesome & his vids on honing your bass skills are the best in the known universe!

[@mxeria]

Mann, that P bass plays and sounds like butter !!! The best one of all your P basses , Scott.. Off course, in my humble opinion :) Btw, great lesson as always !

[@ShortFuseFighting]

its the nylon strings

[@gurigran1799]

Ten Scott's shapes... loved that falling knob! Great tutorial, chords are often a problem for amateurs like me. And thanks to do it on a4 strings P bass (my choice) and not a JB, the usual first option for chord players. Regards from Argentina.

[@andrewjeffries8721]

I appreciate your lessons because you are helping to change my perspective on my role in the band onstage. The bass helps to define the chords. WOW! I never thought of it like that before. You really do give me a lot of good stuff to think about Scott! And you and Ian are two of my favorite bass teachers.

[@devinebass]

So amazing to hear Andrew, really glad these lessons are helping you on your bass journey! 🙌🏻🧡🔥

[@OfDeadDestruction]

I've been playing double bass since I was 10. About nine years. Picked up bass guitar at fourteen. Never learned cords. Thanks for the lessons!

[@HikingPennsylvania]

Bro I’ve watched three of your videos and just signed up for your free trial. This is really mind blowing honestly. Awesome stuff.

[@aarnialeksis]

I have watched your videos for a while and today I decided to subscribe!

[@OlettaLiano]

Bass strings can be expensive, especially 5 or 6 string sets like mine. So for players on a budget here’s my #1 hack. Boil the strings to clean them and bring back their brightness, it’s easy. Carefully remove your stings, coil them up and drop them in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Then take them out, give them a minute to cool, then wipe them dry with a clean towel. I like to give my strings a light coat of machine oil before replacing them back on your bass. I do this 2 or 3 times before tossing them out and replacing them with a brand new set. Give it a try and see if it works for you. Hope this is helpful.

[@Groovemyster]

Oletta Liano I used to do this year's ago. I did find it works somewhat, but, it does weaken your strings. They are way more likely to break. So I would also recommend having a spare set ready. Whether new or another boiled set.

[@MultiRockWarrior]

Is this posible if the string are tapewound? would the tape fall off?

[@OneWheelLess]

Oletta Liano it weakens the strings, and they lose dynamics even though they brighten a bit. Also if the core rusts they'll really tank. Btw, flatwounds and tapewounds probably will come apart😆

[@beardbytes4332]

Just get flats, never buy a new set again! Haha. However, your advice is sound!

[@Groovemyster]

I really love new strings tho. Personal opinion for me anyway, I know others prefer dead. But if you like new, you new to try a lot of strings to see what sound you like, how long they last etc. Ive tried heaps and Ken Smith strings are pretty sweet. Last for ages and a good price.

[@ostegeron]

Scott, you are genius! You absolutely KNOW how to teach bass! :)

[@GregsBassShed]

Top lesson Scott. Keep em coming

[@tevetaga2144]

This is important. Thank you I learned something and trying to apply it in my playing. Thank you.

[@beaustjohn2342]

Scott, you are def a real master!

[@bohnulus]

Love your Bass.... love your brain... Love your spirit....

MAN!! that bass is beautiful !!!

[@tigvi3429]

I love this guy! Really informative and fun stuff for me and my ancient Jazz bass!

[@aliattaran1354]

OMG SCOTT YOU JUST MADE MY DAY

[@wilsonbenges832]

i love you bass playing...you are my youtube mentor

[@rgw2012]

Epiphany moment for me there Scott - nice one mate, another excellent vid, thank you.

[@kasares17]

Great video Scott! Thank you so much for addressing chords on bass, no one does.

[@michaelroche4559]

Thanks, mate, this is EXACTLY the info I needed to learn! Love your playing!

[@MusikPlusMehr]

Tape wounds sound so good on that!

[@johnhensley220]

Killer lesson Scott, highly inspiring..much appreciated..

[@alisdairmontgomery9566]

Hi Scott , great lesson as usual , I play guitar aswell but I'm trying to concentrate more on my bass playing so I know my chord shapes fairly well and have approached my bass playing from chord shapes , I think it makes you sound more melodic , Ive heard some bass players play walking lines but when the rhythm stops and its just them and drums you cant tell what chord change they are playing over as it all sounds a bit the same , so I'm all for knowing your chord shapes well , I'm enjoying being part of the Academy , so much to learn , hope to see you again at the next London Bass Show

[@RobMods]

Great lesson! Chordal parts can sound really cool on bass.

[@niitsukid]

Great tutorial - love the tone of the chords - it’s like the bass lines u hear in intelligent drum n bass

[@exponent2316]

Got any recommendations for dnb?

[@theo9845]

Hi Scott, I admire your knowledge and bass technique! True professional. The sound you get out of these strings is absolutely amazing, whatever playing style you apply on them. I must say it's your ability really, rather than the strings nevertheless, they sound absolutely fab them four, ''strings I mean''. I've been going like mad through your videos to find what gauge of La bella you're using. Lots of you followers are trying to guess, in vain, but most of are none wiser like me. Please don't keep as in suspense, and unveil the conundrum for as. I await your response. Thanks a lot in advance

[@kalli71]

quite amazing :-) i never thought I'd be able to hear what the chords are at start. But figured it out after the lesson no problem. 1st one i thought it would be was the right one. cmaj7 and cmin7 both closed shape

[@wiredone2]

Just what I needed on a rainy day. Cheers Scott :)

[@janossandor6517]

Man ... your videos worth gold :D !!

[@eligryba1041]

scott you're the greatest oh my god

[@camilovillamizar6171]

Excellent lesson. Thanks for sharing that!

[@anyazzzzz]

I found this a helpfull lesson as I was just wondering about how to tackle this but I am also interested in some information on what to do with the plucking hand. I would be interested in hearing/seeing some about that.

[@alexfithero]

Helpful gonna start playing chords.

[@mrlarrybobjr]

Dude James Mcavoy looks just like you! I thought the beast was coming out any second.

[@MikeNevill3]

Ground Hog's Day by Primus is great to learn a few of these. and cheers

[@lunar2328]

those chords are so soothing wtf

[@aaronboelbaai7813]

great lesson, going after this for sure

[@BritaBrazil]

Great class, thanks... and for the PDF

[@RuisRydo1205]

Great video Scott

[@01SEELE01]

This lesson is killer, really. Thanks for the great lesson. C you in academy

[@kenlovan3931]

Thank you, Scott.

[@ADBestbier]

1:50 - 2:15 "...we absolutely should be doing that and we do do that..." and I'm like all eyes glazed over wondering what just happened. When the opportunity comes around to "play" bass i.e. when our bassist can't make practice, I just play the root of chord - maybe there'll be a "How to transition from acoustic guitar to bass guide" at some point ;)

[@EloiltonRamos]

I love this timble !! ♥

[@seunpeter_olanrewaju]

Nice one Scott!!!

[@YoutubeUser-io9xw]

Can we all maybe chip in and buy this guy a new guitar?

[@OlgaGalperinBass]

SCOTT! Can you do a follow-up showing chords on 5 string (because I have a 5-er) and perhaps a 6 string (for the people who play on those)? Please! :)

[@mariuszglinski5121]

Those shapes work for 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 bass guitars as well

[@terrancat]

One of these days when I'm not horribly poor I'd love to own a 5 and 6 string.

[@jpbuxade843]

Thank you for the lessons

[@sinimory4243]

Thanks Scott !

[@CleantoNeto]

Scott, on diminished chord the intervals are root, b5 and diminished 7th. It sounds the same, but in theory they are not the same.

[@olliteirikko]

it's much easier to think that as sixth when it comes to chord shapes. Just so you can quickly locate that interval on the fretboard.

[@callummoodley6311]

Very helpful lesson, thanks.

[@mayassahdeeb327]

i love you dude you're great !

[@mikewiseman5517]

before you give that purple bastard away play the Barney theme song lmao nice video man love am

[@BeansMaskSheen]

pdf link was in my email! thanks!

[@flipflop8403]

Hey! Do you have the link plz? I don't receive it :) Thanks :)

[@Alex-qq8cw]

Great stuff!

[@josephcesari3572]

U can also take alcohol denatured or isopropyl and soak the cotton ball then pinch the string w/ cotton ball and run back and forth a few times rotateing to cover whole string. use two or three per string .

[@ivanjeremiah921]

Superb! Love this lesson

[@jgsky]

very very useful! thank you!

[@HikaruKenRyu-LightsabreJutsu]

oooh ... I remember making that chord graphic :)

[@JdesignL]

Thanks, that was really cool

[@MikeNevill3]

oh.. the holes... so many..thanx so much for what you do .. I have been getting better ..

[@laurens1520]

Hey Scott, I want to start off by saying that I absolutely love your lessons! I have one question though, how do I record my bass and maybe mix in drums? I looked all around the internet, but I could not find a proper video. I'm sure that with your knowledge you may make an excellent video to teach beginner bassists like me how to do simple recording! Thanks in advance

[@yaribins5754]

Check out spectre sounds media on youtube he got you

[@fuzzonthemountain6272]

Hey, thats a very good video on that topic :)

[@ninjanugget8781]

Scott, I cant open the free pdf, heeelp :(

[@billhoyle5019]

This was a really great video thanks for this :D

[@AdoBiyWan]

My knob just fell off 😂

[@jordanrowland9560]

strat*

[@michaelmontrose3980]

If your ;playin a Jazz ya got more knobs,,,,,,,

[@markem9415]

tmi bro

[@thebonfire4546]

I cry for you

[@mudmux]

dude i did this and my knob fuckin fell off too

[@lunchboxtoothpick3775]

hey Scott do you have anything on how to make actual harmonys for melodys on bass....

[@AghoraNath]

Scott La Faro. Better than 80s bass sound by a million.

[@MikeTremoulet]

Scott, all, this is great stuff. Can't wait until the evening when I can get hands on my bass for this. QUESTION: How do these ten chord shapes line up against the basic arpeggio shapes?

[@BerenguerMusic]

Thanks a lot Master 🙂

[@jameskowalkowski2308]

Joining the SBL - probably a smart idea!

[@swagmundfreud666]

A good song to play that has bass chords is This charming man by the Smiths. If you're a beginner at bass you should ignore the rest (it's pretty complex) and just focus on the chords.

[@Lagmon]

Im stuck at 50% complete for the pdf???

[@TheZebraWood]

Very good!

[@shadowthedragonemperor6997]

Thanks mann! :D helped me a lot

[@victorramirez5273]

Wow congratulation one of the most important video I washed on KZbin but I couldn’t get the pdf material !!! How can I get there!!! Thank you again I really think that is really a good way to Star to learn… good video

[@arexandle]

Man i love you

[@benzhang1419]

Hope someday Scott will give away lefty basses lol

[@thomaserichsen5404]

really enjoying your videos, your good mood and relaxed attitude! having trouble downloading the pdf though, could someone point me the right way please?

[@quantumbassguitarchannel1159]

I recorded a tune using this concept. I’ll send it over in few days 🤙

[@antoniopetricca]

Great lesson, thank you! Do you have some suggestion porting those shapes on a 5 strings bass?

[@reshephgani9798]

Someone out there wanna gift guitar. I'm right here yessss here!

[@jasonmartinez7667]

Scott,can you please put a PDF without any trial.It would mean the world!