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                    Tapping on Bass Guitar Lesson #10
                    =================================
                                          Ian Stephenson 
                                          ian@ohm.york.ac.uk 


In lesson 7 I talked about the right hand 9'th position, and that it was VERY 
important. This time I'm going to elaborate a bit more on the subject, looking 
at 9th chords played with the left hand. Most of the ideas may not be strictly 
tapping, but they oftern are used to underpin tapping ideas.

We used a left hand ninth chord in the "Flow my Tears" example from last time:

                                                        O       
                                                       --- 

                                                       --- 
                            __                     O   
                        |--/--\---------------------------------
                        |  \   | .  #                    
|----------11-------|   |---@--|--#-----------------------------
|-------9-----------|   |      / .              O
|----7--------------|   |-----/------#--------------------------
|-0-----------------|   |    /     #
                        |---/-----------------------------------
                        |                 
                        |---------------------------------------
			
                                          -O-

Ninth chords, contructed by stacking 5ths (E-B, B-F#), are excellent chords for 
use on bass, because they have harmonic complexity (ie they sound nice) without 
containing any clusters of notes which sound muddy at low frequencies. The  very
open sound is ideally suited to bass, and produces in interesting tonal 
background on which you can develop other ideas.

[technically these aren't 9th chords, as they don't contain 3rd's or 7th's - 
prehaps E5+9 would be a better description of the above chord, but I'll stick 
with E9]

Prehaps the most famous use of ninth chords is the Police's "Every Breath You 
Take". Simplifying the guitar line, first without the ninths, we get something 
like:

|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----9-------9---|-----9-------9---|-----6-------6---|-----6-------6---|
|---9---9---9---9-|---9---9---9---9-|---6---6---6---6-|---6---6---6---6-|
|-7-------7-------|-7-------7-------|-4-------4-------|-4-------4-------|
  B                                   Ab               

|-----9-------9---|-----11-----11---|-----------------|----------------||
|---9---9---9---9-|---11--11-11--11-|-----9-------9---|----------------||
|-7-------7-------|-9-------9-------|---9---9---9---9-|----------------||
|-----------------|-----------------|-7-------7-------|-7--------------||
 E                  D                 B

Play this using your standard technique (fretting with the left, and picking 
with your right), until your left hand is comfortable with the stretches, then 
try playing the line entirly using hammer ons.

Now, stretch out your little finger to get those ninths - this may be a problem 
at first (If you find it too much of a stretch, then transpose the patern up a 
few frets - once you're comfortable move it down a few frets to make it more 
difficult):

|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----11------11--|-----11------11--|-----8-------8---|-----8-------8---|
|---9---9---9---9-|---9---9---9---9-|---6---6---6---6-|---6---6---6---6-|
|-7-------7-------|-7-------7-------|-4-------4-------|-4-------4-------|
  B9                                  Ab9               

|-----11------11--|-----13-----13---|-----------------|----------------||
|---9---9---9---9-|---11--11-11--11-|-----11------11--|----------------||
|-7-------7-------|-9-------9-------|---9---9---9---9-|----------------||
|-----------------|-----------------|-7-------7-------|-7--------------||
 E9                 D9                B9



Once you've mastered that, you'll find that a lot of stuff starts to make sense.
The chord crops up over and over again - particularly in Stu Hamm style stuff. 
For example, here's part of "Surely the Best" (also found in Quahogs - for those
that don't know Stu's wife is called Shirley Best).

||----------------------21----19-17-14-12-14-12---|
||o------12-17-------19----------------12-14-12---|
||o---10-------17-19-------19---------------------|
||--8---------------------------------------------|
    ^....^9th
    
|--------------------22----20-17-13-13-15-13------|
|-----20-18-------20----------------13-15-13-----o|
|---6-------18-20-------20-----------------------o|
|-4-----------------------------------------------|
  ^...^9th

|-------------------16------16-14----------|------9-11-------10-12-14--|
|-----9-14-------14---------------14-------|---10---------10-----------|
|---7------14-15---------15----------14-15-|-9----------8--------------|
|-5--------------------5-------------------|---------------------------|
  ^...^9th                                              ^.......^9th

|---------------------------------------|----------16---------------------16-||
|-----9-----16------------9----14-------|----12-14----14-12-------12-14-15---||
|---7----16----14-16----7---15----14-15-|-10----------------14-10------------||
|-5-------------------5-----------------|------------------------------------||
  ^...^9th            ^...^9th 

This also provides a good exercise in right hand slides.


We also find more 9ths in "Terminal Beach", though some of these are best played
using both hands:

+---21------21-----------19--+(19)---------------------+
+o--21------19-----------21--+(21)---19-21-19-17-------+
+o--14------16-----------17--+(17)---------------------+
+---12------14-----------15--+(15)---------------------+
                          ^..........^ 9th

+-------------21/23--21--+(21)----------------------+
+-18-------19--------17--+(17)----------19--20------+
+----16------------------+-----17----17-------------+
+-------14---------------+--------15----15--14------+
  ^.....^                         ^.....^

+-------21--21-------19----+(19)--------------------+
+-------21--20\19----17----+(17)----------19-17-----+
+----14-----16-------17----+(17)-------17-----------+
+-12--------14-------15----+(17)----15--------------+
                                    ^.....^
				    
+-21-------21---------+(21)------------------+
+-21-------19---------+(21)-----------------o+
+-14-------15---------+(15)-----------------o+
+-12-------13---------+(13)------------------+

[This transcription by AESBL1AJM@cluster.cc.dundee-tech.ac.uk - check the 
archives for the full version of this piece]

The basic tonality of the piece is set by 9ths in the left hand.


Because the 9th chord we're using is so open, you're free to add extra notes 
into the chord with your right hand. Experiment by playing some simple 
progressions using 9th chords, and then expand this with new notes above the 
basic chord.

Once you start looking for them, these chords are very common in this style of 
music. Look out for them, and you'll have a good start on breaking down pieces 
into managable chunks.
Ian 
 
LESSON POINTS: Left Hand 9'ths