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Can Anyone Help Me Simplify This Progression?


PSA

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Posted

You know how arrangers sometimes take like every beat and write out the exact chord that is being played by the ensemble when making guitar parts? Well, I'm hoping to get this piece cleaned up down to the essential chord changes because I have to play it tonight, and would like to have something I'm more comfortable with to play. Can anyone help me out? Keep in mind that this is the bass part, not the melody.

 

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Posted

Since this is the bass part and you say that the chords show the complete sound of the full orchestra why not try this: Every triad over a bass note is just the triad. So G/B is just G. The bass player takes care of the B. And every chord is just the basic triad from now on without the extension, since most probably someone else will be adding those too. So Em7 is just Em.

Posted

Most of those are really easy once you find the right voicing for them. For example, a somewhat daunting sounding "D11" or "D7sus" can be done just by barring the 5th fret. All 9th or 13th chords can be simplified to just 7th chords, so you can use some basic 7th chord voicings.

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Posted

thanks for the tips, guys! nobody saw any extraneous notation going on that could be downsized?

Posted

Sorry, but it's about as simple as it's gonna get. If you take out anything more, it won't sound right and loose that jazz flavor.

But looking at this chart, there's only a handful of chords to learn. It doesn't modulate or anything, so once you learn the two sections of the tune, you should be fine. If you have any questions about voicings, or you think there's a part that you could be voicing in a simpler way, just ask.

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Posted

Originally posted by PSA

thanks for the tips, guys! nobody saw any extraneous notation going on that could be downsized?

 

 

The thing is, and by now you've probably already had to play it, that if you take out other things you will have to know what the rest of the band is doing.

 

Just taking away the bass notes from the slash chords and the extensions to the other chords it will not sound bad. And hopefully somone will add those notes anyway.

 

Actually that's very likely, and it could even be a good idea to take the extensions out if you're just comping.

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