How To Link Chords On Guitar Using Bass Notes

by Simon Candy

In this video, you learn how to link the chords of a progression together using bass notes.

Linking chords with bass notes sounds great and provides more interest to the progressions you play on guitar.

In this lesson, you learn key approaches to linking open chords together with bass notes for a great sound that you can use over and over again in all kinds of different musical contexts.

I will run you through 5 different chord changes and the bass note connections available to you to use when linking these chords together. There is often more than one way to go about it for any chord pair.

From here you will be able to take these ideas and use them yourself for other chord changes.

Plus, you learn examples of actual songs that use bass note connections for linking the chords together including, Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen), Stand By Me (Ben E. King), and Don’t Stop Believing (Journey)

Watch the video below to learn more:

Bass Note Connections

The following are common bass note connections you’ll find in songs and can use in your own playing.

Watch the video above for a detailed breakdown of each.

Example 1: C - G

This first example connects a C with a G chord using scale tones that exist between the root notes of each chord:

Here is a slight variation that uses scale tones below the root of the G when connecting from the C chord:

Example 2: Em - G

The second example is connecting an Em to G chord again using scale tones that exist in the bass between the root notes of the two chords:

Here is a slight variation using a chromatic approach when connecting back to the Em chord in Bar 4:

Example 3: Am - C

The next example is similar to the previous one only in the key of Am, and again using scale tones to connect the two chords:

Here is a slight variation using the chromatic approach when connecting back to the C chord:

And another variation, this time using the G notes to connect back to the Am chord:

Example 4: E7 - A7

This example connects an E7 to an A7 chord as is often done in blues playing:

Example 5: D - Cadd9

Finally, we have a D to Cadd9 chord change. Here we are connecting D to Cadd9 with scale tones, and then returning back to D with a chromatic connection:

Song Examples

There are many songs that use bass note connections in their progressions. Learning these songs is a great way to get ideas for connecting chords together in your own playing.

The following are some excerpts from famous songs that use bass note connections.

Watch the video above for a detailed breakdown of each.

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen

This first example is an excerpt from “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.

Here, we have a G and Em chord being linked together with the F# note on the bottom string.

The song is in 6/8 time:

Stand By Me: Ben E. King

The second example is an excerpt from “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King.

This has a variety of bass note connections happening throughout, mostly scale tones with the exception of the Cadd9 to D chord connection which uses a chromatic approach:

Don’t Stop Believing: Journey

The final example is an excerpt from “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey.

Like the previous example, there are a variety of bass note connections happening throughout.

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