bass,chord chart

Generally, you don't play chords on a bass. You play 1 note at a time that outline the chord. To start w/ a simple example, you can play the root note of the chord on the E string and you'll find the 3rd 1 string down and 1 fret down (toward the head) and the 5th 1 string down and 2 frets up from the root.

This would be a G chord...
G --------
D --------
A -2-----5 (3rd and 5th)
E ---3---- (root)

Generally, you don't play chords on a bass.
Agreed. Get to know your major and minor scales first. Then, when you look at a chord sheet and see the chords, start out on the root note and bounce around the scale until you find something you like. Pay particular attention to the root, third, fifth and octave and you'll do OK.

I don't play bass (yet :wink: ), but I'd like to understand. I understand that most bass players don't play chords (I think I've heard of a few who do?), and just play individual notes as jwmartin said.

So if the rhythm guitarist is playing a progression of G F C F G (gee, why did Night Moves come to mind!?) the bass player would play the individual notes that make up the chords G F C F G?

Would or could he or she play the notes of those chords in the 2nd inversion if the rhythm is playing the root or first inversion or vice versa? Or am I totally off the beam and this is too simplistic if not downright wrong?

I don't play bass (yet :wink: ), but I'd like to understand. I understand that most bass players don't play chords (I think I've heard of a few who do?), and just play individual notes as jwmartin said.

So if the rhythm guitarist is playing a progression of G F C F G (gee, why did Night Moves come to mind!?) the bass player would play the individual notes that make up the chords G F C F G?

Exactly. You don't have to stick to just the notes in the chord, you can play any notes in the scale (you can even do chromatic runs). A lot of times, the bass will lead the song to the next chord by playing the notes that lead to the next chord. I don't have Night Moves with me, but I just learned Mainstreet by Seger. It's a good example because the rhythm guitar is just playing the chords. The bass is actually playing the counter melody behind the lead. Verse chord progression is D C G Em. For the D, the bass just plays a D. On the "and" of the 4, he plays a B, which leads to the C on the 1. On the 4 of that measure, he plays E F, landing on the G on the 1. Then, you walk back down to the E by playing G F on the 4, landing on the E on the 1. To get back to the D, it does the same kind of walk: E, Eb, D, D on the 1.

I'll try to tab it out...
G: --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
D: --------|------23|-5----53|-2---210|--------|
A: -5-----2|-3------|--------|--------|-5------|
E: --------|--------|--------|--------|--------|


ETA: I forgot, the recording is half a step up, so if you play along with the recording, move everything up a fret.
Would or could he or she play the notes of those chords in the 2nd inversion if the rhythm is playing the root or first inversion or vice versa? Or am I totally off the beam and this is too simplistic if not downright wrong?

You can play the inversion if you want. As long as you are playing the same chords, it's all good! But, as a fan of funk, I believe in the "root on the 1" theory. If you are talking about playing the 5th lower than the root, then yes, that happens all the time, especially in country. One of the things I love about the bass is that it is tuned (well, when using the "standard" tuning) in 4ths across all the stings. No pesky 3rd like the G to B string on guitars. So wherever you are at, the V is always 1 string up on the same fret. A lot of that old timey country bomp BOMP bomp BOMP (you know what I'm talking about) is the root and the fifth below it.

Well, there's the bass lesson for the day. Sorry for going on so long.

Thank you very much! That was not too long at all, this post is a keeper. I'm glad to know I am able to discern what is going on now. I'll give Mainstreet another listen (love that song too) and pay closer attention to what you described.