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Dissonant Notes On Chord Sounds

Theory & Harmony Advanced 1 min read

Updated

Handling dissonant notes — the notes that create tension against a chord — can be tricky at first. Start by playing them often over the chord so you stop being afraid of them. Then learn which ones you can land on and rest on versus which only work as passing connectors. Rhythm and groove decide whether any of it sounds good.

Originally published March 26, 2015, lightly edited for clarity.

Knowing your different options on how to handle notes that cause tension against a chord sound can be a little tricky and confusing at first. The first important thing is to get to not being afraid of using these notes by getting to know them. I recommend doing this by practicing playing these notes a lot with the chord and getting used to the way they sound. The next thing is get to know the ones you can land on and stay awhile versus the ones that only really work well as connectors. These choices are always going to be affected and influenced by the way you use them rhythmically. Rhythm and groove is always going to be the deal breaker in whether something is going to sound good or not. The following video demonstrates how to handle dissonant notes on chord sounds. Harmony is one of the fundamentals I teach. If you want hands-on guidance working with tension and resolution, online bass lessons via Zoom are available.

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