Noodle Challenge Day 6
Walk down and Slash Chords
“Nothing is original.”
Noodle Info
Although slash chords may sound a little dangerous, don’t worry; pianists have been playing these for years, so follow their lead. As Kleon—author of “Steal Like An Artist,” says, nothing is original, so why not try it yourself? The best way to get started is by walking the bass line.
Walking or moving the bass line down by step from the tonic to the dominant, you encounter unexpected and colorful chords, many of which are inverted.
In pop music, inverted chords are usually called slash chords. Their symbols include a slash (/).
Example: C/E = C major chord with E as the bottom chord tone.
Slash chords may also indicate that the right hand plays a chord above a single bass note that may not be in the chord.
Example: C/F = C major chord in the right hand with F in the left hand.
The examples below show that different chords and inversions can occur over the same walking bass, making room for creative decisions on your “walk.”
Psst…get out your recording app!
Your Challenge
Play Line One
Play as written.
Play the left-hand single bass note while your right hand warms up and plays the chord and its inversions—blocked, broken—your choice.
Keep noodling and find your favorite inversion for the right hand.
Play Line Two
Play the left-hand Power Chords and Extended power chords as you play the notated chord tone in the right hand.
Notice how the left-hand patterns introduce non-chord tones that add a fresh sound! (See the chord symbol for the last note on the 2nd line.)
Now, choose a new chord tone in the right hand instead of the one written and play it above the left-hand accompaniment.
Determine your favorite chord progression, left-hand pattern, and right-hand chord tone, and noodle with them.
EXTRA: Expand the melody using non-chord tones, choose a new left-hand pattern, or transpose to a new key.
