Are basic chords different for bass guitar?

The bass guitar doesn't lend itself well to playing chords the same way lead guitar does, because the low pitches of the notes can sound muddy when played simultaneously. A standard four-string bass contains strings tuned to E, A, D and G two octaves below the four corresponding guitar strings.

The bass guitar makes use most often of chord patterns. Where a guitar player might play D, F sharp, A and D at the same time for a D major chord, a bassist would play those notes individually in a pattern, similar to an arpeggio. It is possible to make some of the lower chord patterns on bass strings because the tonal relationship between strings is the same as that of a guitar, but does not have the same effect.