Guitar Chords Name
Guitar chords are constructed on several basic music theory concepts, including interval relationships and scale steps. Once you’ve learned the fundamental major and minor triads, it’s time to explore augmented and diminished seventh chords.
Assimilate these differences to enable you to quickly identify which chords you’re currently playing and those which need adding into your songs.
Major
Guitar chord names are determined by various foundational music theory concepts like intervals, scales and key signatures. Once you understand these ideas you can quickly develop new chords; simply deconstruct each one into thirds for tonality, base chord type (if any), adds (if any), and type of 7th if present.
Major triad chords consist of the root and fifth notes of a chord, making them easily identifiable as Cmaj5. Major seventh chords contain flattened seventh notes that can be identified through their name – for instance Cmaj7 or even just C7!
Suspended chords are another popular type of chord, although they can be tricky to identify at first glance. These are simply triads with one third subtracted; for instance, Csus4 will contain both root and fifth chord notes; however, instead of 5, there will only be 4th.
Minor
After becoming acquainted with major and minor triads, intermediate guitarists begin exploring seventh chords – tertian chords with either a major or minor seventh interval above the root, such as major sevenths or minor sevenths; there may also be augmented and diminished versions; extensions such as ninth, eleventh or thirteenth chords may follow later; without having a seventh there are suspended chords instead, usually when one or both thirds is replaced with either an alternate second or fourth note (referred to as suspended chords).
Remembering the fundamental concept behind chord names is key. Each name defines its starting note and quality, making it much simpler to figure out how they should sound and learn new chords – just reading left-right will do.
Augmented
Augmented chords add drama and tension to your music, often found in jazz, swing, or blues turnarounds. To form an augmented chord, simply stack two major triads on top of one another on the fretboard; these may prove difficult if you’re unfamiliar with its layout. To form one yourself, stack major triads upon major triads on successive fretboard strings until an augmented chord forms itself – you may need some practice before trying it yourself though!
Augmented chords create an anxious, suspenseful sound that’s frequently utilized in styles that incorporate dominant function and voice leading. Augmented chords also lend themselves perfectly to creating descending line cliches; you can build one from any minor chord by dropping its bottom note to its augmented equivalent before playing a minor 7 (or Caug9) chord on top. Augmented chords can even be used ascending line cliches by changing its base note to its lower counterpart note.
Modified
As well as expanding chords by including notes from the ninth, eleventh or thirteenth scale notes, you can alter existing chords by taking away one of their constituent parts; this process is commonly seen with sus chords.
A sus chord consists of replacing a major or minor third with its perfect fourth note of scale – otherwise known as add4 – in order to create some tension within music. It works particularly well when played immediately before or after another major or minor chord; adding extra drama.
Your chord may also include an omitted note in its name; for instance, a C major triad with an added b9 would be called C add9. Other extensions do not involve dropping any chord tones like #9, #11 and b13 (but these variations are less common). One chord may have multiple changes which are typically indicated with commas rather than being written out as one word to keep track of everything that’s going on!