Learning guitar chords can be complex and time consuming, yet understanding which combinations make for effective songs on the guitar will prove invaluable.
This article will highlight how major scale, minor scale, dominant scale and mixed scales combine to form melodic chord progressions.
Major Scale
The major scale is one of the cornerstones of harmony in music. Its intervals can be found in chord progressions found throughout all genres and subgenres of musical expression.
It consists of seven distinct notes that span an octave and can be played on any string. Each note is separated by a whole step (two frets) and half step.
This means that by starting on any string and then playing upward through its gaps – and repeating this pattern of whole steps and half steps, you will eventually play the major scale for that string. This occurs because every major scale starts on its root note which will always be major; and also because its pattern of whole steps and half steps is repeated over and over.
Therefore, learning the major scale and using its shapes as the basis for chords that sound great together is relatively straightforward. While working on your chords, consider taking steps toward developing basic ear training and music theory skills at the same time.
Minor Scale
Change up your chord progressions for some added variation to liven up your songs’ tone and melody. Even something as simple as changing up the first note in a minor scale or relative minor of a major scale can have dramatic alterations on its mood and tonality.
C Major is known to produce an upbeat and lively sound, while A Minor offers more of a menacing tone. These differences stem from how the notes in a scale are organized next to one another and arranged.
Understanding the structure and chords within a scale are crucial to musical theory, helping you become a more informed guitarist while making it easier to create original song ideas or learn your favourite tunes. Like learning the major scales, this takes practice before you start seeing patterns and recognizing certain sounds.
Dominant Scale
Music sheet music typically designates dominant chords as “just numbers,” such as G7, G9 or G13. They do not need to be major or minor chords – their dominance depends solely on which scale they reside within.
Scales tend to work by seeking to resolve to their tonic notes; many chord progressions rely on this principle, making it vitally important that we understand how they fit together.
Dominant chords can also be used to create tension. One way of doing so is by adding extra tones into a dominant chord, like adding 11ths or 13ths at its root; this will add drama and dramatise your progressions. Another great use for dominant chords is using them with sus 2 or sus 4 chords (as shown below), followed by regular chords for an impressive finish to your song or piece.
Mixing Scales
Figuring out which chords go together may seem daunting at first, but it becomes easier with practice. A great place to begin is learning a few common chord progressions (please refer to charts for examples of popular ones) in your preferred key (for instance G, C & D for Lively Up Yourself by Bob Marley or D F# A for Del Shannon’s Hound Dog.) Roman numerals provide quick reference when writing songs or reading chord charts.
These chord sequences use chords derived from a major scale, which makes learning it simple since each note in an octave (a “whole step” or tone) only differs by one step (called interval ). But it’s also essential to learn how to mix scales as this allows some truly unique musical textures to emerge – this method of mixing scales is known as “modal interchange”, used across many genres of music.