As soon as you start playing guitar, it becomes apparent that there are numerous chords to learn – this can be daunting for new guitarists!
As part of your guitar education, learning how to move chord shapes up and down the neck will make your playing easier and allow you to access many more songs.
Major and Minor Triads
Triads are chords with only three notes, so any time you play chords using four, five, or six strings it really amounts to playing triads.
As soon as you master these basic triad shapes, you can use them on the fretboard with different qualities (major, minor or diminished). So long as the root remains unaltered, all parts of the chord remain the same.
One way of learning major triad shapes on guitar is to divide its strings into groups of three and learn which shapes correspond with each string group (12 fret replicas of these shapes are also provided). For instance, fretting shape 1 on E string will produce major chord C.
As you advance these chord shapes up the fretboard, remember that one finger on a fret represents one semitone – this will help make counting frets between notes easier.
Barre Chords
Barre chords can be an obstacle to new guitar players. While executing these complex chords requires strong finger strength and dexterity, once learned they can make your fretting hand sing!
Barre chords use your index finger to form multiple strings of the fretboard by “barring,” similar to using a capo. For instance, barrering the fifth string at its nut with your index finger before adding middle, ring and pinky fingers creates an A major chord.
Barre chords present a challenge because you must find the ideal amount of pressure to apply to the strings to create an appealing, clean sound. Too little and your chords will sound muddy; too much and your fingers may tire quickly – practice until you find that sweet spot that sounds great every time! You will thank yourself later!
Dominant Triads
Dominant seventh chords are an integral component of jazz guitar music, as well as popular genres like rock, country, and blues. Learning these chords and their variations is integral to becoming an excellent jazz guitarist while expanding your overall fretboard knowledge.
To create a dominant seventh chord, simply add an interval of seven to any basic chord shape. This process works equally for either Major or Minor triads – most common are those based on major scale chords such as G7 or Emaj7 which can be identified using root note M7/maj7 notation.
Add more variations by adding an extra sixth or ninth note, often known as a sus chord (indiciated by “6 without “add”) (eg Csus). Sus chords can then be extended further up the scale into dominant ninth, eleventh, or thirteenth chords.
Sustained Triads
Understanding all the chords on the fretboard is vital, particularly triads. Triads are easy to learn and play and can serve as a useful way of learning new songs or progressions quickly and efficiently, as well as being great tools for chord comping or adding an exciting element into soloing sessions.
A triad is composed of three notes and can be broken down into the root, third and fifth notes. Its quality depends on how its intervals interconnect; major, minor or diminished alterations may exist between these notes.
Most open chord shapes can be modified into sus chords by subtracting their fifth note and adding two seconds, creating sus chords by eliminating their fifth while increasing second notes. Sus chords provide a fuller sound than diminished chords while adding dissonance into jazz music songs. You can use various open strings or fretting positions to achieve this sound.