Chords are groups of at least three notes played together and are composed from the major scale with intervals of thirds.
Once you’ve mastered triads, you can progress onto more complicated chords such as dominant sevenths. Though more challenging, they will give your songs extra punch!
Major
Beginners would benefit from learning chord progressions in the major key, so as to build their vocabulary quickly. Doing this will allow them to play most songs they will encounter.
The major scale is composed of notes A-C#-D-E, creating various chords; in particular, its first three notes form major triads that are the basis of most melodies.
By adding an additional 7th note, these chords can be extended further for dramatic effects. A D minor augmented chord (D + A + C) is often employed when creating darker music pieces and giving songs an atmospheric soundscape.
Major keys can easily be converted to relative minor by shifting up one major sixth or down three major thirds. This gives your chords a whole new feel while opening up more options for songwriting. Chords i, iv and v can all also serve as minor chords while iiideg represents diminished chords.
Minor
Minor key chords provide a wide array of sounds. From soothing (George Gershwin’s “Summertime”) to funky (“Brick House” by the Commodores), or upbeat rock (such as California Girls by Beach Boys), minor key chords create an exciting array of tones.
This lesson begins by providing the fundamental building block of all minor family chords: the minor triad (1-b3-5). We then move on to Cm6 shapes that form part of many rhythm guitar parts. Finally, m11 chords–popular among jazz guitarists and perfect for comping over progressions or full tunes–are introduced.
Learn the minor drop 3 inversions, and practice them separately before placing them into context with other keys and chord progressions. Check the chord chart to see where these shapes sit on the fretboard; this will allow you to visualize their interval patterns before taking them onto guitar.
7th
Once you have learned your basic chords, one great next step should be learning 7th chords. They add great flavor to your guitar playing while being easy to master – there are four primary types – Major, Minor, Dominant, and Diminished 7th chords to be aware of.
Each one contains a seventh note (an interval seven semitones above the root) which gives each piece its distinct sound: major seventh notes tend to have bright, upbeat sounds while minor seventh notes can create more mournful tones.
The dominant seventh chord is also an immensely popular choice in rock and metal music, and can often be found as part of an arrangement. Although slightly more difficult than its major chord equivalent, playing it remains straightforward.
Open dominant seventh chords are extremely common on guitar, often occurring on E, A and D strings and notated as Cdom7, Bdom7 or Ddom7 chords.
9th
A 6/9 chord can be an invaluable addition to any jazz player’s arsenal. Composed of a major triad with added sixth and ninth notes, it creates a sound similar to an expanded six chord; you may recognize examples like America’s song, “A Horse with No Name”.
Another form of the ninth chord family is the dominant nine chord, commonly seen in funk and jazz music. To add this chord to your compositions simply tag a dominant seventh chord with a major 9th.
To play this chord, place your index finger on the 5th fret of the fifth string. Next, position your ring finger on the 2nd fret of the fourth string; finally position your pinky on the seventh fret of the second string and play this voicing up and down the neck to practice. When comfortable, try substituting it for major 7th chords when creating music tunes.
Guitar chords are an essential component of learning music and can open many doors in your musical journey.
One thing many beginners fail to grasp is the fact that chords do not need to remain within one key; they can be moved around on the fretboard for various voicings known as barre chords.
Major Chords
Major chords are composed using the major scale and typically feature an upbeat sound, making them suitable for use across any of the six strings. A chord may contain one, three, or five notes depending on its type; major chords typically use triads composed of the first, third, and fifth notes in their corresponding scale to form their basic structure.
If you have a chord chart, it will often display the various shapes of chords on the fretboard and show Xs and Os over strings to represent muted and open strings respectively – this helps you know which strings to mull while which frets to play when using particular chord shapes.
Understanding this will enable you to produce different effects with your chords, making improvisation much simpler. Guitarists frequently refer to a “one, four and five” chord progression as being representative of major triad sequence.
Minor Chords
Chords are composed from specific scales or collections of notes that can be reordered to create various chord progressions that elicit different emotions or feelings. For instance, a major scale that features notes A-B-C-D-E-F#-G#-A creates an upbeat melody while an A minor scale has the same notes but altered by adding in a minor third flattens out its sound more.
Minor chords tend to sound darker and more serious than major ones. To form one, simply start from the root note of the scale, add its minor third note, then its major third above it and begin adding to form your minor chord.
Practice chord shapes to build muscle memory is one of the key elements to becoming a guitarist. Keep in mind that mastering chords takes time; don’t give up when encountering obstacles along your journey! Just continue practicing and be patient to see progress over time.
Bass Chords
A bass chord consists of only two notes played simultaneously. Though seemingly straightforward, its variations allow musicians to create memorable songs with minimal effort.
A guitar chord diagram should be read horizontally from left to right and shows which strings are being played, the frets that have been depressed, and fingers playing each fret. An X indicates muted strings (those not being played), while Os represent open string notes (those not hit at all).
Chord tones are notes that outline a particular chord. While chord tones can be included into almost any genre of music, they’re most frequently found in rock, country and blues styles. Just be mindful not to overuse them as doing so could become predictable and detract from what you’re trying to achieve; an experienced bass player knows when and when not to use them.
Versatile Chords
As you become acquainted with guitar chords, you will discover they each have specific shapes on the fretboard that allow for easy placement of fingers onto strings and frets to create chords. Chord diagrams may also help visualize which strings and frets your fingers are sitting on.
Some chords can create tension if played incorrectly, such as the dominant seventh chord which you can use to add drama to a song by flattening out its third and fifth notes from a major triad.
Bar chords are another useful type of chord that can add great variety to your chord progressions, with bar chords providing one note chords called dyads which represent single note chords but create their own set of riffs and melodies in between chord changes. Singer/songwriters especially can benefit from using these types of dyads; these single-note dyads allow them to add mini melodies between changes that adds additional layers of variation in their soundscape.