Learn guitar chords by mastering the musical alphabet and fretboard notation. Guitarists commonly employ mnemonic devices to help remember which strings go where.
All scales and chords begin with a root note; this note can be identified by looking to the left of a chord symbol’s slash symbol as its root note.
Major Chords
Some people categorize chords based on their interval between root note and other notes in the scale. Although this approach may be oversimplified, it may help illustrate how various types of chords relate to one another.
Example: C and E form a major third interval, while F and G lie five perfect fifths apart.
Other intervals can also be utilized to form chords of various kinds. Minor/major 7 chords use the first, flat third, and fifth notes of a scale to create a triad. Sus4 chords utilize this same interval but replace fifth note with fourth, creating Csus4. Sus chords work really well when placed immediately before or following another major/minor chord.
Minor Chords
Although both Major and Minor chords consist of three notes, they sound very differently due to the intervals between them. A C Major scale chord will sound upbeat and happy while when played on a Minor scale it takes on a more saddening and melancholic tone.
At times, shifting from Major to Minor chords may only require taking one step away – sometimes as simple as lifting off one finger – while at others using alternative fingerings is necessary. Like Major chords, Minor ones have various ways of being expressed – pay close attention to every chart or YouTube video you encounter as this will help you understand their construction better.
Seventh Chords
By adding a seventh note to a perfect triad, we create a major seventh chord. These chords offer a more laidback and relaxed sound than major triads and are frequently used for resolution purposes; modern music also utilizes them frequently.
There are numerous kinds of seventh chords, but most can be divided into two main groups. Major and minor triads with raised leading tones and dominant sevenths provide the basis of most seventh chords; those built using major scale leading tone lowering create unresolved feeling chords like Cadd9. Specifically this Cadd9 has an inside voiced D to add tension while its minor seventh adds suspenseful feelings.
Extended Chords
Although chord structures typically include only tones of its scale, you can add tones from higher octaves to create more complex progressions. These additional chord tones are known as extended chords and don’t just apply to seventh chords – they can also be used in minor, major, dominant, and diminished chords.
Add an extended chord to a basic chord for more interest; for instance, adding C9sus4 contains both a major third and fourth above its root to make it sound more complex than just C9.
Chord extensions should only be utilized when absolutely necessary; otherwise they could lead to dissonant notes that could create dissonance or be considered inappropriate for your music style. For instance, adding an octave-up tone in a diminished chord could create dissonance and therefore not recommended.
Slash Chords
As you progress through chord progressions in popular songs, you may come across slash chords. Each name before and after the slash indicate which chord should be played while each name after represents its bass note.
Slash chords offer greater harmonic possibilities by enabling songwriters to specify an unrooted bass note for any given chord, enabling musicians to emphasize it as part of an overall melody rather than as simply another chord voicing.
Practice playing slash chords with both hands to learn to do them smoothly and effortlessly. Focus on harmonizing both sounds harmoniously while using a metronome for timing as you link each chord with its bass note – this will keep the chords on beat and avoid overlapped notes that could compromise a song’s melody or sound.