asp3_4rythm guitar

Chapter 4, RHYTHM GUITAR, Page 1, Rhythm

Rhythm Guitar

Table of Contents

RHYTHM ....................................................................................................... 4

RHYTHM STYLES ..........................................................................................................................................5 RHYTHM PRACTICE GUIDE .......................................................................................................................15 RHYTHM EXERCISES FOR CHORD COMPING ........................................................................................17 WORKING WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND .......................................................................................................20 HYBRID TECHNIQUE ..................................................................................................................................22

LEARNING THE NOTES OF THE FRETBOARD ........................................ 24

CHORDS ..................................................................................................... 28

EDITORS COMMENT ..................................................................................................................................29 POWER CHORDS ........................................................................................................................................30 TRIADS .........................................................................................................................................................31 INVERSION OF CHORDS ............................................................................................................................32 CHORD GROUPS ........................................................................................................................................33 DIATONIC TRIADS IN MAJOR.....................................................................................................................35 DIATONIC TRIADS IN MINOR .....................................................................................................................36 SEVENTH CHORDS .....................................................................................................................................37 TEN SEVENTH CHORDS ............................................................................................................................38 DIM CHORDS ARE ALL THE SAME ............................................................................................................40 EXTENDED CHORDS ..................................................................................................................................42 MAJOR NINTH CHORDS .............................................................................................................................43 MINOR NINTH CHORDS ..............................................................................................................................44 DOMINANT NINTH CHORDS ......................................................................................................................45 DOUBLE ALTERED CHORDS .....................................................................................................................46 ELEVENTH CHORDS ...................................................................................................................................47 THIRTEENTH CHORDS ...............................................................................................................................48 OTHER CHORD TYPES ...............................................................................................................................49 (ADD 9) CHORDS .........................................................................................................................................49 SUS CHORDS ..............................................................................................................................................50 SIXTH CHORDS ...........................................................................................................................................51 STACKED FOURTHS ...................................................................................................................................52 POLYCHORDS .............................................................................................................................................53 CHORD SUBSTITUTIONS ...........................................................................................................................55 OPEN STRINGS ...........................................................................................................................................57

CHORD DICTIONARY ................................................................................ 60

STANDARD CHORDS ..................................................................................................................................61 EXTENDED CHORDS, 7 ..............................................................................................................................62 EXTENDED CHORDS, 9 ..............................................................................................................................63 EXTENDED CHORDS, 11 ............................................................................................................................64 EXTENDED CHORDS, 6 ..............................................................................................................................65 EXTENDED CHORDS, (B5) .........................................................................................................................66 NEUTRAL CHORDS, + .................................................................................................................................67 NEUTRAL CHORDS, DIM ............................................................................................................................68


NEUTRAL CHORDS, SUS ...........................................................................................................................69 MOVABLE CHORDS, ADVANCED JAZZ .....................................................................................................70 THE BARRE CHORD ...................................................................................................................................71 THE CAPO (CAPODASTRO) .......................................................................................................................71

CHORD VOICINGS ..................................................................................... 72

1. TEXT EXAMPLE .......................................................................................................................................73 2. MAJOR TRIAD VOICINGS .......................................................................................................................74 3. MINOR TRIAD VOICINGS ........................................................................................................................75 4. DIMINISHED TRIAD VOICINGS ...............................................................................................................76 5. AUGMENTED TRIAD VOICINGS .............................................................................................................77 6. MAJOR SEVENTH VOICINGS .................................................................................................................78 7. MINOR SEVENTH VOICINGS ..................................................................................................................79 8. DOMINANT CHORD VOICINGS ..............................................................................................................80 9. EXERCISE ................................................................................................................................................81 CAGED SYSTEM ..........................................................................................................................................82 HARMONIZATION OF MELODIES ..............................................................................................................83 HARMONIZING A MELODY WITH MAJOR AND MINOR TRIADS .............................................................84 HARMONIZING WITH EXTENDED CHORDS .............................................................................................87 HARMONIZING BLUES ................................................................................................................................89 CHORD MELODY STYLE.............................................................................................................................89 WRITING CHORD MELODY ARRANGEMENTS.........................................................................................90 CONCEPTS OF CHORD MELODY ..............................................................................................................97 ALTERNATIVE TUNINGS ............................................................................................................................98 CHORD TROUBLE-SHOOTING ................................................................................................................101

INDEX RHYTHM GUITAR ..........................................................................103


All Aspects of ROCK & JAZZ

Volume 3 The Electric Guitar Rhythm Guitar 4 of 7 Documents ISBN 87-88619-68-0 1st Edition, 1st Issue Summer 2000 Produced in Denmark

Digital Books, golden chords and Ask the Professor! are trademarks of NORDISC Music & Text, Ryparken 6, 1. th., Copenhagen 2100 Kbh. www.nordisc-music.com Email: [email protected]

Text, notes and musical examples: Copyright Sebastian Kalamajski 2000 Editor, Illustrations, layout and concept, additional text Orchestra arrangements, rock musical examples: Copyright H.W. Gade 1981-84/2000 All rights reserved. Copying or reproduction in full/in extension not allowed. No public hire of the material allowed without the written permission of the publishing house.


Rhythm

Before we do anything else, we will make a simple reference chart on how to count the beats in your head as you play. In spite of the simplicity, it will be very helpful in

learning new rhythmic figures. Look at the chart below. The main idea here is to

count every beat in a bar as 1, 2, 3, 4 and the space in between every beat as and. So, for a 4/4 bar you can count 1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and, a method often used by

beginning drummers. Do not forget to tap your foot on the 1st and 3

rd beat, or even on

every beat if you feel for it. For example, if it is really slow tempo you might always

want to tap at every beat, to make it easier to go along. Just do not get lost - this is

the most important thing!

Fig. 1

Counting 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and

Notes

4_1234.pdf

ZOOM FUNCTION To zoom in on the notes and TABs, which often appear blurred on the screen, click the hyperlink of the notes or TAB to see the illustration in max resolution. When you need to print the notes/TABs, always print the ZOOM view for best results.


RHYTHM STYLES

JAZZ / ROCK Swing / Boogie In jazz there are many inspiring rhythm figures that can be used,

and the most famous is probably the swing rhythm. It is based on a small figure, normally

written as 1/8 triplets or a dotted 1/8 + 1/16*)

. It is a good idea to learn this basic rhythm if you

want to be a jazz guitarist, as this rhythm is often used for both chord and solo playing. In rock,

the rhythm is called boogie and is used in blues and heavy rock.

*) Should actually be written like (1/8+1/32) + (3 x 1/32)

Watch the note example and listen to the rhythm this is how boogie should be played in real life!

Fig. 2

Boogie (rock)

Notes

4boogie.pdf

Listen to the Notes


JAZZ / ROCK Syncope Another famous rhythm figure is the so-called Charleston rhythm

named after a popular American dance from 1920s. What you do here is that you play at 1st

beat and the and-of.-2 (2-and). You rest (damp the strings) on the 2nd

and 4th

beat. In rock music

from the 60-ies, the syncope was the fundamental rhythm together with a steady pulse on 1/8s.

Fig. 3

Syncope

Notes

4syncope.pdf

Listen to the Notes


JAZZ Off-beat Jazz musicians often move the beats around within a bar, so instead of starting a

at the 1st beat, they begin at the 2

nd beat instead. It looks like this.

Fig. 4

Off-beat

Notes

4offbeat.pdf

Listen to the Notes

Experiment with moving the beat within these two bars and see what you can come up with.

You can apply this rhythm variation idea to other rhythm figures as well. Let your imagination

rule your music!


JAZZ Jazz Waltz Beside the 4/4 rhythms, 3/4 rhythms can sometimes be found in jazz. One

example of how it can sound like is:

Fig. 5

Jazz Waltz

Notes

4waltz.pdf

Listen to the Notes


JAZZ Latin / Salsa A popular salsa rhythm is the Clave. It is quite exciting to play because

there are many attacks on the ands of beats, which creates a strong driving forward feel.

Fig. 6

The Salsa Clave Rhythm

Notes

4clave.pdf

Listen to the Notes


ROCK Reggae Reggae is a style in which 2nd and 4th beats or upbeats (the -ands) are

accentuated by strong dynamic chord playing. Usually a melodic bass line is moving through

every bar too. Actually, all reggae instruments try to play on different (1/8 or 1/16) beats, thus

creating a complex almost holistic pattern! Reggae guitarists use the blues scales borrowed

from American RhythmnBlues.

Fig. 7

Reggae: Excerpt from Christmas H.W. Gade 1993

Notes

4reggae.pdf

Listen to the Notes


ROCK / JAZZ Funk/Soul The rhythm guitar in funk or soul music uses a figure of fast dampened

notes (1/8 or 1/16 notes) varied with accentuated chords, particularly on upbeats. Sometimes,

the guitar is not making too much sound just some emphasized chord playing on weak parts

of the bar is enough.

Fig. 8

Funk / Soul: Excerpt from Embracing You H.W. Gade 1990

Notes

4funk.pdf

Listen to the Notes


ROCK / JAZZ Blues The origin of both jazz and rock. Blues is not a style in itself, yet it is an

important part of every existing jazz and rock styles. One exception to this rule is the slow

blues in 12/8 rhythm.

Fig. 9

Slow Blues

Notes

4blues.pdf

Listen to the Notes


ROCK Rocknroll The original rocknroll was born in the late 1940ies. It is influenced by the 1930ies boogie Woogie (Fats Waller) and the 1/8s of the Bebop style. The style is still alive

and kicking, especially in Country Music.

Fig. 10

Rocknroll

Notes

4rock_r.pdf

Listen to the Notes


ROCK Heavy Metal Heavy metal or the later variants like Grunge and Punk are heavily

influenced by the City Blues style of the 50ies. The heavy part of the name applies to the

rhythm and the massive, unison guitar riffs.

Fig. 11

Heavy Rock Guitar Riff from Venus in Jeans H.W. Gade 1974/2000

Notes

4heavy.pdf

Listen to the Notes


RHYTHM PRACTICE GUIDE

Developing a good rhythmic feeling and timing is essential for every musician. Feeling and

timing are two slightly different aspects of playing, but are normally combined to create

remarkable rhythmic skills. Good timing is the ability to play music in tempo, without losing or

fastening the speed. Good rhythmic feeling is the skill that prevents musicians from playing

mechanically, and rather slightly modifying their timing.

Timing is best practiced with a metronome and by playing along with recorded music pieces. If

you are a total beginner, you may already have enough frustration in finding and fretting the

right chords, so wait with the rhythmic practice until you get comfortable with your fretting

hand :-). How should metronome be used? Start with a rhythm exercise at a comfortable (slow)

speed, and gradually increase it from time to time when you feel you can play the exercise at the

present speed without trouble. Make sure that you feel the rhythm in your body not only when

you play, but even during the rests. It is easy to get lost in music if you take a small break in

playing and forget to think about and feel the continuous rhythm. A great tool for evaluating

your playing is the tape recorder record yourself playing an exercise and listen to what you

did right or wrong. Work on the things you did not succeeded with.

Playing along with CDs is also a good practicing idea: learn the chords or solo lines of the

song first then play it all along with the recorded music. If you do not feel comfortable with the

tempo of the music, there are two solutions you can think of: first, tap your foot along with the

music, or second, learn the song at a slower speed first before you try to play it at original

tempo. (Practice with the metronome.)

Although rhythm is one of the most important aspects of guitar playing, many guitarists tend to minimize their rhythm practice time. But please remember: no matter what chord or solo you play it will never sound good if you do not play it with a nice rhythmic interpretation.

Many students say that rhythm practicing is hard. This attitude is often seen among those who

have a fairly great body tension while playing guitar, or because they do not play in a band with

other musicians. If you feel like you have one of these problems, you should first get rid of your

body tension (see chapter 2) and second try to get along and play with someone that have a

good sense of rhythm. If you definitely cannot find anyone, you may also practice playing along

with a CD-player. Also, keep in mind that it is easier to follow the rhythm of music if you tap

your foot along with the beats. Many rhythm problems can also raise as a result of technical

difficulties: for example, if you cannot switch from one chord to another fast enough to follow

the tempo of the music you must first develop your technique which you can do with a

metronome: begin at slower speed and gradually switch to higher speed levels (see above).


Before you start practicing rhythm, let us make a note about the tempo markings used in music

lead sheets. Tempo of music is usually measured in beats per minute BPM. It tells us how

many beats (usually quarter notes) should be played within a time interval of one minute. For

example, if the tempo setting is BPM=120, it means that there is just enough space for 120

quarter notes in one minute of music no less, no more. (Of course, music not only consists of

quarter notes, but the tempo sign is chosen to BPM for the sake of simplicity.) Jazz fake books

often use English words to describe the tempo, you may for example see phrases like medium

fast or jazz waltz etc. Tempo can also be specified with older classical music terms the

Italian words. See table below:

Fig. 12

Tempi

Italian English Tempo/BPM

BASIC TEMPI

SLOW Largo Broad,

slowly

40-60

Lento, lentamente Very slowly 60-66

Adagio Slowly 66-76

MODERATO Andante Strolling 76-108

Moderato Moderate 108-120

FAST Allegro Fast 120-168

Presto Very fast 168-200

GRADUATIONS IN TEMPO

DIMINISH Meno Less

-ino (extension) Less

-etto (extension) Less

Ma non troppo not too -

REINFORCE Un poco Some

-issimo/ior

(extension)

Yet more

Molto Much


RHYTHM EXERCISES FOR CHORD COMPING

Here are a number of exercises you should practice to develop your rhythmic feeling.

Remember to play with a metronome and to tap your foot on 1st and 3

rd, or all beats. You can

also change the chords in the exercises if you desire. The most important idea behind doing

these exercises is to get your playing more rhythmically tight.

If you still have troubles in transforming written rhythms to real music, there are two tricks

you may want to use:

1 If the notes have small rhythmic values (like 1/16 notes) and you find it hard to read them, do

the following: double all rhythmic values of all notes and write the new rhythm down on a

piece of paper. 1/16 notes will become 1/8 notes, 1/8 notes will become 1/4 notes etc. When

you look at these notes now, you will probably find it easier to read and follow the rhythm. Do

not forget to even double the tempo to stay at the corresponding speed! (Of course, you can

always practice the exercise slow at first, if you feel you need it.)

2 Count the rhythm in your head, by giving the shortest note (or rest) the time of one count. All

longer notes and rests will then receive two, four or more counts, according to the rhythmic

division of notes in the beginning of this section. For example, if you have a bar with 1/16 notes

as the shortest ones, give every 1/16 note one count; because 1/8 notes are compounded of

two 1/16 notes they will receive two counts, and so on.


Fig. 13

Rhythm Exercises

Notes

4rhythms.pdf


(Fig. 14, Rhythm Exercises continued)

Notes

4rhythms.pdf


WORKING WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND

In chapter 2, we were looking at techniques you can use for your right hand to develop good

playing abilities. Here, you can read about some special right hand techniques used for rhythm

guitar playing. Practice them, and have fun!

Strumming The strumming technique can be quite difficult to master at the beginning of your

guitar playing career, as it requires good coordination between your left and right hand, and also

a good condition in your right arm. However, the benefits you gain from learning strumming

are a nice chord playing technique and increased strength in your right arm.

There are several things you should think about when practicing strumming technique:

1 Your right hand should be held loose and unstrained. The pick must be held quite hard

between your thumb and index finger, so you do not drop it in the middle of the playing

session.

2 Your right hand arm should pivot from the elbow and move with up and down motion all

the time, even if you do not play a chord for every strum.

3 Sometimes you must mute the strings with your left hand to get a chunky sound. This is

marked with an X in the chart, and the muting is done by lightly lifting the left hand fingers

so they are not pressing down the strings anymore. You should hear a muted sound when

you do it right.

4 Remember to always strike every string on the guitar. It is very easy to just strum the bass

strings when strumming downwards, and the treble strings when going upwards. You must

avoid this!

5 Use barre chords exclusively! Open chords are very hard to damp.

You should develop a very fast strumming ability if you want to play like a pro! Do it with the

help of a metronome begin slowly and turn up the speed, as you feel comfortable with the

present one.

Here are some exercises that will help you develop a good strumming technique. You may

change the chords if you want to the main focus here is on the right hand and its coordination

with left hand.


Fig. 15

Strumming Exercises

Notes

4strum.pdf


HYBRID TECHNIQUE

This technique consists in picking the bass strings with the plectrum (held between your index

finger and the thumb) and plucking the other strings with the other fingers: long, ring and little

finger. Here is a small composition of mine that you can practice to develop this playing style.

Remember not to move your fingers too much in and out from the strings a small movement

from the knuckle joints is the one you should use for best results.

You can use this technique for the chord melody of folk playing style. Even other songs can be

played more efficiently with hybrid picking.

Fig. 16

Hybrid Picking Exercises

Notes

4hybrid.pdf

Tablature

4hybrid_pciking_tab.PDF

Listen to the Notes


Ask the Professor!

Q: What is Tablature???

A: The tablature is a 500 years old alternative notation system for stringed instruments like guitars and basses. Opposite to the prevailing music notation,

tablature uses the strings with numbers (in the renaissance: letters) to show the

individual notes, their pitch and their exact placing on the guitar. This is can be

a great advantage for the player, but it can limit your fantasy, as traditional

notation does not tell you which string and fret to play, for example an E note,

leaving it up to own your talent and style. For transcription of famous solos etc

though, the tablature is a must. After 20 year in obscurity, the tablature is now

(year 2000) very common among young guitarists but do not forget to learn

the traditional notes too!

1 Strings, sometimes with letters

2 TAB clef, sometimes omitted 3 Meter

4 Fret numbers (chord)

5 Rests, sometimes omitted

6 Note stem, sometimes omitted The example in traditional notation

Chapter 4, RHYTHM GUITAR, Page 24, Learning the Notes of the Fretboard

Learning the Notes of the

Fretboard What is the meaning of learning every single note on the entire fretboard? Many beginners - or even more advanced - guitar students have asked me this question.

The answer is simple: being a good guitar player is not just the ability to play fast

licks and sweeping arpeggios. You will never master your instrument if you cannot

find every note on your guitar. If you never learn it, you will have troubles to

instantly play a scale anywhere on the fretboard, or switch between many chord

voicings while staying in one position on the neck. Know your fretboard, and your

scale and chord visualizing abilities will get better, and you will simply gain a

greater command over your instrument, which will give you a good confidence as a

guitarist.

There are several tricks for learning the notes on the fretboard and the best thing is that you do not

even have to look at your guitar when you practice this task. Remember though, that it is a very

good idea to also practice five or ten minutes with your guitar every day, so you learn to find all the

notes faster.

The exercise presented here is the one that seems to work best for most guitar students. It combines

practicing both away from the guitar and with the guitar in the hand. This exercise is therefore split

in two, a fun part and the hands on part.

The Fretboard Quiz Game The Fretboard Quiz is a flashcard game and can be played

anywhere and whenever you want: sitting in a bus, eating or listening to your chemistry teacher

(just kidding!). Anyway, what you must do before you start to play the Fretboard Quiz, is to

make twelve flashcards with the fret number on one side and the notes of the fretted strings on

the other side. You may use the templates on the next two pages. Print the pages and glue the

front to the back. Finally, clip out the flashcards with a pair of scissors.

Memorize all the notes on each fret by using those flashcards. Ask yourself a fret number and

speak up all the notes on this fret from the E 1st string up to the E 6th string. Once you have

learned all twelve cards, go one step further and ask yourself questions like: Where do I find a

G#? and try to think of every position on the neck where that note can be found.

Notice that you only have learned the notes up to the 12th

fret. To learn the notes on the higher

frets is easy, as their pattern are the same as the patterns on the lower octave. For example,

notes on the 12th

fret are the same as on the open strings (only an octave higher); notes on the

13th

fret are the same as on the 1st fret; notes on the 14th

fret are the same as on the 2nd

fret, and

so on.


Exercises First exercise: pick up your guitar and try to find any particular notes on the

fretboard while keeping your left hand in one position only. After a minute or so, switch

position and repeat finding random notes. Second exercise: fret any string at any position and

ask yourself which note it is. Do both these exercises for five minutes each.

If you follow this exercise plan, you will probably learn the whole fretboard in a couple of

months, or even faster. It is all about motivation and discipline. Stay focused while practicing

these exercises, so you do not learn the wrong notes in wrong places!

Fig. 17

All Notes on the Fretboard


Fig. 18

Flashcard Templates

Front of Flashcard (questions)

All Aspects of

ROCK & JAZZ

Fretboard Quiz

Fret #1

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #2

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #3

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #4

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #5

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #6

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #7

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #8

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #9

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #10

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #11

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Fretboard Quiz

Fret #12

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(Fig. 19 Flashcard Templates, continued)

Back of Flashcard (answers)

Notes on Fret 1

String Up Down

E F F

B C C

G G# Ab

D D# Eb

A A# Bb

E F F

Notes on Fret 2

String Up Down

E F# Gb

B C# Db

G A A

D E E

A B B

E F# Gb

Notes on Fret 3

String Up Down

E G G

B D D

G A# Bb

D F F

A C C

E G G

Notes on Fret 4

String Up Down

E G# Ab

B D# Eb

G B B

D F# Gb

A C# Db

E G# Ab

Notes on Fret 5

String Up Down

E A A

B E E

G C C

D G G

A D D

E A A

Notes on Fret 6

String Up Down

E A# Bb

B F F

G C# Db

D G# Ab

A D# Eb

E A# Bb

Notes on Fret 7

String Up Down

E B B

B F# Gb

G D D

D A A

A E E

E B B

Notes on Fret 8

String Up Down

E C C

B G G

G D# Eb

D A# Bb

A F F

E C C

Notes on Fret 9

String Up Down

E C# Db

B G# Ab

G E E

D B B

A F# Gb

E C# Db

Notes on Fret 10

String Up Down

E D D

B A A

G F F

D C C

A G G

E D D

Notes on Fret 11

String Up Down

E D# Eb

B A# Bb

G F# Gb

D C# Db

A G# Ab

E D# Eb

Notes on Fret 12

String Up Down

E E E

B B B

G G G

D D D

A A A

E E E

Chapter 4, RHYTHM GUITAR, Page 28, Chords

Chords

A chord is defined as a combination of at least three different notes sounding

together. The simplest chords are called triads. There are six common triads: major,

minor, diminished (b5 and dim) and augmented (+). There are even chords with four

or more notes, which are very often used in jazz music. When you learn all these

chords, be it a triad or something else, always listen to the sound they create, so you

will get more familiar with them and also be able to recognize them when you hear

them. It will be good for your ear training and developing ability to play what you

hear in your head. See also All Aspects of ROCK & JAZZ /1 Music Theory,

Harmony for all the details of Functional Harmony, Modal and Sound Aspects in

chords.

In this section, we present you with many fingerings of chord forms you may use in your chord

playing. Theory of chords is presented in other sections of this chapter. The section is divided in

parts, where each part presents different chord type and its application for guitar. Try to learn as

many of the fingerings as possible, or choose only some of your favourite chord forms. Remember

that this is not a task that you will learn in a week you must be patient. Several chord forms are

requiring good finger stretching abilities, so if your fingers are not able to fret a particular chord,

wait until they get in better shape (do not forget doing stretching exercises every day). Also, once

you have learned a chord, use it in your playing as often as possible to become more and more

familiar with it, and also be able to fret the chord anytime without too much thinking.

Chords that you can play on guitar are mainly divided in open string chords and movable chord

forms. The difference between them is that you can only play an open chord in one position on the

fretboard, while the movable chord form can be played almost anywhere on the neck. Movable

chord forms requires knowledge of the notes on every guitar string and every fret. If you have not

mastered this yet, see the learning notes on the fretboard-section in this chapter you can find

some useful tips and exercises that will minimize the time you will spend on learning the fretboard

notes. A great advantage you gain with knowing many movable chord forms is that you can play

twelve different chords just by knowing one single chord form. As you will see in the chord chart,

these chord forms are only presented for one root note, but you can move them where you want on

the fretboard to any other root, and this way play a whole different chord.

So, what can open chord forms be used for if you only can play them in one position? Even if you

cannot move them from one place to another, they often create a more resonant and open sound

than the movable chords, and it is just because the open strings tend to sound very much fuller

than the fretted strings.

As you will see in the chord chart, the root note of the chord is marked with a circle around the

black dot. The other notes are written out besides the dots. (It will be a very good idea to learn to

find all these notes within a chord form, particularly when you want to improvise a solo line using a

chord form.) In every dot there is also a number, which describes which finger is recommended for


fretting the note. Many chords may be difficult to fret - if you are a beginner you will for example

find it hard to play barre chords. All frequent problems connected with chord playing - and how to

solve them, are presented in the chord trouble shooting-section in this chapter.

There are many ways to play a chord, and we will look at two popular chord playing techniques in

the working with your right hand-section.

Other topics covered in this section include voice leading, some simple melody harmonizing

techniques (used in the chord melody style) and chord substitution. More about rhythm guitar

playing in the band and using chords in music is covered in chapter 3.

This section may seem to be quite overwhelming at first, (and it actually is a big section), but as

mentioned before, do not stress with learning everything at once take your time, and everything

will slowly but surely become second-nature to you.

EDITORS COMMENT

The use of Chord and Functional Harmony terminology differs greatly between rock and jazz.

To view the many different systems, please see All Aspects of ROCK & JAZZ /1 Music

Theory, Harmony. In this book, written by a jazz player, Roman numerals are used for Chord

functions (American tradition). The rock version of the function symbols is added after the

numeral. (D(m) = Dominant SD(m) = Subdominant DD = Double Dominant m = Parallel

Minor). The green colour is also used for stating different chord symbols in rock.


POWER CHORDS

Power chords are actually a combination of two notes the root and the perfect fifth, and,

according to music theory, should be called a diad, rather than a chord. Power chords are used

very often in rock music, in combination with distorted guitar sound to let the power blast,

through. Shapes for this chord are probably the least complex in whole chord vocabulary.

1+2 Root + Fifth / Quarter Two of the most popular power chords are the root-and-fifth

combination.

3 Open Strings Even open strings can be used to create a power chord.

4 Power Chord (9) A power chord with an added ninth is actually a root with two perfect fifths

stacked above it. It can be used in rock music to sweeten up a chord progression, as this chord

has a sweet sound-aspect. Because it does not have any third, which normally defines if the

chord is minor or major, it can be used instead of any other chord in major or minor tonality

except the dim chord, which contains diminished and not perfect fifth.

Fig. 20

Four Types of Power Chords

Notes

4power.pdf

Tablature


TRIADS

A triad is the simplest form of a chord. It consists of three different notes, the root and two

other notes. As you already might know, one of these notes the third is different for a major

and minor triad. In a major chord the third is always a major third above the root. In a minor

chord it is a minor third above the root. The other note the fifth is always a perfect fifth

above the root, both in a major and minor triad. There are even two other triads you must know:

the augmented and diminished triad. The first triad has a major third and an augmented fifth

(+), while the latter has a minor third and diminished fifth (b5 or dim). Even other triads can be

constructed, for example the sus4 or sus2, but for now we only focus on the common forms in

contemporary music:

Fig. 21

The Six Basic Triads

Notes


INVERSION OF CHORDS

Chords can be inverted in two ways. The first inversion of a triad occurs when the root is

moved up an octave. The third of the triad is now the lowest note of the chord, the bass note.

The second inversion occurs when both the root and the third are moved up an octave. The

bass note of the triad is now the fifth!

Notice that the sound and charisma of the chord change when it is inverted, even if it remains

the same chord. You should be able to invert the basic triads on the fretboard, because it will

give you more understanding of the instrument and the music language. There are exercises for

developing this technique in the chord voicings section.

Fig. 22

Inversion of Chords

Notes

4invers.pdf


CHORD GROUPS

A new concept which we will begin to work on from this moment is organizing different chords

in groups, to make you see a better relationship between different types of chords and to fasten

up your learning rate. For now we organize the triads we have already learned in three chord

groups:

Major Group Major triad, Augmented triad and b5 triads (all chords with major third).

Minor Group Minor triad (chords with minor thirds, all minor chords).

Diminished Group Diminished triads.

Since your guitar uses six strings, you are able to play six notes of a single triad. How can it be

possible, when the triad only have three notes? Actually, all the extra notes you play are the

same as one of the triad notes, but they are all placed in different octaves. When you play a triad

this way, you have doubled one or more of the chord notes.

Doubled chord notes often occur in the bigger barre chords, and open string chords, for

example a C major chord, including the fifth in the bass. The doubled notes are marked with

red.

Fig. 23

Doubled Chord Notes

Notes


In classical music, most doubled chord note is the root. The doubled third and fifth are often

omitted for their bad sound. In rock and jazz music however, it is really a matter of musicians

taste. If you like to double the third or fifth and are satisfied with the sound go for it. There

are actually no rules, but your fantasy.

Try to write down the Major, Minor, Dim, Augmented (+) triads in every key on a music staff

and learn to find them on your guitar. Fingerings for triads can be found in the chords section in

this chapter.


DIATONIC TRIADS IN MAJOR

Building Diatonic Triads on the Scale Notes Every diatonic triad consists of the

diatonic scale notes only (diatonic is classical terminology for the Major/Minor scale). In this

section we will look at the diatonic triads that can be created from major and minor scale.

(Remember that all chords are created by stacking notes of one corresponding scale above each

other.) There are seven such triads in every key of major and minor.

Let us look at the D major scale, which will serve as an example for building diatonic triads.

The building process goes as follows: each scale note is a root of one triad, while other chord

notes (the upcoming third and fifth) are stacked above the root in intervals of thirds. This is

done by taking every other note of the scale (relative to the root note) placing them above the

root to create a triad. For example, the first chord the D major triad is built of the D (the

root) and F# and A (which are every other notes of the scale relative to the D).

Fig. 24

Diatonic Triads in D Major

Notes

4invers.pdf

NOTE The modal aspect of the chords is marked with minor or dim, when the chord is not a

major chord (tonic).

The diatonic triads for any major scale are given following terms:

American Rock System System

I major T (Tonic)

II minor SDm (Subdominant parallel minor)

III minor Dm (Dominant parallel minor)

IV major SD (subdominant)

V major D (dominant)

VI minor Tm (Tonic parallel minor) VII diminished -


DIATONIC TRIADS IN MINOR

Now we will look at the D minor scale and its diatonic chords. We build triads in exactly the

same way as we did with the major scale. Every scale note is the root of one triad, and is

covered up by two other notes stacked in thirds.

Fig. 25

Diatonic Triads in D Minor

Notes

4dia_min.pdf

NOTE The modal aspect of the chords is marked with major or dim, when the chord is not a

minor chord (tonic).

Diatonic triads for any minor scale are given following names: I minor, II diminished, III major,

IV minor, V minor, VI major VII major.

American Rock System System

I minor Tm (Tonic parallel minor) II diminished -

III major T (Tonic)

IV minor SDm (Subdominant parallel minor)

V minor Dm (Dominant parallel minor)

VI major Sd (Subdominant)

VII major D (Dominant)

Notice that any relative major and minor scales have exactly the same diatonic triads, but poses

different roman numbers since they are built on different scale steps (degrees). For example, in

key of C major, the C major chord is the I major (T), but in the relative A minor scale, the same

C major chord is the III major (T).

The reason that every diatonic triad is either major, minor or diminished, is the natural interval

relationship between scale notes. A II minor triad (SDm) for example is minor just because the

root (2nd

scale note) and the third (4th

scale note) are related to each other by a minor third

interval, thus determining it to be a minor triad, (where the fifth (6th

scale note) is related to the

root by a perfect fifth interval).


SEVENTH CHORDS

When we add one more note to a triad, by an interval of a third (relative to the fifth of the triad)

we construct a seventh chord. The added note is related to the root by an interval of a seventh.

Let us look at our previous example with diatonic triads, and add one more note on top of them

to form seventh chords:

Fig. 26

Seventh Chords in D Major

Notes

4dia_7.pdf

We end up with four different types of seventh chords: major 7, minor 7, dominant 7 and minor

7 (b5) (m(b5)7). The above chords, when related to the major scale are named: Imaj7 (T maj7),

IImi7 (SDm 7), IIImi7 (Dm 7), IVmaj7 (SD maj7), V7 (D 7), VImi7 (Tm 7), VIImi7(b5).

In the same way, other scales can be used to build other seventh chords. The natural minor scale

will create the same chord types as its relative major scale, but their functions and roman

numbers will change because of different scale degrees. If you construct seventh chords out of a

melodic minor scale you will get: Imi/maj7 (Tm 7/maj7), IImi7 (SDm 7), IIImaj7(#5) (Dm

maj7), IV7 (SDm 7), V7 (Dm(nat) 7), VImi7(b5), VIImi7(b5). Try to build chords on other

diatonic (seven-note) scales and see which types of seventh chords you will come up with.


TEN SEVENTH CHORDS

There are a total of ten different forms of seventh chords, all with different interval

relationships between the root and other chord notes. In rock music, you will not get familiar

with all of these, but in jazz you have to learn them all and be able to play them effortlessly.

The ten seventh chords, with their chord notes relation to the root, are:

Major 7 (maj7) Root, major third, perfect fifth, major seventh.

Minor 7 (m7) Root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

Dominant 7 (7) Root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

Diminished 7 (dim) Root, minor third, diminished fifth, diminished seventh.

Minor/major 7 (m(maj7)) Root, minor third, perfect fifth, major seventh.

Major 7 (#5) (+(maj7)) Root, major third, augmented fifth, major seventh.

Major 7 (b5) ((b5)maj7) Root, major third, diminished fifth, major seventh.

Dominant 7 (#5) (+7) Root, major third, augmented fifth, minor seventh.

Dominant 7 (b5) ((b5)7) Root, major third, diminished fifth, minor seventh.

Minor 7 (b5) (dim) (or half diminished chord) root, minor third, diminished fifth,

minor seventh.

Fig. 27

The Ten Seventh Chords

Notes

4dia10x7.pdf

NOTE the second line of chords follows the rock tradition

As you can see, the seventh in a maj7 chord is related to the root by a major seventh interval.

The seventh in a minor 7 chord is related to the root by a minor seventh interval. Dominant 7

chord contains both major third and minor seventh, while the diminished 7 chord is built by

stacking notes in minor third intervals above each other (the word diminished seven is not used

in rock)

Try to write the chords in different keys on a music staff. Then learn to play these chords on

your guitar (use chord fingerings in the chords section). Remember to listen to the sound of

each chord type and try to get familiar with it.


Learning all these chords may seem to be difficult, but you can always organize them in groups,

as we did before with triads. This time we have to add one more group: the dominant group. In

this group we put three chords, all with different fifth intervals. To the major chord group we

add three chords, which only differ by the fifth interval (perfect, flattened or augmented). To the

minor family we add two minor chords (with perfect fifths). Diminished chord and minor 7 (b5)

(m(b5)7) chord will be put in one group each. Our chord groups will now look like this (the

added seventh chords are written in Italics):

Major Group Major triad, Augmented triad and b5 triads maj7, maj7(#5) (+(maj7)), maj7(b5)

((b5)maj7). (Chords with major third and none minor seventh).

Minor Group Minor triad m7, minor with maj7 (All minor chords with perfect fifth).

Dominant Group Dominant 7, dominant 7 (#5) (+7), dominant 7 (b5) ((b5)7). (Chords with

major third and minor seventh.)

Diminished Group Diminished triads, dim7. (All diminished chords).

Half Diminished Group Minor 7 (b5) (All minor chords with diminished fifth) (m(b5)7).

Organizing chords this way will help you learn them quicker and see more familiarity and

relation between them. There are about 170 different chord types in western music, so it is good

to have some kind of system to organize them in, and the system in this book is just one

suggestion.

Make sure that you learn the stem of each seventh chord. As you could see, for a major

seventh chord the stem notes are root; major third ; perfect, diminished or augmented fifth;

major seventh. For a minor seventh chord: root, minor third, perfect fifth, minor seventh.

Dominant chord: root; major third; perfect, diminished or augmented fifth; minor seventh.

Diminished chord: root, minor third, diminished fifth, diminished seventh. Half diminished

chord: root, minor third, diminished fifth, minor seventh.


DIM CHORDS ARE ALL THE SAME

A few words must be said about the diminished 7 (dim) chords. If you looked at the diminished

scale already, you know that there are four keys of diminished scales containing exactly the

same notes, as soon as the root notes of all these four scales are related to each other by minor

third intervals (e.g. D, F, Ab, Cb). The same principle is valid for diminished 7 chords. If one

chord is related to the other by a minor third interval (or multiple steps of minor third intervals),

both chords will contain the same chord notes. For example the Edim chord is constructed of

the same notes as the Gdim or Bbdim, or Dbdim chord. You can see it for yourself by writing

out these chords on a music staff:

Fig. 28

Diminished Chord Look-alikes

Notes

4dimlike.pdf


What does this mean for guitarists? We can easily invert diminished chords by simply sliding or

moving a diminished chord shape up or down the neck by the interval of a minor third (which

equals three frets).

Fig. 29

Playing the Diminished Look-alikes on Guitar

Tablature


EXTENDED CHORDS

At this moment, you should understand that chords are nothing more than scale notes arranged

above each other vertically, and therefore sounding at the same time. Until now we have been

working with chords that are built by stacking every other scale note above the root of the

chord, in intervals of thirds, within one octave range. When we move on and stack more and

more notes above each other, we will extend this one octave range, and therefore create

extended chords.

Extended chords was invented by the impressionist composers (Debussy and Ravel) early in the

last century and were introduced to American jazz in the 20-ies when several American

composers studied in Paris and later came home to write impressionistic film music and

musicals. Duke Ellington was one of the first jazz composers to use these kinds of chords.

Today, jazz musicians use them all the time, but many of the chords appear in rock and pop,

too. Some extended chords will sound nice to you, while others may sound very dissonant.

Whatever the sound - you should learn them and get used to their sound. When you work with a

bad sounding chord for a longer period of time, this bad sound will eventually turn into

something like unusual and interesting voice, and it is not impossible that you will even fall

in love with it.

As you have seen, the seventh chord consists of four scale notes, and since we use a seven-note

diatonic scale, we have three more notes available to stack above it. These notes are the second,

fourth and 6th

scale degree of the scale, but because they come from the higher octave we call

them 9, 11 and 13. So, all the scale notes we can use for building chords are called: root, third,

fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth. You have already seen that the third scale degree can

either be major or minor, the fifth can be perfect, diminished or augmented, while the seventh

can be minor, major or diminished. What about the last three notes: the ninth, eleventh and

thirteenth? Depending on which scale you use to construct the chord, these notes will have

following relation to the root:

The ninth: either major (9), minor (b9) or augmented (#9) ((-10)).

The eleventh: either perfect (11) or augmented (#11).

The thirteenth: either major (13) or minor (b13).


MAJOR NINTH CHORDS

When we add the ninth to the seventh chord, we will get a ninth chord. Major, minor and half-

diminished seventh chords will always receive the major ninth, while dominant chords can

either have a major ninth, or any altered form of it minor or augmented ninth.

If we look back at the seventh chord forms in our chord groups, from the previous section, any

of these seventh chords can be extended by a ninth. The major group will now have following

types of chords:

Major Group Major triad, maj7, maj9, maj7 (b5) ((b5)maj7), maj9 (b5) ((b5)maj9),

maj7 (#5) (+(maj7)), maj9 (#5) (+(maj9)).

Fig. 30

Major Ninth Chords

Notes



MINOR NINTH CHORDS

The minor group will contain following chords:

Minor Group minor triad, m7, m9 (in the rock tradition, a m9 chord does not have a minor

seventh, it is traditionally played as a minor chord with a ninth added. The m9 chord

understood as the 7 and 9 is written m7+9 in rock.

Fig. 31

Minor Ninth Chords

Notes


DOMINANT NINTH CHORDS

The dominant group will receive most new chord types:

Dominant Group dominant 7, dominant 9, dominant 7 (b9) ((-9)), dominant 7 (#9) ((-10)),

dominant 7 (b5) ((b5)7), dominant 7 (#5) (+7)), dominant 9 (b5) ((b5)9), dominant 9 (#5) (+9),

dominant 7 (b5,b9) ((b5)(-9)), dominant 7 (b5,#9) ((b5)(-10)), dominant 7 (#5,b9) (+(-9)),

dominant 7 (#5,#9) (+(-10)).

Fig. 32

Dominant Ninth Chords

Notes



DOUBLE ALTERED CHORDS

Half Diminished Group minor 7 (b5) (m(b5)7), minor 9 (b5) (m(b5)7+9)

Fig. 33

Double Altered Chord (m9(5) (m(b5)7+9))

Notes


As you can see, a dominant chord can contain both the altered fifth and the altered ninth. These

types of chords are called double-altered chords.

From this moment on, you will notice that all the chords that can be put into these chord groups

are so many that it would be frustrating to learn all possible combinations. A much easier way

to learn and understand chord theory is by knowing which extensions any chord group can

have. Thereafter you can put together any chord form you want by thinking of all the

possibilities any chord group are giving you. Let us take the most complex dominant group as

an example. Until now we could create a dominant chord of the stem: root, major third, minor

seventh, and the fifth of the chord; which could be perfect (5), diminished (b5) or augmented

(#5). We can expand this stem by putting more chord notes to it. For now, we know that we can

add a ninth to it. The ninth of the chord could be major (9), minor (b9) or augmented (#9).

Combining the seventh chord (which contains one of the three possible fifth intervals) with

some of the three ninth intervals, in any way we like, gives us possibility to create any dominant

chord we like. When we go on to further chord extensions, you can use above method of

combining stem notes in a seventh chord with any chord extension note to create any chord

form you like.

It is important not to see chord theory as something mysterious and hard to learn. In the same

way, you should not get frightened of many chord fingerings that you must learn. It is easier

to learn all this material by starting out from a basic unaltered chord form of any chord group,

learn where each chord note is located, and then simply alter some of these notes to fret an

altered chord form. For example, if you know a fingering for a maj7 chord, and know which

finger frets the perfect fifth of the chord is situated, you can easily alter it to an augmented fifth

by moving the finger up one fret. All of a sudden, you play a major7 (#5) (+(maj7)) chord, even

if you maybe have forgotten its fingering pattern!


ELEVENTH CHORDS

Adding the 11th note of the scale to the ninth chord will result in the eleventh chord. Major

chords contain the augmented eleventh (#11), which is not a diatonic note of the major scale,

but it is raised to omit the dissonant minor ninth interval between the third and the normally

occurring unaltered eleventh of the chord. Minor chords are extended with perfect eleventh, and

so are the dominant and half-diminished chords.

Fig. 34

Eleventh Chords

Notes


Eleventh chords consist of six notes, and the sound of all these notes may be very dense and

unclear. For this reason, some of the chord note(s) are not played. The most usual note to omit

is the unaltered perfect fifth. In dominant chords the third is omitted because of the b9 clash

between perfect eleventh and major third of the chord. The ninth can also be taken away if so

desired.


THIRTEENTH CHORDS

The 13th

note stacked a third above the eleventh chord creates a thirteenth chord. This chord

type is a seven-part chord, which means it consists of seven notes. Major, minor and dominant

chords have a major thirteenth (13), while half-diminished group uses minor 13 (b13).

(thirteenthS)

Fig. 35

Thirteenth Chords

Notes


You cannot play seven notes simultaneously on your guitar (unless you have a seven stringed

instrument), so you have to get rid of one or more notes without interrupting its function and

sound. The first note to omit is usually the perfect fifth, the rule that is valid for any extended

chord. Other notes to move away are the ones that are unaltered and make a dissonant sound

with the third of the chord. For dominant chords it would be the eleventh. For minor chords it

would be the ninth. Guitarists, however, tend to apply the omitted ninth and eleventh for other

chord types as well. It depends on how well the chord fingering will suit the fretting hand.


OTHER CHORD TYPES

Until now, we were building chords by stacking scale notes in thirds above each other. All scale

degrees we used for this purpose were root, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh and thirteenth.

Yet, this is not the only way of constructing vertical harmony. Scale notes as second, fourth,

and sixth can be used to create a new chord form. As you know, 2nd

and 9th

scale degrees are

the same notes, but we only used the ninth, which is an octave above the 2nd

. We did the same

with the fourth and eleventh, and the sixth and thirteenth. Now, we will see how the lower

sounding notes can be applied to chord construction. These notes are added to the triad to give a

new type of chord.

(ADD 9) CHORDS

Added ninth chords should actually be called second chords since we add the 2nd

scale step to

the triad. However, we use the add 9 term because there are already other chords which

contains a second instead of a third in a triad. The add prefix is telling us that this is not an

extended chord. Even if we use the 2nd

scale degree, it is often moved up an octave to the same

position as the ninth. The reason for this is the inclination to not play too many bass notes close

to each other. If we would add the second to the triad we would have 1st, 2

nd and 3

rd scale step

in the bass, separated by just a second interval from each other. This would sound very harsh

and is therefore avoided by moving the second up an octave.

Fig. 36

(add 9) Chord

Notes

The minor third in a minor triad creates a dissonant major seventh interval with the added ninth,

therefore it is sometimes omitted, and we end up with so called sus2 chord, which means that

the second is suspended for the third. Keeping the minor third in a minor(add 9) chord can still

be very attractive sounding, if you want a sorrow filled kind of sound. Let your ears decide.


SUS CHORDS

The fourth note of the scale can be suspended for the third in a triad, and be the source of a sus4

chord. The sound of the chord is very resolution-seeking because of the suspended fourth.

This note wants to go down one step to the third of the triad. Try to play it on your guitar and

hear how it sounds. Fret for example a major sus4 chord and move the finger, which is holding

the fourth, down one fret to the third of the chord.

Sus4 Chords is mostly applied to major, minor and dominant chords, and is often not called

sus4 but simply sus. The chord is always called Sus in rock.

Sus2 Chords When 2nd note of the scale is replacing the third, a sus2 chord is created. Its

sound is also searching for resolution to the third of the chord. The Sus2 chord is never used

in rock music, but often named sus4 as for example a Gsus4 is identical to a Csus2.

Fig. 37

Sus Chords

Notes


SIXTH CHORDS

If we add the 6th

note of the scale to a triad, we will create a sixth chord. Notice that the sixth is

always relative to the root by a major sixth interval, both in major as minor chords. Why do we

not use a minor sixth in a minor6 chord? The scale source we use for building this chord is,

unlike before, the melodic minor scale, which contains a major sixth. This scale is often used

for building minor chords which functions as the tonic, I minor (Tm)), in a minor key. Besides

the minor6 chord, we can also build minor6/9 chord.

Fig. 38

Sixth Chords

Notes

Notice that the sixth is not a suspended note as in sus4 chord, and it does not replace the fifth.

So, we have totally four notes in a sixth chord.

In classical music subdominant, IV major (SD) chords are sometimes equipped with the sixth

to emphasize the function of the chord.


STACKED FOURTHS

JAZZ There are some unusual chords, at least in the rock and pop world, built by stacking scale

notes above each other in intervals of fourths. Such chords sound very neutral, somewhat they

will not lead anywhere. Do not think it is negative, because stacked fourths can be used in

music in very exciting way, especially when you seek some variation for the old functional

harmony.

Playing such chords on guitar should not give you trouble, the only thing you have to do is to

play the scale notes with a fourth interval from each other. For example:

Fig. 39

Stacked Fourths

NOTE To distinguish the fourth chords, blue, white, yellow and red colours have been used (which happens to be the colours of the Polish, Swedish and Danish flags of the Author (Poland, Sweden) and the Publishing house (Denmark)!

Sometimes, you will have to use the augmented fourth interval because of the natural inner

relationship of some scale notes (e.g. fourth and 7th

scale step in a major scale).

How can these voicings be used in jazz playing? One way is to use them for comping, where

you put the melody note on the top string, and build a stack of fourths below it. Another way to

go is by substituting other chords with a stacked fourth voicing for a major chord it could be a

voicing based on the major third of the chord; for a minor chord the stacked fourths could begin

on the minor third of the chord. These suggestions are just examples of what can be done with

these voicings. Experiment with them and see what you come up with! You can also study

music of jazz musicians and, in fact, composers like Debussy and Ravel, who liked to use these

stacks for their impressionistic music. More about comping with stacked fourths can be found

in chapter 3.


POLYCHORDS

JAZZ A polychord is a combination of two chords played together. While it is hard to play such

combination on guitar with just four fretting fingers, it is possible to play it in a band, where the

bass or keyboard player plays notes of one chord, and you play the second chord.

We begin with looking at polychords in their simplest form, a triad with a bass note other than

the root of the triad. This type of chord is written as triad /bass note. For example C /Bb where

the C represents the C major triad, and Bb is the bass note, instead of the root, the C. Any chord

can be played with any chord note in the bass, and will not change the overall function of the

chord, but will change the sound. We can also put other notes in the bass as well, which do not

have to be chord notes. In modern jazz, there are several such chords worth mentioning:

Major triad with minor sixth in the bass, for example D /Bb. It is the same as Bbmaj7(#5).

Major triad with minor third in the bass, for example D /F. Since the polychord contains the b9

interval between F and F#, and the major triad, this chord sounds like an altered dominant

chord

Major triad with minor second in the bass, for example D /D#. Sounds dissonant, very close to

the sound of a diminished chord.

Major triad with major seventh in the bass, for example D /C#. Exotic sounding type of chord.

Major triad with major second in the bass, for example D /E. The same as an E(add9)11 chord.

How can you play such polychords? If you can find any triad anywhere on the neck, and know

the fretboard notes well, you will not have any troubles at all! Just fret the triad and the bass

note, all in a comfortable fingering, and strike the polychord.

More complex polychords consist of two triads, one on the top of each other. These are

separated by a distance of less than an octave, preferably by an interval of fourth. Such

polychords are written as a fraction, for example:

Bm

C or

Bm/C

In the bottom chord, the fifth is sometimes omitted.

Chords from the major group can be overlapped by triads built on the Lydian mode with the

same root as the bottom chord. Example: for a C major chord, some of the possible overlapping

triad alternatives would be D major, E minor or A minor.

Chords from the minor group can be overlapped by triads built on the Dorian mode with the

same root as the bottom chord. Example: for a C minor 7 chord, some useful triads built of the

C Dorian mode would be Bb major or F major.


Chords from the dominant group gives more possibilities any triad can be put over them, as

long as it not contains the fourth or major seventh relative to the root of the bottom chord. This

is to avoid the dissonant b9 intervals between these notes and the chords major third and minor

seventh. Example: some possibilities for a C dominant 7 chord would be D major, Gb major or

A major.

As mentioned above, many of these chords are impossible to play on guitar if you use the usual

playing techniques and standard tuning. However, you can play them with a keyboardist, or a

bass player, who would play the notes of one chord. Remember to keep a distance of about a

fourth between the top note of the bottom chord and the bass note of the upper chord.


CHORD SUBSTITUTIONS

JAZZ Chord substitution within a composition can add more interest to the music, and give your

audience (and yourself) more pleasure from listening to it. There is nothing mystical about it,

and you should really take the time to learn more about this variation technique. The chord

substitution possibilities outlined in this section are the most common ones, but there are plenty

of other, more personal, substitution techniques used by many musicians. You can even create

your own chord substitutions if you desire.

What is a chord substitution? It is nothing more than playing one chord in place of the original

chord. You can change the harmony of music by replacing some chords within a musical

composition. When you do it, always listen to the sound of the music and decide, which chord

suits your needs best. Also, make sure that the new chord suits the melody!

Chord Substitution Major Chords A major chord which functions as the tonic (I maj) can be substituted with a maj7, maj9, major 6 or major 6+9 chord. In jazz, the major 6+9 chord

is often used as an ending chord (last bar of a cadence / section or of the whole composition).

Maj7 and maj9 chords sound softer than the major triad. The major 6 chord is more mellow

than the major triad.

A major chord which functions as the subdominant (IV maj) can be substituted with a maj7,

maj9, maj9(#11), maj13(#11) chord. These two last chords have a very distinct sound, as they

incorporate the raised fourth.

Generally, the fifth of any major chord can be lowered or raised to b5 respectively #5, and is

usually altered to lead into new chord note of the next chord. Make sure though, that it sounds

good with the melody. If this altered fifth creates a b9 or maj7 interval with the melody note it

could sound very dissonant.

Chord Substitution Minor Chords A minor chord can be substituted with m7, m9, m11 or m13 chords. The m13 chord sounds more dominant than minor, and is mostly used if the

melody note is the thirteenth /sixth of the chord. The m11 chord is used if the melody note is

also the eleventh/fourth note in the m11 chord.

Stacked fourths voicings can be used instead of any minor chord if the melody is one of the

notes in the voicing. These voicings sound very open and ambiguous, as they have no root.

The fifth of any minor chord can be lowered or raised a half step, if this alteration does not

clash with the melody (b9/maj7 interval).

Chord Substitution Dominant Chords A dominant chord can be extended to dominant 9, 11 or 13 chords. The dominant 11 chord is mostly used if the melody note is the

eleventh/fourth of the chord. The dominant 13 chord is used freely, but often when the melody

note is also the thirteenth/sixth of the chord.


The ninth or fifth in a dominant chord can be lowered or raised by a half-step (b9/#9, b5/#5).

Both altered notes can be played in the same chord. This substitution is often used when the

dominant chord leads to a minor chord. Example: G7(b9) (G-9) resolved to Cmi7.

The dominant 7 chord can be substituted or added to a m7 chord with a a perfect fourth root

below the root of the dominant chord.

A dominant chord can be substituted with another dominant chord diminished fifth (b5) away

from the original root. The third and seventh of both chords share the same notes and resolves

in the same way to the next chord.

A dominant chord can be substituted with another dominant 7 chord or a m7(b5) (m(b5)7)

chord with a root on the original chords b3, b5 or 13.

Chord Substitution Other Techniques Passing chords can be placed in between other chords. Diminished chords are the chords most often used for this technique. (EXAMPLE)

Chord cycles can be placed in between other chords. Usually the II-V progressions are used,

where the last V chord in the cycle resolves to the originally occurring chord. These cycles can

move by half steps, whole steps, thirds or fourths.

Fig. 40

Chord Cycle with Passing Dim chords

Notes

4chsubs.pdf

For more chord substitution techniques, look at the Harmony chapter in All Aspects of ROCK

& JAZZ /1 Music Theory or other advanced theory books and see what can be applicable for

the guitar. When you apply all those substitutions to a composition, be careful to not replace

every possible chord with other chords. Start in a simple way, and listen how the different

substitutions change the spirit of music.


OPEN STRINGS

Open strings are an idiomatic characteristic of the guitar. When such a strings is played it

vibrates in its full length and creates a specifically resonant sound. It rings out much clearer

than the fretted string, and it is useful for creating interesting sounds in guitar music.

Generally, we only use those open strings that fits the key we are playing in. For example, if we

play in a key of D major (D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#) we could use any open string since they all are

creating notes within the given tonality (E, B, G, D, A, E). If we play in the key of E major (E,

F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#) we could not use the open D or G string because they do not belong to

the notes defined by the E major key.

One usage of open strings is by playing them together with chord shapes. Any chord shape

within a given tonality can be combined with one or more open strings. This will create a

characteristic, bell-like sound. Try following example, in the key of D major:

Fig. 41

Open Chords in D Major

Notes

4open.pdf

Tablature

4open_chords_dmajor_tab.PDF


You can also use open strings to create riffs or motifs on guitar. All you have to do is fretting

scale notes on one or more strings, and playing them along with one or more open strings that

fit the key you are using. One example of this kind of riff:

Fig. 42

Riff with Open Strings

Notes

4opriff.pdf

Tablature

4open_riff_tab.PDF


One more way to play around with open strings is by combining them with any interval shapes

on the fretted strings. You can for example combine the ascending sixth intervals in the key of

A major with an open B string:

Fig. 43

Riff with Intervallic Shapes

Notes

4opint.pdf

Tablature

4open_riff_interval_tab.PDF

The field of experimentation with open strings is very wide and you should try to explore it if

you like to use more of the idiomatic properties of the guitar. Open strings have these very

recognizable and clearly ringing sounds, which are there for the taking!

Chapter 4, RHYTHM GUITAR, Page 60, Chord Dictionary

Chord Dictionary

The classical way of representing the chords in a simple graphic form is the chord

box. This tool, used since the early 1920ies, is closely related to the Tablature, but opposite to the dynamic note-like form of the tablature, the chord box is static. The

following tables show examples of how to produce a chord in different positions on

the fretboard. There are two main types of chord boxes, the open chords and the

movable chords. The latter is the most common in rock and jazz, while the open

chords (except for the golden chords) mostly belong to folk music and classical guitar music. The chords are grouped into Standard, Extended, Neutral and

Advanced chords.

NOTE Chords marked with golden background are classic open chords.

The golden chords should be learned by heart before you learn any other chord forms!!!

Ask the Professor!

Q: What is a Chord Box???

A: The Chord Box is a schematic drawing of the strings and frets, where the placing of the fingers is marked with black circles.

Fret Number In case of movable chords, the basic fret number is shown to the

left of the chord box.

1 Finger markers

2 Fret 0 = open chord

3 Open string

4 Muted string

5 Barre

6 Mini barre


STANDARD CHORDS

Scale Major Minor 6 7 9

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

A#/Bb

B

2

4

1

1

4

6

2

3

6

4

1

2

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

6

4

2

4

1

3

1

6

4

2

4

1

3

6

1

2

3

4

5

6

2

4

1

3

5


EXTENDED CHORDS, 7

Scale maj7 m7 m(maj7) m7(b5) m7+9

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

A#/Bb

B

2

4

6

3

6

4

1

2

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

6

4

2

4

1

3

1

6

4

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

4

5

6

2

4

1

3

5

1

2

3

4

3

2

5


EXTENDED CHORDS, 9

Scale maj9 m9 (add 9) 7(b9) / -9 7(#9) / -10

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

A#/Bb

B

2

4

6

8

11

9

6

7

2

4

1

3

6

7

9

2

4

1

3

6

5

3

2

4

1

3

6

0

2

3

4

5

6

2

4

1

3

5

1

2

3

4

3

5

1

5

10

5

11

10

5

2

0

4

0

5


EXTENDED CHORDS, 11

Scale 11 7(#11) m11

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

A#/Bb

B

2

4

6

2

5

3

6

0

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

6

4

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

4

3

5

7

0

1

4

6

5

5

7

5


EXTENDED CHORDS, 6

Scale 6+7 6+9 6+maj7

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

A#/Bb

B

NOTE The 6+7 chord is normally used as substitute for the 7-notes 13 chord, which cannot be played on a 6-string guitar. See the last Chord Box table for some other fake 13 chords.

2

4

6

2

5

3

6

0

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

6

4

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

4

3

5

1

4

5

5


EXTENDED CHORDS, (b5)

Scale (b5) 7(b5) maj7(b5)

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

A#/Bb

B

2

4

6

3

6

4

1

2

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

4

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

4

3

1

7

5

7

5

6

5

7


NEUTRAL CHORDS, +

Scale + / #5 7(#5) / +7 +(maj7)

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

A#/Bb

B

Dear student: Please note that some of these chords can very difficult to play in the start! The problem is not your fingers, but the chord.

9

4

6

8

6

9

1

2

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

1

6

8

5

7

1

2

3

4

8

4


NEUTRAL CHORDS, DIM

Scale dim dim7

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

A#/Bb

B

2

4

5

2

5

3

1

2

2

4

1

3

6

7

3

3

2

4

1

5

4

5


NEUTRAL CHORDS, SUS

Scale sus4 sus2 sus7

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

A#/Bb

B

6

3

6

4

3

6

4 4

3

2

4

1

2

2

4

1

3

1

2

2

4

1

3

1

2

3

1


MOVABLE CHORDS, ADVANCED JAZZ

7 Variations

7(#5/b9)

7(#5/#9)

7(b5/b9)

7(b5/#9)

maj7 Variation

maj7(#11)

13 Chords

13

13

13(#11)

m13

This was only the beginning!

The chord boxes in this chapter are only a few examples of the thousands of possible chord variations. But the examples actually provide you with a whole range of classical open chords and several movable forms, which can be used and varied endlessly. On the WEB and in your music store, you can find many advanced books, with for example different tunings and modal chords. So you see this was only an appetiz

asp3_4rythm guitar

Documents

dim chords

extended chords

power chords

inversion of chords

rhythm exercises

rhythm styles

double altered chords

rhythm practice guide