Understanding chord structure for guitar
There is a great deal of information for guitar players on the internet. Two of the most popular aids are chord diagrams and guitar tab. There is nothing wrong with this approach but the focus is on where to put your fingers rather than why.
This page gives a brief overview of the "why". Chord structure is actually quite simple, in fact it's easier than ABC because the musical alphabet only goes up to G.
With the information on this page a beginner will be ready to start discovering (Or designing) their own guitar chords.
Major and Minor chords
Three little notes
This page will be of interest to any one that wants to put some background to the question "Where do I put my fingers?" It will explore the structure of Major and Minor chords and will also cover the modification needed to make the Dominant Seven sound. The "Seventh" is included here because it is such a common feature of popular Western music. In particular Blues, Rock, and the "Blues Rock" genre.
The starting point for any chord is the triad, as the "Tri" suggests there are three notes of interest. These notes are the first third and fifth, the first is also often referred to as the root. In the key of C Major the first or root is C through to the seventh, which is B. The C Major triad therefore is. C E G. You will surely be familiar with the open C chord, usually played with five or six strings. At first sight it seems that our three notes are not enough, but close inspection of this chord shows that only the triad are played. In fact E appears three times and C twice. The C Major example also highlights a very important feature of guitar chords, this is in the way that the notes are actually combined.
The theory of the triad tells us that the root will be the lowest sounding note, it is sometimes said to be in the bass. The fifth will be the highest in pitch, and of course this will leave the third neatly sandwiched in the middle. The guitar is a versatile instrument and guitarists like to have this versatility at their fingertips. For this reason what are known as "inversions" are a popular way to add colour and richness to guitar chords. Put simply this means that we do not always find the triad in the theoretical order. Our demonstration chord (If it is played with six strings) Has the third in the bass, and again at the highest pitch.
To construct a Minor chord we need to make one small change to the triad we have been using. The third must be reduced by a half tone, the C Minor triad therefore is C D# G. Though Minor chords can sound dark and sombre, this is not the only time to use them. I will focus here on why the Minor structure is sometimes needed to complement a Major sound.
Here is a simple example, in the key of C Major. The following chords, C D G are to be played in succession. If the D chord is played as a Major it will include F# (The triad is D F# A) F# does not belong in the key of C Major, therefore if D Minor is played it will contain F natural which will harmonise to the signature key of C Major.
The dominant seven sound is used frequently in popular western music, it is a "must have" for blues and blues rock music. As the name suggests the seventh is stacked on top of the root, third and fifth, but there is a catch. For the dominant sound the seventh is reduced in pitch by a half tone. For our C Major chord the seventh is B, in this case the flat seventh is A#. Stopping the G string at the third fret with the little finger can modify our C Major chord. This will sound better if the two E strings are not strummed. Once again our demonstration chord reveals something interesting about the theory and the practice. In the creation of our new A# we have lost the fifth (G) Core triad notes are often sacrificed in this way to make some of the more exotic chords possible. By the way, if the seventh is played "as is" rather than flat the chord produced will be a Major seven. This simple half tone adjustment of a single note changes the sound completely, making it rather more Jazzy than Bluesy.
Recap
Major chord triad = root, third and fifth...C = C E G
D = D F# A
Minor chord triad = root, flat third and fifth...C = C D# G
D = D F A
Dominant seventh formula = root, third, fifth and flat seventh
Major seven formula = root, third, fifth and seventh
Key points
The pitch relationship between the triad notes is not always preserved. This "mix "n" match approach can add variety and colour to a chord progression.
Root notes are sometimes sacrificed to make way for additional notes in the creation of extended chords.
I hope you will enjoy experimenting with these ideas and perhaps find some new candidates for your repertoire.
The starting point for any chord is the triad, as the "Tri" suggests there are three notes of interest. These notes are the first third and fifth, the first is also often referred to as the root. In the key of C Major the first or root is C through to the seventh, which is B. The C Major triad therefore is. C E G. You will surely be familiar with the open C chord, usually played with five or six strings. At first sight it seems that our three notes are not enough, but close inspection of this chord shows that only the triad are played. In fact E appears three times and C twice. The C Major example also highlights a very important feature of guitar chords, this is in the way that the notes are actually combined.
The theory of the triad tells us that the root will be the lowest sounding note, it is sometimes said to be in the bass. The fifth will be the highest in pitch, and of course this will leave the third neatly sandwiched in the middle. The guitar is a versatile instrument and guitarists like to have this versatility at their fingertips. For this reason what are known as "inversions" are a popular way to add colour and richness to guitar chords. Put simply this means that we do not always find the triad in the theoretical order. Our demonstration chord (If it is played with six strings) Has the third in the bass, and again at the highest pitch.
To construct a Minor chord we need to make one small change to the triad we have been using. The third must be reduced by a half tone, the C Minor triad therefore is C D# G. Though Minor chords can sound dark and sombre, this is not the only time to use them. I will focus here on why the Minor structure is sometimes needed to complement a Major sound.
Here is a simple example, in the key of C Major. The following chords, C D G are to be played in succession. If the D chord is played as a Major it will include F# (The triad is D F# A) F# does not belong in the key of C Major, therefore if D Minor is played it will contain F natural which will harmonise to the signature key of C Major.
The dominant seven sound is used frequently in popular western music, it is a "must have" for blues and blues rock music. As the name suggests the seventh is stacked on top of the root, third and fifth, but there is a catch. For the dominant sound the seventh is reduced in pitch by a half tone. For our C Major chord the seventh is B, in this case the flat seventh is A#. Stopping the G string at the third fret with the little finger can modify our C Major chord. This will sound better if the two E strings are not strummed. Once again our demonstration chord reveals something interesting about the theory and the practice. In the creation of our new A# we have lost the fifth (G) Core triad notes are often sacrificed in this way to make some of the more exotic chords possible. By the way, if the seventh is played "as is" rather than flat the chord produced will be a Major seven. This simple half tone adjustment of a single note changes the sound completely, making it rather more Jazzy than Bluesy.
Recap
Major chord triad = root, third and fifth...C = C E G
D = D F# A
Minor chord triad = root, flat third and fifth...C = C D# G
D = D F A
Dominant seventh formula = root, third, fifth and flat seventh
Major seven formula = root, third, fifth and seventh
Key points
The pitch relationship between the triad notes is not always preserved. This "mix "n" match approach can add variety and colour to a chord progression.
Root notes are sometimes sacrificed to make way for additional notes in the creation of extended chords.
I hope you will enjoy experimenting with these ideas and perhaps find some new candidates for your repertoire.
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