Confession #14 - Know What Chords to Play!

By now, you've learned several chords, both open chords and barre chords, and have probably experimented with creating your own chord progressions.  One of the challenges with creating your own chord progressions is knowing what chords to play.  This is made a lot easier if you know what the possibilities are.

In this confession, we'll learn how to harmonize the major scale, which is a fancy way of saying we'll learn the basic chords that work with any particular major key.

The principal chords for a particular major key can be summarized by the following formula:

        I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - viio

What does this cryptic formula mean?  How can it help me know what chords to play?  Will it make me more attractive to the opposite sex?  Read on to find out...

TIP:  Melody refers to a series of notes played one after the other.  You can whistle a melody.  Harmony refers to two or more notes played simultaneously, which is what you do when you play a chord on your guitar.

HOW CHORDS ARE MADE

Chords are built by taking a root note, and then adding two or more additional notes from whatever particular musical key you are working in (i.e. a chord consists of at least 3 notes).  For this confession, we'll work in the key of C, and use the piano keyboard to help us visualize the building of chords.

As we learned in Confession #8 - Learn the Major Scale!, the notes of the major scale in the key of C are:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

These notes are arranged on the piano keyboard as follows:

To harmonize the C major scale, we start with a root note, and then add the note that is two notes away from the root, and the note that is two notes away from the second note (this distance is referred to as a diatonic third interval, but don't get bogged down with the theory).

Put another way, start with the root note, skip a note and take the next note, skip another note and take the next note.

HARMONIZING THE MAJOR SCALE

C MAJOR CHORD

Let's harmonize the C major scale by starting with the first note of that scale, C.

Starting on our root note C, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be C, E and G.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

The notes C, E and G give us a C major chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones, the chord will be a major chord and have a happy feel to it.

The chord that is built on the first note of the major scale will always be a major chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

D MINOR CHORD

Let's move on to the second note in the C major scale, D.

Starting on our root note D, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be D, F and A.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

The notes D, F and A give us a D minor chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones, the chord will be a minor chord and have a sad feel to it.

The chord that is built on the second note of the major scale will always be a minor chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

E MINOR CHORD

Let's move on to the third note in the C major scale, E.

Starting on our root note E, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be E, G and B.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

The notes E, G and B give us an E minor chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones, the chord will be a minor chord and have a sad feel to it.

The chord that is built on the third note of the major scale will always be a minor chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

F MAJOR CHORD

Let's move on to the fourth note in the C major scale, F.

Starting on our root note F, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be F, A and C.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

The notes F, A and C give us an F major chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones, the chord will be a major chord and have a happy feel to it.

The chord that is built on the fourth note of the major scale will always be a major chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

G MAJOR CHORD

Let's move on to the fifth note in the C major scale, G.

Starting on our root note G, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be G, B and D.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D

The notes G, B and D give us a G major chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 4 semi-tones, the chord will be a major chord and have a happy feel to it.

The chord that is built on the fifth note of the major scale will always be a major chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

A MINOR CHORD

Let's move on to the sixth note in the C major scale, A.

Starting on our root note A, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be A, C and E.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D - E

The notes A, C and E give us an A minor chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 4 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Because the distance between the root note and the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones, the chord will be a minor chord and have a sad feel to it.

The chord that is built on the sixth note of the major scale will always be a minor chord, no matter what key you are playing in!

B DIMINISHED CHORD

Let's move on to the seventh note in the C major scale, B.

Starting on our root note B, and applying the skipping formula above, the notes of our chord will be B, D and F.

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C - D - E - F

The notes B, D and F give us a B diminished chord.

Observe that the second note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher than the root note.  Also observe that the third note of the chord is 3 semi-tones higher that the second note.  Two intervals of 3 semi-tones produce a diminished chord, which has a unique sound to it.  Diminished chords are not heard in popular music very often.

The chord that is built on the seventh note of the major scale will always be a diminished chord, no matter what key you are playing in!


BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

From the examples above, what we've learned about the major scale is that:

• the chord built on the 1st note is a major chord,
• the chord built on the 2nd note is a minor chord,
• the chord built on the 3rd note is a minor chord,
• the chord built on the 4th note is a major chord,
• the chord built on the 5th note is a major chord,
• the chord built on the 6th note is a minor chord, and
• the chord built on the 7th note is a diminished chord,

You can use this summary chart to quickly figure out what chords to play in a particular key.

If you are playing in the key of C, the major chords in that key are C, F and G (the 1st, 4th and 5th notes of the C major scale).  The minor chords are D, E and A (the 2nd, 3rd and 6th notes of the C major scale).

If you are playing in the key of G, the major chords in that key are G, C and D (the 1st, 4th and 5th notes of the G major scale).  The minor chords are A, B and E (the 2nd, 3rd and 6th notes of the G major scale).

Note that the number that we assign to each note of any particular scale (i.e. 1st note, 2nd note, etc.) is called a scale degree.


CHORD NOTATION

Musicians often use scale degrees when referring to chords in a particular key.  You've probably heard the expression, "one, four, five rock".  This means that the song uses the one, four and five chords in whatever key it happens to be in.

When writing chords down on paper, we use roman numerals.

We only use uppercase roman numerals to refer to major chords. Thus, the one, four, five rocker mentioned above would be written down like this:

    I - IV - V

We use lowercase roman numerals to refer to minor chords.  So, if a song was based on a two, three, six progression, it would be written down like this:

    ii - iii - vi

The diminished chord has a minor quality to it (because, like a minor chord, there are 3 semi-tomes between the first note and the second note), so it is also written in lowercase, with a superscript o after it, which signifies the diminished chord.  Thus, the seven chord is written down like this:

    vii^o

When we put all the chords down in order, we get the formula at the beginning of this post:

    I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - viio

The roman numeral tells us which scale degree of the major scale the chord is built on, and the case tells us the quality of the chord, uppercase for major, and lowercase for minor.


EXAMPLE

Back in Confession #5 - Use a Metronome!, I introduced the following chord progression:

            G-Em-C-D7

which I described as a I-vi-IV-V7 progression in the key of G.  After today's lesson, you now have an understanding of what a a I-vi-IV-V7 progression is.

Note that the V7 refers to the five chord, as signified by the uppercase V.  The 7 after the V tells us to add a note and turn it into a dominant seventh chord (see Confession #13 - Learn More Barre Chords!  for some dominant seventh chord fingerings).  I'll explain more about dominant seventh chords in a future confession.

MEMORIZE THE FORMULA

Once you've memorized the formula:

    I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - viio

you can pick a key and know the basic chords that work in that key just by applying the formula to the notes of the major scale in that key (see Confession #8 - Learn the Major Scale! for a refresher on building the major scale in any key).

Of course these aren't the only chords within the key, but knowing the basic chords that work will allow you to create your own progressions and ultimately to write your own songs, which just might make you more attractive to the opposite sex.


Next Week's Confession - Find the I, IV, V in Any Key!

Confession #11 - Learn Root 6 Barre Chords!

Barre chords are very popular chords for a few reasons:

• One, they are pretty easy to play,
• Two, they allow you to play a bunch of chords using only one chord shape, and
• Three, the bottom strings of the chord make a cool rock sound.

So what is a barre chord?

WARNING!  Barre chords can be very hard on your fretting hand.  Make sure that you warm-up first (see Confession #6 - Warm-Up!).  If you start to feel any pain or discomfort in your fretting had, stop immediately!  If you keep on playing, you can do serious damage to your fretting hand.


FIRST, THE E CHORD

Let's take a look at a basic open E chord.  Generally, you will use fingers 1, 2 and 3 to play the open E chord, like this:

But what if you used fingers 2,3 and 4, like this:

Then finger 1 (your index finger) would be free to do other things.  No, I don't mean making rude gestures at the drummer.

Let's use the 2, 3, 4 fingering, and then slide each finger up one fret like this:

If you strum all of the strings now, its not going to sound very musical.  Why is that?

When we slid fingers 2, 3 and 4 up one fret, we changed the pitch of 3 of the 6 strings by 1 semi-tone (see Confession #8 - Learn the Major Scale! if you are unsure of what a semi-tone is), but the pitch of the other 3 strings was unchanged.


TURN AN E CHORD INTO AN F CHORD

How do we change the pitch of the other 3 strings by 1 semi-tone as well?  We do this by barring finger 1 across all the strings at the first fret, like this:

Now the pitch of strings 1, 2 and 6 have also been changed by 1 semi-tone.  The resulting chord is an F chord.

By barring finger 1 across all the strings at the first fret, we are using our finger as a moveable nut (the 0th fret is the guitar's nut).

TIP:  It takes a fair bit of pressure with finger 1 to properly fret strings 1, 2 and 6.  If you aren't using enough pressure, they either won't sound properly or at all.  Make sure you are barring just behind the fret.  Also, tuck you elbow in at your side.  This will provide some leverage to create the needed pressure.


NOW A G CHORD

We can take this shape that our 4 fingers are making and slide it up and down the neck to make different chords.  For example, if your barre the 3rd fret while holding the same shape with fingers 2, 3 and 4, you'll be making a G chord, like this:

How do you know that this is a G chord?  Here is the G chord chart again, but this time with the names of the notes, instead of the fingerings:

This is a G chord because the note at the 3rd fret of the sixth string is a G.  That's the note that gives the chord its name.


ROOT 6 BARRE CHORD / E SHAPE BARRE CHORD

Because the name of the chord comes from the name of the note on the sixth string, a barre chord based on the shape of an open E chord is called a "root 6 barre chord".  The note on the 6th string is the root note of the chord.

Because it is based on the shape of an open E chord, it is also sometimes referred to as an "E shape barre chord".


PUTTING BARRE CHORDS TO WORK

Now that you know how to play a root 6 barre chord, you can play a whole bunch of different chords, just by moving this shape up and down the neck.

This week's video includes 2 examples that are based entirely on root 6 barre chords.  The first example is a simple chord progression based on the I, IV and V chords in the key of E (being E, A and B major chords). Note the use of the 'folk rhythm' (see Confession #10 - Learn the Folk Rhythm!) over the IV chord (i.e. the A chord played at the 5th fret).

The second example is something I came up with that uses E major and E7 shape barre chords.  Lift finger 4 (your pinky) and you'll be playing a 7 chord.  In case you are wondering, I am changing keys in this progression. Don't ask me which ones.  I came up with this by ear and thought that it sounded cool.

BONUS - LEARNING THE FRETBOARD

As you are experimenting with the root 6 barre chord, you will be learning the names of the notes on your sixth string.

Note in the chart for the G chord above, that the note at the 5th fret of the fourth string was also a G.

So, once you learn where a note is on the 6th string, you now also know where to find that same note on the 4th string, like this:

As you are learning your root 6 bare chords, you are also learning the names of the noes on the sixth string  and the names of the notes on the fourth string.


BONUS - COOL ROCK SOUND

Take another look at the G chord above.  The notes on the bottom 3 strings are G - D - G,  the second G being one octave higher than the first.  From a theory perspective, these notes are the root, the fifth and the octave in the key of G (I'll explain the theory in a future confession).  If you play just these bottom 3 strings, you get that cool rock sound.

Turn up your amp, turn on the overdrive channel, strum the bottom 3 strings, and let them ring!


Next Week's Confession - Learn Root 5 Barre Chords!