# Guitar/Chords

A chord is two or more different notes played simultaneously. Most
chords have three notes though. Chords derive their names from the
*root* note; so a C chord has C for its root note and a G7 chord will
have G. The interval between the root note and the third determines
whether a chord is a major or minor. Chords may be strummed or the notes
picked individually though beginners find strumming much easier. The
more advanced technique of picking is examined in the Picking and
Plucking chapter.

While chords are primarily used for rhythm guitar, basic chord knowledge
can be important for lead playing as well. Knowing how chords are
constructed can help when learning the lead parts of many songs since
there is always a relationship between a chord and the lead part. For
example, if you have to play a lead part over a C major chord (C-E-G)
and you use the notes of a D flat major chord (Db-F-Ab) then the result
will be very dissonant. Additionally, many lead patterns revolve around
arpeggios. These are chords with their notes played in sequence (the
word \"arpeggio\" actually means \"broken chord\") rather than together.
For more information on arpeggios, see the Arpeggio and Sweep
Picking chapter.

Chords are easy to play though understanding the theory behind chord
construction (harmony) will require some understanding of scales. While
it is not essential to have a knowledge of scales to be able to use this
section, understanding scales will definitely improve your general
musicianship. With that in mind, go ahead and learn and use these chords
without worrying too much about the theory and when you have the time
take a look at the page on general music theory and
the page on scales.

Beginners are advised to start with open
chords, which are often the easiest
chords to form. Learning open chords is important because it sets the
stage for learning how to form barre chords. Barre
Chords are chords you form by pressing
all (or some) of the strings down with the first finger. This finger
acts as the barre (the same job that the nut of the guitar does when you
are playing open chords). Because of this barre chords don\'t usually
include open strings and can be moved freely up and down the neck. As
you move your barre chord, the shape of the chord remains the same
although all the notes change. Barring is an important technique and
greatly opens up the neck of the instrument.

## Different Kinds of Chords

### Major chords

The most basic chord is called a triad and consists of three different
notes. A major triad consists of the root, a major third, and a perfect
fifth. The early study of chords should be based around how to build the
tonic triad (chord) from any major scale. To build the tonic triad you
take the first note of any major scale and the third note (a major 3rd)
and the fifth note (a perfect fifth). Take for example building a tonic
triad (chord) from the C major scale. If you look at this C major scale:

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

you will notice that the first, third and fifth notes of the scale are
C, E, and G. The most obvious thing that most guitarists become
instantly aware of is that the C major played in the first position
actually involves playing 5 strings and therefore must have more notes
than a triad. The C major chord shown below has these notes C, E, G, C,
E. If you cancel out the doubles you are left with a C major triad. This
brings us to an important rule: any chord tone (note) can be doubled
without affecting the chords designation. Therefore a C major triad
(C-E-G) and the first position C major chord below (C-E-G-C-E) are both
still C major chords though the 5 note version will sound fuller due to
the note doubling. Major chords have a characteristically bright and
happy sound.

```{=html}
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```
File: C major chord for guitar (open).png\|**C major**

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### Minor chords

The minor triad consists of a root, a minor third and a perfect fifth.
The interval between the root and third is a minor third and the
interval between the root and fifth is a perfect fifth. Minor chords
have a dissonant quality due to the interval of a minor third. It must
be remembered that we are talking about building chords from scales and
that these intervals, the minor third and perfect fifth, are the
interval designations from the scale which are then applied to naming
the intervals in a chord. Which is why the triad intervals are not named
1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Minor chords are best understood in relation to their major chord
counterpart. In the example below we will use E major and E minor. When
we play an E major chord, we can flatten the third of the chord by
lifting the finger that is holding down the third string at the first
fret, making it an open string. By altering this one note so that the
interval is changed from a major third to a minor third, we have formed
a new chord: E minor.

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:'Courier New'">
```
File: E major chord for guitar (open).png\|**E major** File: E minor
chord for guitar (open).png\|**E minor**

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</div>
```
Switching between major and minor chords can be relatively easy, as it
involves the change of only one note. Some chord changes, for example
changing between an open F major to a F minor, will need a little more
effort.

### Dominant Seventh chords

A minor seventh is added to a major chord. When a minor seventh is added
to any major chord that major chord is changed into a dominant seventh.
The dominant chord always refers to the chord built on the fifth degree
of any major scale. Look at the C major scale below:

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

The fifth degree of the scale is G. The chord built on the fifth
contains the notes: G-B-D. To change this dominant major chord to a
dominant seventh you need to add a fourth note. The note you add is F
(the minor seventh) which now makes: G-B-D-F. This chord has very strong
need to resolve usually to the tonic. The reason the interval in G-B-D-F
is called a minor seventh and not a perfect fourth is that interval
designation is determined from the root of the chord being discussed.
Take for example the G major scale below:

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

As you can see the interval G-F# is a major seventh. You can form a
minor seventh interval by lowering the seventh by a semitone: G-F. This
holds true for all major seventh intervals.

At first it seems quite strange looking at the interval relationship of
another key to determine the chord intervals of the key you are playing
in. With practice it becomes very easy but does involve learning a few
major scales.

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:'Courier New'">
```
<File:A7> chord for guitar (open).png\|**A7** <File:G7> chord for guitar
(open).png\|**G7**

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</div>
```
### Sixth chords

Add a sixth to the chord. The two chords below are major chords from the
key of C with a sixth added.

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:'Courier New'">
```
<File:F6> chord for guitar (open position).png\|**F6 (Subdominant in C
major)** <File:C6> chord for guitar (open position).png\|**C6 (Tonic in
C major)**

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</div>
```
### Suspended chords

To form a suspended chord the third is replaced with either a second or
a fourth. The third of a chord defines its modality - whether a chord is
major or minor. By removing the third and replacing it with a second or
fourth you have suspended the chord\'s modal quality. This creates a
chord that is neither major or minor and the ear interprets the chord as
harmonically ambiguous.

Suspended chords derived from a D major chord:

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:'Courier New'">
```
<File:Dsus2> chord for guitar (open position).png\|**Dsus2** File: D
major chord for guitar (open).png\|**D major** <File:Dsus4> chord for
guitar (open position).png\|**Dsus4**

```{=html}
</div>
```
Suspended chords derived from the A major chord:

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:'Courier New'">
```
<File:Asus2> chord for guitar (open position).png\|**Asus2** File: A
major chord for guitar (open).png\|**A major** <File:Asus4> chord for
guitar (open position).png\|**Asus4**

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</div>
```
Suspending an E major chord:

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:'Courier New'">
```
File: E major chord for guitar (open).png\|**E major** <File:Esus4>
chord for guitar (open position).png\|**Esus4**

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</div>
```
### Slash chords

Chords that are not in root position. For example, a C/G is a C chord
with a bass note of G. They are also referred to as \"inversions\".
Slash chords are always notated with their chord name first followed by
the bass note.

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:'Courier New'">
```
<File:C> major chord for guitar (open position in second
inversion).png\|**C/G** <File:F> major chord for guitar (open position
in second inversion).png\|**F/C**

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</div>
```
### Diminished chords

These consist of a stack of minor thirds. You can extend a diminished
triad (three note chord) by adding another minor third; which gives you
a four note chord called a diminished seventh chord. The diminished
seventh chord is notated as Co7 or dim7. Diminished seventh chords are
built entirely from minor thirds, so you can move the chord shape up the
neck in intervals of a minor third (three frets) and this will be
exactly the same notes as the original chord but in a different order.
The term \"inversion\" is used when chords have their notes rearranged.

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:'Courier New'">
```
<File:Edim7> chord for guitar (root).png\|**Edim7 - root position**
<File:Edim7> chord for guitar (third in bass).png\|**Edim7 - 1st
inversion** <File:Edim7> chord for guitar (fifth in bass).png\|**Edim7 -
2nd inversion**

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</div>
```
A half-diminished chord consists of a diminished triad with a major
third on top. In other words, a half-diminished chord is a diminished
triad with a minor seventh.

Diminished chords are full of tension because of the dissonance created
by stacking minor third intervals and they are normally resolved to a
consonant major or minor chord.

