What is a Chord?

Put simply, a chord is two or more different notes played at the same time, usually on the same instrument by the same player. Frequently in bands, one note of the chord will be strummed by the bass guitar, while the "meaty" section of the chord is played on the rhythm guitar.

How to Create a Chord

Chords are made up of melodic intervals. An interval is just the "gap" between two notes. For example, the interval of E from C is major third, becuase E is the third note in the C major scale. The most common chord, the major/minor triad, is composed of a major interval followed by a minor interval (for major triad, C-E-G) and a minor interval followed by major interval (for a minor triad, C-Eb-G).

Common chords and How to Form them

• Major Triad: the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes in a major scale.
• Minor Triad: the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes in a minor scale.
• 7th Chords: Major 7th: 1st, 3rd, 5th, and flattened 7th notes (one semitome lower) in a major scale
• 7th Chords: Minor 7th: 1st, 3rd, 5th, and flattened 7th notes (one semitome lower) in a minor scale.
• Diminished: starting on the root note of scale, each chord note is 3 semitones higher.
• Augmented: major triad with the last note increase by 1 semitone (sharpened 5th)
• 4ths, 2nds, 6ths, 9ths etc: sometimes chords are created where there is a root chord (major/minor triad, 7th) along with another note of the scale added for embellishment (adding 2nds, 4ths, 6ths 9ths, 13ths).

Chord Sequences

Also known as a chord progression, form the most basic harmony of a song. Playing a series of chords in order, and repeating is known as a chord sequence. Usually, each chord leads on from the one before it. The link is based on the root chord, normally the starting chord.

Common Chord Sequences alternate between the 1st, 4th and 5th chords in a scale (eg. in the key of C, the 1st chord would be C, the fourth would be F and the fifth G). Sometimes, a minor chord would be added, usually on the 2nd or 6th notes of the key (in key of C, the 2nd would be Dminor, and the 6th would be Aminor).

Popular Chord Progressions

House of the Rising Sun: Am-C-D-F-Am-E-Am-E (Im-III-IV-VI-I-V-I-V)

The Passenger: Am-F-Am-E (Im-VI-Im-V)

Hotel California: Bm-F#-A-E-G-D-Em-F#m (Im-V-VII-VI-VI-III-VIm-Vm)

12 Bar Blues: C-C-C-C-F-F-C-C-G-F-C-C (I-I-I-I-IV-IV-I-I-V-IV-I-I) (can be with added 7ths)

Hey Jude (outro): F-Eb-Bb-F (I-VIIb-V-I)

Wonderwall: Em7-G-Dsus4-A7sus4 (Im7-III-VIIsus4-IV7sus4) ('sus4' simply means you add the fourth note of that scale to the chord, so Dsus4 would be a D chord with added G).

Killing Me Softly: Am-F-C-G-Am-Dm-G-G-F-C-C-F-Bb x4-Am x4 (Im-VI-III-VII-Im-IVm-VII-VII-VI-III-III-VI-IIb x4-Im x4)

Yesterday: F-Em-A7-Dm-Bb-C-F-Dm-G7-Bb-F (I-VIIm-III7-VIm-IV-V-I-VIm-II7-IV-I)

Ruby Tuesday: Bm-A-G-A-D (Im-VII-VI-VII-III)

My Way: F-A-Cm-D7-Gm-Gm7-C7-F-F-F7-Bb-Bbm-F-C7-Gm-F (I-III-Vm-VI7-IIm-IIm7-V7-I-I-I7-IV-IVm-I-V7-IIm-I)

Let It Be: C-G-Am-F-C-G-F-C (I-V-VIm-IV-I-V-IV-I)

Baba O'Riley: F-F-F-C-Bb-Bb-Bb-Bb (I-I-I-V-IV-IV-IV-IV)

Along with many many others!

EtudiX Tutor 1.2.1

EtudiX Tutor is piano software released by AcustiX Company to teach the beginner who has problems learning musical scores in a traditional way. People who do not have a full knowledge of notes, bars, and measures can now learn to play piano on the provided keyboard with ease. It is extremely marvelous to use this software as you can sing along with the tempo and the main melody of the piece. Even though EtudiX Tutor does not show you the tempo or accents of each piece, you are guided visually to where you should place your fingers correctly on the keyboard. To learn more piano lessons using this software, you should download midi files that you can find them easily via Internet. I assure you that you will be satisfied to use this software as I have used it for a couple of weeks and I found it is a very useful program to help me to learn piano.

Once it is downloaded, run the setup.exe file, and follow the instructions to begin using it.

Click MusicalKeys 3.21

Click Musical Keys is good piano software that is available to download for free. It is a midi format musical keyboard program developed by Bapuli Online Company. This program can produce 128 different instrument sounds. It looks like a real piano. You do not have to know the classical theory of music like notes, bars and musical scores to play around with it. You just need to make use of the computer keyboard and mouse to play it.

Once it is downloaded, run the setup.exe file, and follow the instructions to begin using it.

Follow Me 1.1

Follow Me is musical software developed by One Man Band. This software shows no notes on the screen but it will guide you on how to put your fingers on a recorder (melody), guitar (chords) or on a keyboard (melody and chords), so that you press on the correct notes. The unique feature of this software is that you can select a metronome or drums to keep your tempo. For those who wish to use the keyboard, they should choose the metronome option and turn off the drums so that the song can be heard easily. This is essential in helping to keep the rhythm of the melody. This program is particularly useful for those who want to seriously learn how to play aninstrument as it provides you step-to-step guidance. However, I found it is not suitable for advance level musicians who wish to learn the instrument more thoroughly.

Once it is downloaded, run the setup.exe file, and follow the instructions to begin using it.

iDreamPiano

iDreamPiano is a virtual piano program which is approximately 0.7 MB. You feel like you're playing a real piano when you press your fingers on the PC keyboard or Notebook keyboard. This software comes with an excellent sound on any soundcard (including On-board-soundcard), and very low latency on any soundcard (including on-board-soundcard). This software supports recording, transpose, octave-shift and playback. It also comes with a helpful document and some demo songs.

Once it is downloaded, run the setup.exe file, and follow the instructions to begin using it.

This time out, we'll look at one of the most basic techniques available, but one that is very often overlooked: ringing notes. Simply put, this is a note that is allowed to ring longer than the duration of the normal note division, or simply played open to accent fretted notes. This technique is well-known even to beginning guitar players, but usually only in the context of rhythm and chordal work. Applying this technique to leads, though, can give your playing an edge beyond just noodling. Letting notes ring out can add flourish and color to an otherwise stale-sounding lick. For the first example, play the strings with standard picking, and play the notes cleanly - do not allow them to ring:

Nothing exactly "wrong" with the line, but it's not as flavorful as it could be, either. Now, by simply incorporating open strings and allowing them to ring out, we can add a resonance to the line that is very much more interesting than it began:

The second line sounds "fuller" even though the same notes are being played, and they are of the same duration. Why is the first line played at the 7th fret, whereas the second is at the lower end of the neck? The reason is to illustrate that this technique can apply to various areas of the fretboard, not just in the "basic" chord positions of the first few frets. Here's the same line, but incorporating notes played higher up the neck, and using the sliding technique discussed in Part One:

This example illustrates how different tones can be produced by simply placing the notes in different areas of the fretboard, and adding the ringing notes where available to enhance the basic scale tones. Each bar contains a variation of the same lick, but has a different flow due to the variations of open strings and slides.

Taking what we know from standard strumming with ringing notes, we can embellish leads with full chords and give an almost liquid feel to certain lines. Try playing the following example:

Whereas many players would simply approach this two-bar line with sweep picking and play each note individually, by letting the notes ring out, we've added a certain halo to the sound that is simply not produced by any other method.

This idea can be developed much more thoroughly; take the basic premise put forth here, and develop your own interpretation. You can use ringing tones as little or as often as you like. It's all just part of how you cook up your own recipes for tasty guitar licks and build upon things you already know - and have FUN! If a line sounds boring to you, rather than immediately resorting to warp-speed picking or using other-worldly effects (although these are useful, too), try tasteful application of simple techniques as spice, and see if you can't re-invent your idea. Many times, a new approach to the same idea can make all the difference. And, until next time,
Happy Shredding!

For those musicians who don't mind a little “pencil work,” I have a trick that might help. And even if you're not in a rut, this could help you discover new ideas. I'm a guitarist, and I've used it in the past to develop new licks, riffs, even entire melodies.

In this example, I'm using the A Minor Pentatonic scale, but you can use any scale, of course (altered and diminished scales can produce some strange and beautiful things with this).

It's simple. Below, I have the alphabet (English) on the left. On the right is the A Minor Pentatonic scale, beginning with A, going to G, and then repeating.

A=A B=C
C=D D=E
E=G F=A
G=C H=D
I=E J=G
K=A L=C
M=D N=E
O=G P=A
Q=C R=D
S=E T=G
U=A V=C
W=D X=E
Y=G Z=A

Using this method, “hello,” would translate to D G C C G.

My name, Jason, in A Minor Pentatonic, is G A E G E.

You can take this further, of course - I've used entire sentences. And, obviously, you could get more out of a seven- or eight-note scale.

This doesn't cover octaves or such - only notes. In the first example, the C note is played twice: you could play a middle C followed by a high C, or vice versa.

I'm regarded as something of a guitar hero in my local community, and this method was, for years, one of my secret weapons. Using the Pentatonic Minor with this, I incorporated it into blues-rock to get a new, refreshing sound. I have also used arpeggios instead of scales in the “translation,” and incorporated that into neo-classical and metal. There really aren't any limits.

I've also found that non-musician friends find it cool that their name can be translated into a musical sequence.

Experiment with it and have fun!

Music theory is exactly how it sounds like. It’s the theory behind music. How it works and what is the point of it. We will look at a piano to discuss theory because it is the most simple.

The piano is set up with white keys and black keys. A white to a black key is considered a half step and a white to a white key is a whole step. The only exception is from B to C and E to F. These are 2 sets white keys that are always together. This is because B sharp is C flat. They are the same thing. A black key is always a sharp and a flat. It isn’t either/or because one note’s sharp is another’s flat. For example A sharp is the same as B flat. To get to a sharp you go up one half step or to the next key. To get to a sharp you go back one half step, or to the next key.

Notes are Everything in Music. Without a Note there is no Sound. Our Notes go From A - G

The notes ranging from A - G with sharps. A, A sharp, B, C, C sharp, D, D sharp, E, F, F sharp, G, G sharp.

The notes ranging from A - G with flats. A, B flat, B, C, D flat, D, E flat, E, F, G flat, G, A flat.

Scales:

Scales are the single most important part of theory. You need to know how to make a scale and how to play them on the instrument you own. A major scale is 8 notes and the first and last note are always the same. The formula for a scale is whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. We will take the C major scale for example. The C scale is this:

C D E F G A B C

Take a look at the scale. Do you see the pattern?

• C to D is a whole step.
• D to E is a whole step.
• E to F is a half step.
• F to G is a whole step.
• G to A is a whole step.
• A to B is a whole step.
• B to C is a half step.

C is the only major scale to have no sharps or flats in it. This pattern can be down with any note. At the very end of this article I will have all the major scales for you. The next type of scale I will explain is a minor scale. To make a minor scale all you have to do is flat the third. This is very simple. For C the E would be E flat and that’s it. There are many other scales you need to learn. These include Dorian, pentatonic, and many others. There just isn’t enough time for me to go through and explain every single one. One other thing you must know is an octave. An octave is from one note down the scale to the same note. So in the C scale that would be going from C to C. In the A scale it’s A to A.

Chords:

Chords are the next step in theory. Chords are more than one note played together. To make a chord you play the first, third, and fifth note of the scale. For a C chord that would mean C, E, and G. At the end I will put all the major chords with their scales. There are many different chords. Major chords, minor chords, 7th chords, 6th chords, and many other different notes. It some are very complicated and others are very simple. For example to make a 7th chord you add the 7th note of the scale. A minor chord has a flatted 3rd. Things such as 6/9th chords and minor 7th flat 5 are much more complicated. One thing that is very useful about chords and scales is that with this knowledge you can more easily figure out the chords in a song. Songs generally have the 1st , 4th, and 5th chord in it. So if you figure out that the song has a C chord in it, then you can try to play an F and a G chord to see if the song is in the key of C. So this is why theory is important. It helps you find the key of songs. You can also use this knowledge to help improvise. You can play the C scale during a part of the song that’s in the key of C. With all these little bits of knowledge about theory you can improve your playing skills, your improvising skills, and you will be able to figure songs out quicker and easier.

Scales and Chords:

C

• Scale - C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
• Chord - C, E, G

C sharp/D flat

• Scale - C sharp, D sharp, F, F sharp, G sharp, A sharp, C, sharp
• Chord - C sharp, F, G sharp

D

• Scale - D, E, F sharp, G, A, B, C sharp, D
• Chord - D, F sharp, A

D sharp/ E flat

• Scale - D sharp, F, G, G sharp, A sharp, C, D, D sharp
• Chord - D sharp, G, A sharp

E

• Scale - E, F sharp, G sharp, A, B, C sharp, D sharp, E
• Chord - E, G sharp, B

F

• Scale - F, G, A, A sharp, C, D, E, F
• Chord - F, A, C

F sharp/G flat

• Scale - F sharp, G sharp, A sharp, B, C sharp, D sharp, F, F sharp
• Chord - F sharp, A sharp, C sharp

G

• Scale - G, A, B, C, D, E, F sharp, G
• Chord - G, B, D

G sharp/A flat

• Scale - G sharp, A sharp, C, C sharp, D sharp, F, G, G sharp
• Chord - G sharp, C, D sharp

A

• Scale - A, B, C sharp, D, E, F sharp, G sharp, A
• Chord - A, C sharp, E

A sharp/B flat

• Scale - A sharp, C, D, D sharp, F, G, A, A sharp
• Chord - A sharp, D, F

B

• Scale - B, C sharp, D sharp, E, F sharp, G sharp, A sharp, B
• Chord - B, D sharp, F sharp