Guitar Chord Construction

Guitar Fundamentals: Guitar Chord Construction
by Brian Gabriel

Did you ever wonder why chords were constructed and named the way they are? A basic knowledge of chord construction is important because it makes the task of learning new chords much easier. Once you have a sold grasp of the fundamentals- then comes the fun part!

Let's look at some basic chord construction.

All chord names are taken from the Major or Minor scale key you are playing in. Each scale has 8 notes. Imagine you are playing in the key of C. The eight notes would be C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and a higher C. Now think about these notes in their relation to the root note (C in this example). C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6; what do you think B= ? I think you get it.

Chords themselves are made up of several notes in the same key played simultaneously. How about your basic major chord? A major chord has three notes in it: a 1, 3 and 5 note. In the key of C these notes would be C, E, and G (1, 3, 5). In the key of G the notes are G, B, and D.

Should we try a minor chord construction? A minor chord also has three notes in it: a 1, b3, and 5. The only note in the minor chord that is different than the major chord is the third note in the key. For a minor the note is lowered one half note from a 3 to a flat 3 (b3). In the key of C, the 3 is an E note and the b3 is an Eb (E Flat). Hence, Cm (C Minor) means you flat the 3 of the major chord and make it a minor. A minor G chord would be G, Bb, D (1, b3, 5).

The Major and Minor are the most basic chords to construct and also the most useful. Try to understand those and the rest will be logical and not very difficult. I have found the best way to learn the guitar is to watch somebody else and then copy them. A great resource for online guitar lessons in video format can be found here http://www.nextlevelguitar.com/go.php?offer=bgousa&pid. Simply watch and listen to the videos and then practice along. You will become an accomplished guitar player in no time!

Here are some more advanced chord constructions for your learning. You can find the fingering for any chord on a free web resource at http://chordfind.com/.

Dmaj7 indicates that you add another note to the 1-3-5 of a standard major chord, in this case the 7. So a Dmaj7 would have D, F#, A, and C#.

Csus4 tells you to replace the 3 with a 4. Hence, a Csus4 would have C, F, G (1-4-5)

Dominant Seventh Chords are very useful and very common chords. These are chords with a lowered seventh. A C7 Chords would have C-E-G-Bb (1,3,5,7b).

Augmented chords have the 5th raised a half-step (one fret). The C+ (C Augmented) is C-E-G# (1-3-5#).

Chords with odd-numbered tones, such as maj7, 9, 11, 13 are called extensions. A C11 is C-D-F-G-Bb.

Just make sure you learn chord construction for the basic chords first (Major and Minor) then move on to the more advanced chords and you will have no problems. Use the resources to help you build a solid foundation. You are well on your way to understanding how chords are constructed.