Lesson 4 - first chords

In the last chapter you learnt a lot of informations about intervals and tone names. So now we can look at chords. Classic basic chord consist of 1-3-5 (major) or 1-b3-5 (minor). Now we take a closer look at it:

• 1 (root note / root tone)
  This is the root note which determines whole chord name. E.g. when E will be root note, than you will play E major or E minor chord. Often the root note is the lowest tone in the chord and although it is not necessary for creating your chords, it's highly recommended.
   
• b3/3 (three/four semitones up from 1)
  This is minor/major third. It is very important because it determines if the chord will be minor (b3 - sounds sad) or major (3 - sounds happy).
   
• 5 (seven semitones up from 1)
  This is perfect fifth. It is in almost every chord. It causes that chord sounds fuller.

Now you can try to play some 1-3-5 or 1-b3-5 chords. Fingering is up to you. Find a place for fingers so you feel the grasp is comfortable for you. Try to use this table. I choose G as the root note (1). In first column are intervals of open strings.

If you can’t find right intervals try to play this:
string low E – press the 3rd fret (1)
string A – press the 2nd fret (3)
string D – leave open (5)

Now play this three strings. This is G chord, because 1 lies on G (3rd fret on low E)

If you want to play Gm, play this:
E – press the 3rd fret (1)
A – press the 1st fret (b3)
D – leave open (5)

Notice that only change from G to Gm is to move one finger one fret down (string A, from 2nd fret to the 1st fret, i.e. from 3 to b3). So if you learn major chords you can easily create minor chords from them.

This is the time, when the application  called Learn Guitar Chords And More (for Android) is helpful. However, if you do not own a device with android, I placed here five basic major chords (in tables). These are C-A-G-E-D with their intervals. Examine each of them and play them. Anyway I do not mention minor chords here, because you will be great guitarist and such a guitarist do not use basic chords, but any-fret chords... In the lesson about them, you will learn major even minor chords...

Chord C

X - do not play this string!

Chord A

Chord G

Chord E

Chord D

If there is the X (on the nut), it means this string has to be muted - you must not play this string. There are several possibilities, how to do that. When it is the deepest string (e.g. chord A) you can play only five remaining strings with your right hand or use your left hand thumb to mute it by light touch.

But sometimes is needed to mute a string in the middle. Try to lightly touch such string with finger on adjancent string. Either with a finger laying on the upper or on the lower string. Occasionally there is a possibility to mute string with free finger - just put that finger lightly on that string.

Exercises for this lesson:

Try to create a minor chords from the major ones, showed above. It means, that you have to omit or replace 3 (major third) with b3 (movement one fret down). But keep in mind, there must be at least one 3 (major third). Now check your version of minor chords by ear or on the internet or in my application. However almost every chords can be created in many ways. So you can find other shape of the same chord, but both can be OK :)

Next: Lesson 5 - seventh chords

Other lessons:

Lesson 1 - first steps

Lesson 2 - intervals

Lesson 3 - tones

Lesson 5 - seventh chords

Lesson 6 - any-fret chords

Lesson 7 - chord progression I

Lesson 8 - chord progression II

Lesson 9 - arpeggios

Lesson 10 - scales