Hey Friend,
I've got a handful of chord changes for you today. This should keep most of you out of trouble!
What you'll notice is some of these changes only require you to move the shape over one set of strings, so there is minimum finger gymnastics for you to do.
I've talked about movable shapes in the past - that's one of the simplicities of the CAGED method. You can slide each of the five shapes up or down the neck to provide any major chord. But as you see here not only can you go up or down, you can also move side to side using the same shapes.
That doesn't mean they're always the same type of chord. You may play a major chord on a set of three strings, then move them over a set of strings to get a minor chord (which may or may not fit within the key).
The point is, shapes and patterns! If you know the basic shapes, you know a lot more than you think you do!
Using just one basic shape and one basic pattern, you can find every major chord by just moving your fingers up the fingerboard.
The pattern I'm talking about is the scale.
If you use the major scale pattern to move the chord shape up the neck by each interval, you'll play each major chord. That pattern is a series of intervals (spaces, or steps) between notes. Whole steps (w) are two frets, and half steps (h) are one fret.
For example, the E major shape played in the open position IS E major. Slide that shape up one fret and you have F major.
Go up two more frets and you are at G major, and so on.
In this case I've used the C major scale as the guide, but you can use any key to determine the scale.
Here's a reminder of what the C major scale looks like, with the interval marked between the notes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8) C w D w E h F w G w A w B h (C)
There are two frets (whole step) between C and D. There is one fret (half step) between E and F (and B and C).
Some of you already get it. For others, a light bulb will flash on. And for some of you, it's still a little early and you don't quite understand yet. But I'll keep flicking the light on until you do.
Here are the chord change exercises for today:
Enjoy!
Peace~
Dave
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