Subject: Slidin' Them Chords Up The Neck...
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey there Friend, Alright, so you've taken a little time to learn some of the most common chord shapes. You've got the C and G shapes, which are basically the same shape, just on a different set of strings. Then you have the E shape, the A shape and the D shape. Here they are again... We talked about chord inversions, which just means you can change the order of the three notes a chord is made from to make the chord sound different. This is because the base note of the chord changes with each inversion. But bottom line, to get the most traction learning chords, simply memorize those shapes and start using them to play songs. They're Movable Each shape is a chord unto itself - you can play just the three fingered notes and that is the full chord. When these chords are played down in the open position (the first 3-4 frets), you can usually add some open strings to make the chords sound fuller. What you may not realize (yet) is that each chord shape is very versatile. You can move it up the neck at different intervals, and the result is a new chord. Even though the shape is the same, the notes on the fingerboard have changed, making it a new chord. In each new position on the fingerboard, the resulting chord is a major chord, just like the base shape you learned. So how do you figure out where to put your fingers to play these chords up the guitar neck? Again, the time-tested method of "straight up memorization" will work every time. But there is a way to help you remember new locations for the chords. I mentioned intervals before... Intervals are the specific spaces between notes. On guitar, we've got it pretty easy. We just count frets. Musical notes are separated in specific increments. You may have heard the words tones or steps before. These two terms mean the same thing, and on guitar this is a distance of two frets. A tone or step is two frets above or below the note you start with. So what about a one fret shift? This is known as either a semitone or a half-step. Why am I going through the trouble of explaining these "spaces" between notes, or intervals, when we're talking about chords? When you know what the proper intervals are for a scale, then you know the spacing on the fingerboard for each major chord as you use one shape to play the chords up the neck. Just like the chord shapes, scales have very specific patterns. Once you memorize the pattern for a major scale, then you know the intervals for placing each chord on the fingerboard (when you are using the same chord shape). Putting it all together, if you can memorize each chord shape and you know which note in the chord is the tonic (the note the chord is named after, and the first note in the key), then you can use those two pieces of information to play major chords up the guitar neck. Next week I'm going to give you those intervals. I'll also give you a printable PDF to download that shows you each chord shape and the locations on the neck for each shape to play major chords. Something else to keep in mind... As you try these out, recognize that when you memorize the location of these chords on the guitar neck, you have also set yourself up in the proper location to play some lead guitar riffs. Think about it... You've got the notes from the scale right there built into the chord. If you take a moment to think about the melody of the song you're playing, it's very likely the notes are there in the same area as the chord you started with. In fact, when you play a series of chords that work together in a progression, the notes that make the chords are all the same based on the key you're playing in. Play a song in the key of C major and the majority of the chords (if not all of them) will use the notes from the C major scale. The major and minor chords will be made from the notes of the scale. We'll come back to this idea in a future email. Keep working on memorizing those shapes, and watch for next week's message with a download-able PDF for you to see all the chord positions using these basic shapes. Until then, keep on rockin'! Peace~ Dave Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes. He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already! 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