CHORD THEORY compiled by Sam

I. The Fret Board==================

The first that you will need to learn is the notes on the fretboard.It is very important to any theory on guitar to know where the notesare on the neck. At first, memorize the notes on the first coupleof strings. Then figure out what the notes on the rest of thestrings will be. In a pretty short amount of time you should beable to do that. In time you'll develop more of a feel for wherethe notes fall, without having to think about it, but that's notnecessary for chord theory. What you really need to be able to dois to be able to figure out what notes you're playing in a givenchord.

e||-F--|-F#-|-G--|-G#-|-A--|B||-C--|-C#-|-D--|-D#-|-E--| Note: # = sharpG||-G#-|-A--|-A#-|-B--|-C--| b = flatD||-D#-|-E--|-F--|-F#-|-G--|A||-A#-|-B--|-C--|-C#-|-D--|-D#-|-E--|-F--|-F#-|-G--|-G#-|-A--|E||-F--|-F#-|-G--|-G#-|-A--|-A#-|-B--|-C--|-C#-|-D--|-D#-|-E--|

Notice that there is a full step between all notes except for B andC, and E and F. For the sake of simplicity I have only shownsharps, but it is important to understand where.the flats are. A#(# = sharp) is equal to Bb (b = flat). D# is equal to Eb. B# isequal to C, and Cb is equal to B. Once again, for the purpose ofchord theory, it is not necessary to be instantly familiar withevery note on the fretboard. What is necessary is to be able tofigure out the notes of any given chord that you are playing.

II. Keys (the Circle of fifths)================================

The next step in understanding any guitar theory is to understandthe circle of fifths. Its importance is that it diagrams severalimportant concepts. First, it is used in determining scales.Second, it is used to determine which chords are in any given key.Third, it is the basis for chord substitutions.

To begin with, I'll demonstrate how the circle of fifths is used ina blues progression in G (something that hopefully everyone isfamiliar with). Twelve bar blues in G begins with 4 bars of G, 2bars of C, 2 bars of G, one bar of D7, one bar of C, one bar of G,and finally one bar of D7 (as shown below). This progression isalso commonly known as

|G |G |G |G |C |C |G |G |D7 |C |G |D7 |

a I - IV - V progression. If you are not familiar with thisprogression, learn it. It is one of the most basic building blocksin rock music. Traces of it can be found in everything from LedZeppelin to Doo-Wop to surf music to Eric Clapton.

The next diagram shows the chords that are in the key of G.

I II III IV V VI VIIG A B C D E F#

As you can see, the G is the I, the C is the IV, and the D7 is the Vin the I- IV - V progression. Any F chords played in the key of Gneed to be sharped, otherwise they are considered to be out of key.

In the same way, the circle of fifths shows which notes need tosharped or flatted in chord constuction. To form a major chord, thefirst, third, and fifth notes of the scale need to be played. Inthe case of Gmajor (or just G as it is commonly called), a G notewould be 1, a B note would be 3, and a D note would be 5.

e||---|---|-o-|---| G (1) As you can see, the open G chordB||---|---|---|---| B (3) is made up entirely of G, B, and D notesG||---|---|---|---| G (1) (I, 3, and 5). Note that any G chordD||---|---|---|---| D (5) requires a 7 note to be played wouldA||---|-o-|---|---| B (3) be an F#, not an F.E||---|---|-o-|---| G (1)

For the third part, the Circle of fifths gives an indication of whento play minors, etc. The following chart shows some guidelines.Later on

I = majorII = minor7III = minor7IV = majorV = dominant7VI = minor (known also as the relative minor)VII = diminished

I will show some substitution rules for incorporating more unusualchords into a progression. It is important to remember that theserules are only general guidelines. If you look at the chords ofsome songs that you know, you will probably see that as a generaltrend, these rules are followed, but on many occasions they aren't.

One thing to keep in mind: a chord progression may be in the key ofA (A is the I chord) without playing an A chord first. Look at thefollowingexample.

|E |E |A |D |

This the chord progression in Lola, by the Kinks. In this case, itis in the key of A (A = I, D = IV, E = V). This shows that thefirst chord played in a progression does not determine the key.Another example is the IIm - V - I chord progression, which is oneof the most common in western music. As you can see, it starts onthe IIm chord.

Since I don't have very good graphics capabilities here, I willrepresent the circle of fifths in chart form, as would be readclockwise from 12 o'clock.

C - no sharps or flats.G - F#D - F#, C#A - F#, C#, G#E - F#, C#, G#, D#B - F#, C#, G#, D#, A#F# (Gb) - F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E# (F)Db - Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, GbAb - Bb, Eb, Ab, DbEb - Bb, Eb, AbBb - Bb, EbF - Bb

Notice the spacing between chords is the same for each key. Here isthe example again in the key of G.

I II III IV V VI VIIG A B C D E F#

Notice that there is a whole step between all chords except betweenIII and IV, and between VII and I. This will be true for all keys.

That pattern is also the same as that for the major scale. Theabove diagram shows the notes contained in the G major scale.

The VI chord is called the relative minor, because it shares manynotes with the tonic (I chord). If C were the tonic, Am would bethe relative minor. If you play one after the other, you willnotice they sound good together. If something is played in an Amkey, you use the exact same chords as if it were being played in thekey of C. In this way, you can determine all of the mionr keys aswell from the circle of fifths.

3. Chord Construction======================

A chord is a group of three or more different notes played together.Every chord is based on a specific formula which relates back to themajor scale after which it is named. As shown earlier, the formulafor a major chord is 1 3 5 hence a G major (GM) chord consists ofthe first, third, and fifth notes of the G major scale, G B D (referto the circle of fifths chart). **Note the ROOT note is the noteafter which the chord is named (the 1 note).The formula for a minor chord is 1 b3 5. In the case of a G minor(Gm) the notes would be G Bb D. **Note: a G flat major (Gb) is GbBb Db, therefore a Gbm (G flat minor) would be Gb Bbb Db, or Gb ADb. There are many cases where a flatted note has to be flattedagain according to the chord formula.

In the following diagrams I will show the names, formulas, andfingerings for over 30 of the most common chords. The numbers showwhere to fret the strings and with which finger. A 1===1 means tobarre that number of strings with your index finger. Any notes witha question mark ? underneath are optional (can be muted). Anystrings with no note shown below are not to be played. Sharp andflat symbols will come before the note (b3). Shown are the mostcommon barre chord fingerings (all open chords can be derived fromthe barre chord shapes). Not all chords have the root as the bassnote, but most do. 1 = index finger, 2 = ring, 3 = middle, 4 = pinky.

Name: Major +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+How it's written: M* +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+Formula: 1 3 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 1=========1 | | | 1===1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3 4 | | | | | 3===3 | | | 3 | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 1 3 5 1 5 1 5 1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 ? ?* G major can either be written GM or more commonly just G.======================================================================Minorm +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 b3 5 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | 2 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3 4 | | | | | 3 4 | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 1b3 5 1 5 1 5 1b3 5

This is the last standard minor that I will diagram. All chords canbe turned into a minor by flatting the 3 note. I will diagram acouple that are not apparent, but the rest are very easy to figureout using this formula.======================================================================Fifth5 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 5 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3 4 | | | | | 3=3 | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 1 1 5 1

======================================================================Suspended 2sus2 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 2 5 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 | | 1=1 | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | 2 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | 3 4 | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | 3 | | | 4 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

5 1 5 1 2 5 1 2 5 1 5 ? ?======================================================================Suspended 4sus4 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 4 5 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3===3 | | | | 3=3 | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | 4 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 1 4 5 1 5 1 5 1 4 5 ? ? ? ?

======================================================================Suspended 2 Suspended 4sus2sus4 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 2 4 5 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 | 1=======1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 3 | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | 4 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

5 1 4 1 2 5 5 1 4 1 2 ?======================================================================Major add 9*add9 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 3 5 9 (or 2) +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 2 | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3=3 | | 4 | | 3===3 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | 4 | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 1 3 5 9 5 1 5 9 3 5 ? ?* 9 = 2, but one octave higher:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 (or 9) 3 4 (or 11)5 6 (or 13)======================================================================Major 66 or M6 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 3 5 6 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 2 | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3=3 | 4 | | | 3=====3 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 1 3 6 1 5 1 5 1 3 6

======================================================================Major 6 add 96add9 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 3 5 6 9 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | 1=====1 | 1=======1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 4 | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 9 3 6 3 5 1 5 6 9

======================================================================Dominant 77 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 3 5 b7 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 2 | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3 | | | | | | 3===3 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | 4 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 b73 5 1 5 1 5 1 3 b7 ?

+-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 2 | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3 | | | | | | 3 | 4 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | 4 | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 b73 b71 5 1 5 b73 5 ?

======================================================================Minor add 9m add91 b3 5 9======================================================================Minor 6m61 b3 5 6======================================================================Minor 7m71 b3 5 b7======================================================================Minor 6 add 9m6 add91 b3 5 6 9======================================================================Seven suspended 47sus4 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 4 5 b7 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3 | 4 | | | | 3 | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | 4 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 b74 5 1 5 1 5 b74 5 ?======================================================================Major 7 XM7 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 3 5 7 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 1=========1 | | | 1===1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | 3 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 4 | | | | | | 3 | 4 | | | 3 | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 7 3 5 1 5 1 5 7 3 5 1 3 5 7 3 ?======================================================================Minor Major 7mM71 b3 5 7

======================================================================Augmented X X X+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 3 #5 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 1=1 | | | | | | 1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | 2 | | | | | | 3 2 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3 | | | | | | 4 | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | 4 | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 3#5 1 #5 #5 1 3 #5 #5 1 3#5 3 1 3#5 1 3#5 1 3 1 3#5 1 3

Because of the nature of the formulat for augmented chords, any note playedcould be considered the root. Therefore, Ab+, C+, and E+ can all have exactlythe same shape at the same location on the neck. The same concept applies todiminished chords.======================================================================Diminished 7 X Xdim7 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 b3 b5 bb7 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 | | 1 | 2 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | 4 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

First shape: 1 b5 1 b3 bb7 1, b3 bb7 b3 b5 1 b3, b5 1 b5 bb7 b3 1, orbb7 b3 bb7 1 b5 bb7Second shape: 1 b5 bb7 b3, b3 bb7 1 b5, b5 1 b3 bb7, or bb7 b3 b5 1======================================================================Ninth X9 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 3 5 b7 9 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 | | 1 | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 2 | | | 2 | 3===3 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3 | | | 4 | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1 5 b73 1 9 1 3 b79 5======================================================================Minor 9m91 b3 5 b7 9

======================================================================Major 9M9 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 3 5 7 9 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 1=======1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 2 | | | 3 | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | 4 | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | 4 | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 3 7 9 5 7 3 1 9 5 7 3

X X +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 | | 1 | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 2 | | | 2 | | 3 | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | 3 | | | | | | 4 | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

5 1 5 7 9 5 1 3 7 9 (no fifth) ?

======================================================================Eleventh X11 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 3 5 b7 9 11 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 1=======1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | 2 | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | 3 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 11b79 5 1 11b73 5 9

======================================================================Minor 11th Xm11 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 b3 5 b7 9 11 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 1=======1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | 2 | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | 3 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 11b7b35 1 11b7b35 9 (no ninth)

======================================================================Thirteenth13 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+1 3 5 b7 9 13 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ 1=========1 1=========1 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | 2 | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 3 | | 4=4 | | 2 | 3 4 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 5 b73 139 5 1 5 b73 13

X X +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | 1 | | | 1 | 2 | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | 2 | 3=3 | | | | 3 | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | 4=4 +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | 4 | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+

1 3 b79 13 1 b7 3 139

======================================================================Minor 13thm131 b3 5 b7 9 13

The following is a chart of chords which have a slight alteration toone of the given formulas, and are therefore called altered chords.

Chord Name Chord Formula Example---------- ------------- -------Major flat five 1 3 b5 Cb5: C E GbMinor seven flat five 1 b3 b5 b7 Cm7b5: C Eb Gb BbSeven sharp five 1 3 #5 b7 C7#5: C E G# BbSeven flat five 1 3 b5 b7 C7b5: C E Gb BbSeven sharp nine 1 3 5 b7 #9 C7#9: C E G Bb D#Seven flat nine 1 3 5 b7 b9 C7b9: C E G Bb DbSeven sharp five flat nine 1 3 #5 b7 b9 C7#5b9: C E G# Bb DbNine sharp five 1 3 #5 b7 9 C9#5: C E G# Bb DNine flat five 1 3 b5 b7 9 C9b5: C E Gb Bb DNine sharp eleven 1 3 5 b7 9 11# C9#11: C E G Bb D F#Minor nine major seven 1 b3 5 7 9 Cm9(M7): C Eb G B DThirteen flat nine 1 3 5 b7 b9 13 C13b9: C E G Bb Db AThirteen flat five flat nine 1 3 b5 b7 b9 13 C13b5b9: C E Gb BbDb A

In altered chords, the notes to be altered are always written aspart of the chord name, enabling you to construct the chord. Forexample, Cm7#5b9 (not listed above) is a Cm7 chord with the fifthsharped and the ninth flatted.

Another type of alteration occurs when chord symbols are writtenthus: G/F#, or C/G.Finger the chord to the left of the slash, then change the note onthe bass string to the note to the right of the slash.

Here are the substitution rules for altered chords:

9, b9, or #9 replaces 1sus2, sus4, or b3 replaces 3b5, #5, #11, or 13 replaces 5

Chord Substitutions===================

Remember this chart from earlier? It shows the common chords foreach key.

I = majorII = minor 7III = minor 7IV = majorV = dominant 7VI = minor (relative minor)VII = diminished

The following chart displays common chord substitutions for the M,m, m7 and diminished chords shown above.

Major: 6, M7, M9, sus2, sus4, sus2sus4, Madd9, 6add9, M7#11, M9#11

Minor: m, m6, mM7, mM9, mM7#11, m6add9m7: m7, m9, m11, m13, m7#5, m7b57: 9, 11, 13, 7sus4, 7sus2, 13sus4, 7b5, 7#5dim: m7b5

I haven't included everything, because you can easily tell whichcategory a chord belongs to. Cmajor13 substitutes for any major (I,IV). G7b5b9 susbstitutes for a dominant 7 chord, etc. There arealso a few chords that are not shown in the diagrams, but you shouldbe able to figure those out too. Cmajor 13 is 1 3 5 7 9 and 13,G7sus2 is 1 2 5 b7, etc.

It is important to keep in mind that these are guides, not rules,and there will be many times when you'll want to break them, whichis fine. If it sounds good, then it is right.

The following is a more in depth description of several chords andtheir common uses.

Major 7 - gives a fuller sound, often used in jazzMajor 9 - used in jazzMajor6add9 - used often in country and in jazzSuspended chords usually resolve to the major, often used to breakup a static vamp (instead a playing C the whole time, switch from C to Csusto C, etc)Minor - sad chordm6 - used in funkm7 - used in funkm7#5 - used in fusionm11 - used in funkm(M7) - dark, moodyNinth - used in funkAugmented - connecting chordDiminished - passing chord7sus2 - used in folkm#5 - often used as a IIIm chordmaj13#11 - used in soul9#11 - chromatic passing chord resolving down a half step, or as a substitute for a IV7 chord13#11 - same usage as 9#11M7#11 - dramatic ending chordM7b5#9 - ending chord, or a passing chord to Im7b5 - usually used as a IIm in a minor key9sus4 (11) - most popular substitution for dominant 7 chordsAugmented 7 - V chord in a minor keyDiminished - substitute for second half of IV chord measure in the blues, one half step higher (C = I, F = IV, F#dim would be used)The V chord may be substituted on the weak beats (2 and 4) for a Im7sus4b9 - V chord resolving to Im, or as I chord in Phrygian modem7#5 - IIIm in the harmonized major scale13b9 - V7 chordAlternate from M6 to M7 and back when playing a static I chord

Common chord progressions:

I - IV - V7IIm - V - IIv - IVm - I

This diagram will help to show some fingerings for many of thealtered chords. After studying these two examples, you should beable to figure out the rest of the altered chords. The numbers onthe frets are the notes, not the fingerings (R = root, 3 = third,etc).

C9+----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----++----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+| | | | | | | | b3 | | |+----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+| | 3 | | | | | 3 | b9 b5+----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+| R | b7 9 5 | R | b7 9 5+----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+| | | | | | | | | | #9 #5+----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+| | | | | | | | | | | 13+----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+| | | | | | | | | | | |+----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+

C +----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+(5) R | | | (5) (5) R | b7 2 (5) +----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+ | | | | | | | | | 7 b3 | +----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+ | | 5 R 3 | | | 5 R 3 6 +----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+ | | | | | | | | | | 4 7 +----+----+----+----+----+ +----+----+----+----+----+

Modes=====

The last topic I'm going to cover is modes. The reason I'mincluding them is that they fit in so well with chord theory (asdoes the major scale, which I mentioned much earlier). A mode issimply a displaced scale. The ones I will show are a C major scale(no sharps or flats), displaced to D, E, F, etc. The modes arecommonly used in jazz improvisation, but they also appear very oftenin rock music. The one thing to remeber about soloing in the modesis that you need to change modes according to the chord changes, andalso you need to resolve to the root when you make these changes.The diagrams below show one position for the modes, with the most up-to-date method of fingering (but certainly not the only). If youare soloing in the F - Lydian mode, and need to change to G -Lydian, you just slide everything up two frets.

I = IonianII = DorianIII = PhrygianIV = LydianV = MixolydianVI = AeolianVII = Locrian

F - LYDIAN G - MIXOLYDIAN A - Aeolian (minor "pure" scale) E A D G B e E A D G B e E A D G B e ================ ================ ================ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+(*) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | * * * | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ * * (*) | * * (*) * * | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+ 3 +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | * | | | | | * | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ * * * * * * * * (*) * * * (*) * * * | | +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ 5 +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | (*) | | | | | * | | | | | * | +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | * * * * * | * * * (*) * | * +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | (*) * * * | | * * +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | * * | | +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (*) * +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+

B - LOCRIAN C - IONIAN D - DORIAN E A D G B e E A D G B e E A D G B e ================ ================ ================ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ (*) * * * | | (*) * | | | | (*) * * * | |7 +--+--+--+--+--+ 8 +--+--+--+--+--+ 10 +--+--+--+--+--+ * * | | * * | | * * | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | | (*) * | | * * (*) * * * * * (*) * * * +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ * * * * * * | | | | | | * | | | * * +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | * * * * * * | * * * | | +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | (*) * | | | | (*) * | | | | (*) * +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+

E - Phrygian E A D G B e ================ (*) * * * | |12 +--+--+--+--+--+ * | | | * * The root notes are in parentheses (). +--+--+--+--+--+ The number on the left shows what fret | * (*) * | | number to start at. +--+--+--+--+--+ * * * | * * +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | * | | +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | (*) * +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+

Notice the repeating shapes of the modes. Unlike the scales you may havepreviously learned, there is a repetitive pattern to the modes that makesthem easy to remember. A seven string guitar would actually show therelationship between modes more clearly. This is what the Aeolian modewould look like on a seven string guitar:

?||---|-*-|---|-*-|-*-|---|---|?||---|-*-|---|-*-|-*-|---|---|?||---|-*-|-*-|---|-*-|---|---|?||---|-*-|-*-|---|-*-|---|---|?||-*-|---|-*-|---|-*-|---|---|?||-*-|---|-*-|---|-*-|---|---|?||-*-|---|-*-|---|-*-|---|---|

There are seven different modes listed above, each one has this pattern,only slightly altered: they each start at a different fret, and at adifferent spot in the above pattern. Since there are only six strings,the seventh pattern is left off. Also, unlike the fictional guitar

in the above example, the B and high-e strings are tuned higher, so thepattern on those two strings is pushed up one fret higher.

This is following the pattern first shown in the circle of fifths. Each "-"represents a half step:

I--II--III-IV--V--VI--VII-I....etc

If C is the I chord, then the III and IV chords will be E and F, and the VIIchord will be B (notice that there is only a half step from E to F, and fromB to C). Therefore the above diagram could also look like this, using Romannumerals:

?||----|-II-|----|III-|-IV-|----|----|?||----|-VI-|----|VII-|-I--|----|----|?||----|III-|-IV-|----|-V--|----|----|?||----|VII-|-I--|----|-II-|----|----|?||-IV-|----|-V--|----|-VI-|----|----|?||-I--|----|-II-|----|III-|-IV-|----|?||-V--|----|-VI-|----|VII-|-I--|----| ^ | I put these in to show why there are so many different fingerings for the same scales. Just as in tuning, if you go down one string and back five frets, you get the exact same note.

A very good way to practice the modes (or any scale) is to do backsteps.Play the first four notes of the scale, then the 2nd - 5th, then the3rd - 7th, etc, all the way up, then backwards all the way down.In tab for the Ionian mode in G:

e||----------------------------------------------------------------B||----------------------------------------------------------------G||------------------------------------------------------4-----4-5-D||-------------------------------4----4-5---4-5-7-4-5-7---5-7-----A||-------3-----3-5---3-5-7-3-5-7---5-7----7-----------------------E||-3-5-7---5-7-----7----------------------------------------------

e||---------------------------------------5-----5-7---5-7-8-B||---------------5-----5-7---5-7-8-5-7-8---7-8-----8-------G||---4-5-7-4-5-7---5-7-----7-------------------------------D||-7-------------------------------------------------------A||---------------------------------------------------------E||---------------------------------------------------------

and then repeat in reverse order.The best modes to concentrate on at first are the Ionian, Dorian, andAeolian. These are the most common, and often are used in jazz improvi-sation.