THE RELATIVE NATURE OF CHORDS · forever be tied to the memories from those moments. In the end,...

A STREET-SMART FIELD GUIDE FOR GUITAR THE RELATIVE NATURE OF CHORDS

PRESENTED BY: DEALEY AND 778 RECORDS

The Relative Nature Of Chords: A Street-Smart Field Guide For Guitar Dealey Publishing/778 Records © 2015 ([email protected])

Directions For Use: Recipes for disaster. Every great story has a beginning. Do you remember the first time you picked up a guitar? What compelled you to bring one home, forever dedicating a little piece of your heart to an inanimate object? What were the motivating factors behind the drive to keep going, despite all the challenges ahead? The experience of self-inflicted torture as you strain your wrists and forearms to learn your first bar chords, along with a stream of people telling you to quit, is enough pain to deter us from many other activities we steer clear of, like going to the gym..Yet, somehow, we push through the pain to come out the other side a stronger person. That first year is the hardest one. The frustration of developing fine motor skills up to a point where you can just play a song begins again through a whole new quest for tone, touch, and style – all as the years roll by your basement.

All that work adds up to a point where, finally, you absolutely need to experience playing with others. You can’t take it anymore. You just can’t spend another night playing in your basement alone. So you go for it.

Everyone’s experiences are a little different, but relatively the same. Maybe it was a party, or an open mic, or a friend’s house. Like every other experience you build up in your head through years of anticipation – aside from the andrenaline – it’s usually not all that great.. Turned out you’ve never heard, nor care for, the songs other people you were matched with wanted to play. Nobody’s heard of your obscure deep cut by an independent artist either. You may not have even gotten to play the handful of songs you had prepared for this occasion. At the very least, you will have been able to recognize some of the similarities between the songs you do know and the songs others know, flying briefly by the seat of your pants.

It’s these first few experiences that begin to shape you as a player. You get to know a little bit about yourself by watching others, and you get to understand the kinds of things you like by experimenting with friends. A patient friend, being your biggest ally in the war of art. You try to imitate and emulate players and sounds you like. Then you try to take all those things you like in everyone else, and combine them to make your own brew. Through this entire journey failures are had, battles are won; friendships are made, and lost; all while time slowly shapes the rhythm of your music. Take the time to get lost in the rhythm of it all. Half of the experience is from sharing the moment with those around you. That’s when you pinch yourself to make sure it’s real. For many of those moments, the music was the reason for people to come together, and it’s the music which will forever be tied to the memories from those moments. In the end, it’s the gathering which transcends above all – even the music – becoming an exercise of perfect harmony. It’s the illusive place we all want to go whenever a guitar finds its way into our hands. We want it all to come rushing back. Back to that feeling we had when we experienced that moment when music changed our lives, forever.

So how do you get to that point every time? That I cannot tell you, for everyone is different. I can however, share with you my own experiences and research on translating the written language of music into a conversational language for the everyday world. You don’t need to read Mandarin in order to speak Mandarin. Classically trained instrumentalists will often scoff at guitar players just for this reason alone. We all know they’re just jealous; but, we don’t need to feed stereotypes.

This book is for all you musicians who play the guitar, and for all you guitarists who strive to be artists.It is a light-hearted, non-linear journey through the fractal universe of music and guitar which will throw you deep into a black hole, threading you through new galaxies. Try starting at the end, working your way forward. Try starting by just making the shapes on the fretboard to make the chords. Try strumming and picking the chords in different ways. Try giving each chord you play a name – starting with naming it by the root and nothing else. However it all began for you, you’re here now. So try hearing new things; before you know it, new things will be trying you. It’s never too late to make things a little easier for yourself.


The C Major Scale: The story of why every good boy deserves fudge. I know what you’re thinking – I thought this was a chord book? This is B-A-F, man! Why am I wasting my time with this? Musical knowledge hurts the creative vibe, man. Your rules just trap everybody inside a big corporate box, man. It’s not for me, square, I’m unique. I don’t need to know things, like only 7 letters of the alphabet, cause I just feel the music, man. I am the music. Fuck your rules – and the fudge-eating horse you rode in on. For this person, I recommend going to the page titled, G-D-C-D. Jam it out, have fun, then come back here.

Some people get so angry about how stupid everyone else is for knowing something as trivial as a language that already exists. One that they would already know, had they taken the time to think about it – instead of wasting so much energy rejecting the concept of knowledge that could make you better at music..sound cooler..more compentent..allow you to communicate more effectively..etc. This isn’t church, people. This is a guitar we’re talking about. We want to play the guitar, right? The guitar is a musical instrument. How many of you would like to operate a 220v table saw without any idea what you’re doing? Hopefully, very few of you. It is beneficial for us to know how to use the tools at our disposal.You don’t have to go overboard with it - just to know the names of the root notes in the chords you are playing is sufficient in the moment. Not all time. If you want to write it down, or tell someone else what to play, stop for a minute and give it the right name based on the content and context you are playing. It doesn’t really take much more effort than learning your songs, just like you do now. You only have to keep track of one note at a time. Make things easier for yourself in the long run. You don’t have to start here, just come back later – but the reason we learn the C Major scale is so that we learn the names of the notes, and the distances between them. We use it as a reference point to make all the other things make sense, using comparative patterns. We use it as a base-knowledge for understanding what people are asking us to play. The guitar is a unique instrument in that it is easier to learn than most, but hardest to master. It is now so diverse with branches of styles and sub-genres, it is hard to say there is one true master of the guitar - although many have helped shape the tree as it ages through time. Start at the root of the guitar, and work your way towards the branch you wish to go down. As you go along, you may find yourself surprised by what tickles your fancy in the moment, and by how similar all the styles can be.

In general, a large chord vocabulary will be much more useful than knowing scales – which is why this will be one of only three scales throughout the entire book. Some people might try to trick you into thinking that they’re playing some other scale and they know hundreds of scales you don’t. This might be the case, however, it is also likely that they are just starting from a different note than you may be used to hearing. Unless you’re not from North America or Western Europe, most of our music is based around very slight deviations from the C Major scale. If you’ve had even a single bad piano lesson, then you’ve probably been told the note names in the C Major scale – all the white keys, named A – G.

By looking at the space between the notes, we can see there are two pairs of notes which live directly next door: B - C (vii - I) and E - F (iii - IV). All the other notes have one fret inbetween them. How do you find the notes on the fretboard? If you take the knowledge given in this paragraph, you can easily identify where all of the notes are on the neck based on knowing you have tuned your guitar, and learned which notes those string are while unfretted. Find C on every string. Then find E on every string. Then find G on every string. Now because you know what is beside each note you found on every string, you also know how to find every other note on the fretboard. The next sets of diagrams will help you memorize every scale.

I ii iii IV V vi vii I

C - d - e F G - a - b C


Scale patterns over one ocatve. R is Root. Root is Red. Red is R. Treat this like going to the gym. Fifteen minutes a day goes a long way. Make achieveable goals you can accomplish so you can feel good about yourself. Use a metronome and practice playing each pattern up and down. Be able to play it in a loop, in time both as sixteenth quarter notes (four notes per beat), and as sixteenth note triplets (six notes per beat). In groups of 4, you will have to add one note to make the octave pattern loop in time. In groups of six, you will have to remove the upper root note for the loop to work in time. Start slow, around 60 – 80 BPM. It may be harder than you think, initially, to play them in both counts. Train like you would free throws in basketball. Hit ten cleanly looped together and then move on. Don’t dwell too long on any one thing. Just get in and get out, get the job done so you can move on with your life. Once you hit a smooth slow pace, move to a quicker pace. If this is your first time in the guitar gym, slowly jack up the BPM until you find the maximum speed at which you can nail ten in a row. Somewhere around 100 – 160 BPM. Don’t be discouraged by how hard or silly it may feel to play slowly at first, just nail it cleanly and move on. Get in a daily routine that lasts between fifteen and thirty minutes. Chart your progress, with small and obtainable goals, like 5 BPM faster every week, make yourself feel like you are accomplishing something, because you are. Once you are comfortable with all the patterns, the next day do exactly the same thing, and then do another round where you change the first note in the pattern to another one - say G, just move the red note. Turns out, you already knew that scale. Good job. Fudge for everyone!


Scale patterns over two octaves. Hide your doh in other spots. Now combine the previous patterns, doing the same thing over two octaves.

The C Major Scale: Seeing red patterns all over the guitar neck.

r = vi = the relative minor (A, in the key of C)


Parallel Thinking, and Deductive Logic in Music: Red is yellow.

A is to D ii is to V iii is to vi vi is to ii V is to I

as = as -> as -> as -> as

G is to C I is to IV ii is to V V is to I IV is to vii (G Major/e minor) (d minor/F Major) (a minor/C Major) (D Major/b minor)

Expressed as the relationship above, given only one or two chords, basic algebra can be used to determine the appropriate note value for I – VII.

Key of C Major/a minor Ionian If G = V, then I = C

Lydian If ii = d, then vi = a

Key of G Major/e minor Ionian If D = V, then I = G

Lydian If ii = a, then e = vi

Expressed as a funtion of scale modes, you can deduce that the Lydian mode of C is the same as the Ionian mode of G.

V is to I Therefore, to play single note melodies with the Lydian mode over chords in C Major, or any key, find V, then make V into I. as I is to IV

I ii iii IV V vi viiC - d - e F # G - a - b IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii G - a - b C # D - e - f# IV V vi vii I ii iii

I V

IV I

Up 4th

(Five Frets)

Down 4th

(Five Frets)


Parallel Thinking Through String Theory: Red is yellow and red. A Berklee trained friend of mine once asked if I ever played lead lines while avoiding playing the root. If you try to do so without thinking about what the question truly means, it is very difficult to do. It just doesn’t quite feel right. Now thinking about it through the parallel context. If you are playing in C Major, the answer is simply to play the G Major Penatonic scale over the chords in C Major. The absence of the IV and vii in the major pentatonic scale, make the Lydian Mode of C (G Major Ionian Mode) funtion without the implied root. Now try not playing the root. By thinking about things in a manner such as: “X is to Y as Z is to Y”, when assigning a note value (e.g. “C”) to any position I through VII, you assign the remaining note values a position through similar logic. For example, if the chord given is C Δ7 [R-Δ3-5-Δ7], then the first logical choice for its position from I – VII would be I. However, that same chord could also be assigned to IV, changing the I to a F. As you begin to see the fractal patterns within the likeness of various types of chords, you will find it is very logical to conclude that multiple things are happening concurrently; all being equal to each other, but all being different. This is a fundamental principle in complex harmonies. If it sounds like more than one thing is happening, it probably is. Think of it like Quantum Physics. Up is Down and Down is Up. IV can be I but I can also be V. The important thing is to not let the information get in the way of what’s in your head. The information is here to help translate what your head is thinking into what your hands should do. Think of the chords as shapes. Look at the chord forms as patterns of straight lines, diaganal lines, rectangles, squares, and triangles; larger chords being broken down into smaller patterns of 2s and 4s, or 3s and 6s. Theory is best thought of and studied when you are away from your instrument. Like when you’re sitting on the toilet. If you begin to feel overwhelmed by information at any point, all you have to do is turn to the chord charts and simply find any chord you like the sound of. You’ll find yourself inspired to find whatever chord comes next. The layout of the chord charts is designed for you to stare into for a lifetime. The information will present itself to you differently throughout each new level of understanding, from beginner to expert; all without having to flip pages or break your brain thinking about the maths and logic behind it all. It gets as deep as you want it to go, and it grows along with you. It’s all about getting the most out of you with the least amount of effort. If you learn the fretboard, chords, and intervallic relationships by using this system, you will have already learned the theory well before you try to understand it. It’s where everybody wants to get all along: learn everything to forget it. Take the shortcut and learn the language the way people do most effectively: through real conversations and immersion in the local culture. Music is a language you want to speak. You can take it anywhere in the world and people will not only understand what you are saying, they will identify with you as a human, no matter what other barriers exist. Music transcends the culture, but culture defines the music. This book is for learning to speak fluently and for translating what others say to you directly, or indirectly; not to study as an academic linguist, nor to scrutinize the value of fiction versus literature. For a change, let our hands do the speaking and our ears do the thinking. Notes are to chords as letters are to words. Sentences are to words as progressions are to chords. Say what?


Key of E Major/c# minor

Ionian If B = V, then ii = f#

Lydian If ii = f#, then vi = c#

Key of A Major/f# minor

Ionian If E = V, then iii = c#

Lydian If ii = b, then f# = vi

Key of D Major/b minor

Ionian If G = IV, then vi = b

Lydian If ii = e, then V = A

Key of G Major/e minor

Ionian If C = IV, then vi = e

Lydian If ii = b, then V = D

Key of C Major/a minor

Ionian If F = IV, then vi = a

Lydian If ii = d, then V = G

Key of F Major/d minor

Ionian If C = V, then iii = a

Lydian If ii = g, then vi = d

I ii iii IV V vi vii E - f# - g# A # B - c# - D#IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii A - b - c# D # E - f# - G# IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii D - e - f# G # A - b - C# IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii G - b - b C # D - e - F# IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii C - d - e F # G - a - B IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii F - g - a Bb # C - d - E IV V vi vii I ii iii


Key of Bb Major/g minor D Major = 2 sharps / g minor = 2 flats

Ionian If F = V, then ii = c

Lydian If vi = g, then iii = d

Key of Eb Major/c minor A Major = 3 sharps / c minor = 3 flats

Ionian If c = vi, then I = Eb

Lydian If V = Bb, then iii = g

Key of Ab Major/f minor E Major = 4 sharps / f minor = 4 flats

Ionian If f = vi, then I = Ab

Lydian If V = Eb, then iii = c

Key of Db Major/Bb minor B Major = 5 sharps / B flat minor = 5 flats

Ionian If f = iii, then vii = c

Lydian If Eb =ii, then Bb = vi

Key of Gb Major/Eb minor

Ionian If F = vii, then Bb = iii

Lydian If ii = Ab, then vi = Eb

Key of B Major/g# minor

Ionian If F# = V, then I = B

Lydian If iii = d#, then vi = g#

I ii iii IV V vi vii Bb - c - d Eb # F - g - A IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii Eb - f - g Ab # Bb - c - D IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii Ab - Bb - c Db # Eb - f - G IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii Db - Eb - f Gb # Ab - Bb - C IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii Gb - Ab - Bb (Cb)

B # Db - Eb - F

IV V vi vii I ii iii

I ii iii IV V vi vii B - c# - d# E # F# - g# - A# IV V vi vii I ii iii


The Major/Minor Paradigm Through Relative Intervals To turn V into I (Lydian equivalent), find the current value for I under the vertical heading column IV, then trace left to I.

By analyzing the similarities beween the two charts below, a number of conclusions can be drawn; blurring the lines between major and minor.

I vii vi V IV iii ii I C b a G F E D I

ii D c# - b - a - g - f# - e ii

iii E d# - c# - b - a - g# - f# iii

IV F e d C Bb A G IV

V G f# e D C B A V vi A g# f# E D c# b vi

vii B a# g# F# E d# c# vii I vii vi V IV iii ii

6th3rd

A C Evi I iii

GC E BAr m3 5

m3r 5m6

m7 m9

3R Δ75

E C G B DΔ9 Δ6

r m7

R

Δ6

m6 m3 5

3 5 Δ7

R 3 5

I-Δ9 = iii-m7 IV-Δ7 = vi-m6 iii-m6 = I-Δ7 V-Δ6 = iii-m7 vi-m7 = I-Δ6 vi-m9 = iii-m6 ii-m9 = IV-Δ6


Triads: Groups of 3 notes. Intervals of 3rds

F - a - C - e - G

a - C - e - G - b

C - e - G - b - d

e - G - b - d - F

G - b - d - F - a

b - d - F - a - C

d - F - a - C - e

F - a - C - e - G

C - e - G - b - d

a - C - e - G - b

F - a - C - e - G

d - F - a - C - e

b - d - F - a - C

G - b - d - F - a

e - G - b - d - F

C - e - G - b - d

6th

3rd


The Pentatonic Scale: vi for I or a half-dozen of the other. The name of the Pentatonic Scale implies something much deeper than one would gleam without thinking about it from a quantum angle. If the standard seven tone Diatonic Scale has two roots, by the same logic, the standard five tone Pentatonic Scale is composed entirely of roots. An 11 chord. Ironically, this is the one scale everyone and their dog will profess to know. It’s like a popular kid who has a hundred friends, but none truely understands. Below is an examination of the G Major Scale. Green dots get you on the D Train, while the Red dots will take you to G Town. The other notes are paths to parallel worlds. Think of it as a subway system. All paths lead to home, eventually.

G Major E - (F#) G - A - B (C) - D - E - (F#) G -

D Major E - F# (G) - A - B - (C#) D - E - F# (G) -

A Minor E - - G - A - - C - D - E - - G -

E Minor E - - G - A - B - - D - E - - G -

D Minor (E) F - G - A (Bb) - C - D - (E) F - G -

C Major E (F) - G - A - (B) C - D - E (F) - G -


Abstractions Of Logic: How to divide a prime number. If we used logic to create an abstract thought, what would that look like? Visualizing problems is a good way to envision new solutions, and the foundation for any great invention. The visual landscape created for your senses and imagination, must exploit both your senses of wonderment and exploration, along with your ever-expanding psyche as it is guided through a universe of new possibilities. Then after being shown a new trick, the inquisitive personality will begin to apply these thought patterns to other problems. This demonstration will guide you through the process of creating your own abstract thoughts, or extrapolating others’, by using the philosophy of putting two-and-two together. For the purpose of this demonstration, we will be looking at a specific prime number, 11.

If you were to divide the number eleven equally, with no remainder, how would you go about doing so?

Try holding both hands up, each with the index finger up and the others in a fist, then say, “One and one”, As you do so, bring your two index fingers together, making an 11 with your two fingers. Erase the chalkboard, then with your left hand, count with your fingers as you say, “one plus one”. You will see the answer appear before your eyes. Go back to making eleven with two hands by saying, “one and one”, and then do the same thing again but, use only one hand. This time, “one and one” equals “one plus one”. After repeating this exactly with your right hand you say, “Two and two is one and one”, as you bring your four fingers together. You could repeat the entire process saying, “One plus one is two and two.” This kind of visual wordplay may seem trivial, or childish, but as you allow your mind to make quantum leaps of rational thought, you begin to divide a single thought chain into several simultaneous chains – much like how a quantum computer operates. A lot of us would have this same type of function listed as, multi-tasking, under the “skills” section of our well-crafted resumes; so when you think about it, we already have these quantum computing functions built-in to us at an instinctual level. All we have to do is trick our brains into exploiting these pre-existing paths for the purpose of abstract problem solving.

Letting our imaginations go wild, when we look at the visual representation of the number eleven above, we can see that eleven can be 11; if we look closer, we can start to see other things. I and I; or II and II; or I and I and II; even III + I. I and I is II, and two IIs are IV. If eleven can be I and I, and II can be IV, then IV can then be I. Or, everything can be anything simultaneously. With a binary computer there are only two numbers, and they move in pairs - 0 and 1. Zero can mean yes, or zero can mean no. Whichever state zero reflects, the computer will logically assign the remaining digit to the corresponding answer. Quantum computers calculate for all answers concurrently. A similar approach can be taken with music, using our brains as quantum computers searching for answers. When talking about what key we are playing in, we need to consider some things: is I a one, or is I a zero. Or is I, one and zero? Better yet, is there more than one, I, which exists in the current musical universe we are in?

To the right, is a Pentatonic scenario where we have more than one, I. A G11 chord will contain all the notes here: C – G – D – A – E. The A Minor Pentatonic Scale has the same notes as G11. If C were F#: G11 would be D11 and A Minor would be B minor.

11 I I11


Hunting For Zero: Pyramids constructed of colorful sounds.

The tables on the previous page are a cross-analysis of the seven-tone major scale. The green notes, plus the red note, are all correlating to pentatonic systems within a certain key – named at the top of the each vertical column. The blue notes are not included within the pentatonic system of that key. The entire page is divided in half, and then each half could then again be folded in half. The magenta sections are upside-down from the yellow sections. Starting at the intersection of yellow and magenta, working towards the left takes you an interval of a fifth; working towards the right takes you an interval of a fourth. For all intents and purposes, the overall point-of-view is from the C Major/a Minor relationship. Using the harmonic relationship of I – IV – V as your map, your point-of-view can be extended upwards, beyond the key named at the top of each vertical column. If you did so for each half of the page, you would find yourself building triangular relationships, themselves contained within surrounding triangular relationships. Two overlapping equilateral triangles will create a smaller third triangle with the intersecting lines. Two triangles can be three triangles without the addition of any other lines.

While each half of the page are essentially the same, the center point of focus for each half is shifted slightly. The chart could in theory go on indefinitely, however, these two chunks have been extracted for a cross-analysis of correlation data. It is noteable, that the difference between the eight vertical columns in each half is only one semi-tone, that you could consider that difference of one semi-tone as a continuous scale between (-1 & 0 & +1), and that there are a number of similarities within pentatonic structures. It can be expressed through reason, one octave can equal eight, because there are seven tones in the major scale, the pattern begins again at 8. The tables on the previous page span a distance of one octave, E to E, or on the guitar, fret 0 to fret 12. If one octave can be equal to eight, than the whole page could be described as two 8 x 8 tables.

Starting at the center of either half on the previous page, while keeping a focus on a central triangular relationship of frequencies, working in either direction would become similar to the subtractive color theory and CMYK processes used in photography. Less blue is more yellow. Less green is more magenta. Less cyan is more red. In color correction processes, zero is in the middle of blue and yellow on a continuous light spectrum. In a digital color mixer, all the way left of zero is -256, and all the way right of zero is +256.

There are three pairs of colors to balance between [- 256 & Zero & + 256]. These six colors can be arranged in a circle, like a pie chart. This is called a color wheel. Even amounts of all colors make white. The fourth spectrum which is mixed using the subtractive coloring process is the balance between black and white – gray. In CMYK, K refers to black. Cyan, magenta, yellow, and black – CMYK – are the opposite of red, green, blue, and white - RGB. Starting with pure white, in order to deviate the perceived color of light, something in the spectrum must be taken away. If you were to think about music in relation to frequency spectrums – like you would with the relationship of light, color, and frequency – major and minor would be along the black and white spectrum; and, I – IV – V would be akin to the CMY spectrums. Movements within one spectrum affects all the other spectrums through logarithmic, polarity, and phase relationships; consequently, one move in the balance between two opposite colors must be compensated for within the other spectrums in order to maintain the desired overall balance – the key.


If you were to add the number of instances for each note inside the 8 x 8 table, you will find that there are seven corresponding pairs of notes, each pair having one less number of instances than the prior. Arriving at zero, by counting corresponding pairs backwards from seven-to-zero, you find what are described in contemporary music theory to be “no notes”. Like subtractive coloring processes, you can take away “no notes” from a chromatic spectrum to stabalize around a specific frequency. Comparing two halves of the chart as “no notes”, you will find corresponding pairs of notes which are also keys – C and F. If you fold each half in half, you would get a four-sided structure resembling a pyramid. The fifth side of the pyramid, or the four-sided base, is made out of the V tone – G. Building an inverse pyramid on top of the existing pyramid would make the beginning of a 3-D fractal - two pyramids inside of a cube – the negative space also being of a relative pyramidic relationship. Jazz, meet Geometry. Math, meet Music. The key you are playing in is a pyramidic relationship created by the three-dimensional geometry of I – IV – V. C can be a pyramid inside of a sphere, and so can F. C and F together make two pyramids inside of a cube, but it takes C – F & G to make one pyramid.


In D Blues, what we don’t play are: Bb and Eb.

“The difference between us, is negative one.”

- The Age Of Electric

Musical Molecules: Certain qualities of uncertain principles. As a thought experiment, follow me for a moment through something which is found neither in classical, nor contemporary theories. It’s OK. Nobody will label you as a heretic and burn you alive, tied to a stake. We are forward-thinking people, right? Sometimes traditions are whacky crazy and we need to cut that crap out. We should be OK with such acknowledgements, but, this is certainly not a soapbox. (You can’t put me inside some box, man..we’re – like – free, man..) It’s not Music Fact, we call it Music Theory. It’s just a way to explain what we’re hearing. So, with that in mind, we are then free to hypothesize different ways for explaining the general order of things. Nobody has to be right, and nobody has to be wrong. There is, however, right and wrong in that we can unanimously agree on the names of the notes, as well as the intervals between those notes.

When looking at the notes, we can choose to look from a micro-perspective – individual notes and scale tones; or, we can choose to look from a macro-perspective – intervals, chords, scales, keys, and songs. No matter which angle you choose to look from, you will eventually envelop yourself in a world entangled with infinity and beyond. From an imaginative and hypothetical perspective, we could categorize individual notes and scale tones as atoms, floating in a vacuum, spinning and moving in every direction at all times around its molecular nucleus, like a solar system around its sun – the root. The familiar twelve semi-tones we know of today are all there in the vaccuum already, part of the ethos of audible space. The gravitational force of the root frequency attracts different atoms into its orbit through the phase relationships between sine waves of varying frequencies, and those we create with our instruments. The resulting cluster of scale tones, or atoms, result in an audibly pleasing pattern which group together to form a musical molecule. You could think of these as rudiment keys, and you could also think of these musical molecules as the note, or chord, you are currently playing.

Let’s say that we’re jamming little melodies around a G center, using Pentatonics. It could be a progression like ii-V-I, or I-IV-V, or whatever you want – even just some one chord blues. Whatever happens, it just has a distinct focus around G. Drawing from what we know already about Pentatonics, we can confirm both G and D Pentatonics live in the key of G. The difference between them, is f-sharp.


Melodic Entanglement: Predicting uncertain outcomes. Over the course of jamming, we throw out dozens of notes into the ethos, interacting in one way or another with all the other molecules already out there floating around. Many melodies are paraballic in their flow – projecting away from the root, then returning home like a boomerang. Often there is a turning point in the melody which will mark the beginning of its return home, or, it will alter its trajectory and begin a new journey to a new destination; or the same destination using the backroads. Wherever the note travels, it is subject to the traffic surrounding it. It will be bumped up against, bounced off of, invaded, and even entangled with other molecules along its journey. Some molecules repel each other, as like poles of a magnet would. Others attract each other to the point where the energy and trajectory of the two combine in a moment of melodic fusion. When these stars allign, a portal between the two molecules opens up, like a Hollywood time-travel alien invasion, allowing you to move simultaneously in both directions.

So now back on Earth, we’re using Pentatonics to play our ficticious melody based around the G molecule. We’re firing notes in rapid succession with our atom gun-guitar into the darkness of audible space and time. They all bounce away, returning again only as the G molecule they were sent out from. E! A! B! D! G! A! B! D! G! E! D! Eventually, somewhere along the way, we introduce a totally different note. A blue note. Blue notes have the distinct abilty to attract, repel, displace, or invade other molecules - even ones already entangled. Arguably, the most common and effective blue note is the major seventh interval in the I molecule, when it is melodically inserted into the back-side of the V molecule – which is exactly what she said. In the G molecule, the major seventh is f-sharp. In the D molecule, f-sharp is iii. This blue note from G morphs into the black note within D as the two molecules entangle through the weak point, in back of the V molecule. This collision leads their collective energy forward, spinning them together through audible space and time, until its next encouter with a blue note powerful enough to either break them apart and steal its identity, or to entangle the cluster further.

When we introduce the blue note, in this case f-sharp, to our melodic mix based around the G molecule, possibly as a passing tone we just hang on to a bit long, it can choose to instantly change the melodic trajectory for what is going to happen next. We have stumbled upon a fork in the road. We can go either way, or both, and still make it back home for dinner. You could even get scared, run back home, and then never tell anyone about your cowardness..choose your own adventure!


G 11 Cluster

Lower case implies minor relationships.

6 – 9 – 5 – R – 4

Through the layered entaglement with F-sharp, both of the B and G-flat molecules contain the potential energy to break up the G11 cluster, each with differing results.

Contemporary “no” notes

Make tomorrow’s no, today’s yes!

G11 = Am7(add 4)


The Evolving Major Scale & The Circle Of Fifths: Yin-Yang, in C.


G-D-C-D: Living off of the beaten path. This progression is the basis for a large variety of songs which people enjoy playing. You may encounter scenarios where you don’t know the song you are about to jam with someone, but after studying this page, you will begin to see that not only can you play along with everyone without knowing the song, you can also unite everyone through harmony. You don’t have to do much to accomplish a lot, just use your ears and try to glue everyone together to make one cohesive unit. Having heard the song before would be helpful, however hundreds of songs are nearly identical; one can simply equate your current quandry to one you solved previously. The progression and chords on this page will help guide you in the use of efficient left-hand economy. Essentially, your hand never moves. Your ring finger is anchored to the B string at the third fret. Your middle finger is used to fret the lowest note in the first chord, G. You can strum the rhythm however you feel in the moment, but you will live on each chord for an equal amount of time. Every string is played. Make sure you can hear every note on every string ring out; however, just because notes are there, it doesn’t mean you need them all at the same time. Let your ears guide the melodic focus for the strum. Before you start, count it in like this: “and – 5 – and – 6 – and – Seven – and – 8 – and – 1 – and – etc...” If a bar has 4 beats, then each chord shall receive one bar of time. Try to highlight a single note in the space of the 1, like the lowest note in the chord, playing it like a bass line. Follow that with a strum of the other stings. If you are using fingers, your thumb would lead in this manner your ring and pinky fingers would respond with a strum. If using a pick, make your first movement an up stroke, going up-down-up-down instead of down-up-down-up. When you play like this, you begin to feel the space for the guitar in an ensemble open up. We guitarists lead off-beat lives.


Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes: Turn and face the strange. So now that we have our ficticious eight bar loop, what do we do now? After only a few cycles, a little itch in our stream of consciousness begins to anticipate a change that will eventually need to occur to successfully give movement to our progression, fitting it inside of a song structure. A song is merely a series of small progressions that are linked together in various ways. Sort of how one would use paragraphs as a writer to draw a small conclusion and move a story forward to draw another conclusion compounding with the last. One method for settting up a change to another progression and/or feel, would be to foreshadow the change with another smaller change. Europeans and dance music afficionados refer to these transitional sections as “the rise”, or, “the lift”. North Americans songwriters, who are a bit more obvious with their structures and nomenclature, often label it “pre-chorus”.

If we carry on with our G-D-C-D progression, we can actually create change without changing. The possibilities become endless when you get familiar with a few core ideas. Below are some variations for creating change without actually changing. As you go farther down the rabbit hole, you will begin to see how one chord is actually three chords at the same time. Through wise choices, you can predict the future. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. It is often said that luck is when preperation meets timing. Flukes should not be confused with luck.


D-A-G-A: Skeleton keys. Through laboratory-like testing, we’ve come to see how G and D are paired through spooky action at a distance. Whenever you take a measurement of one particle, in this case the key you are in, the resulting answer affects the state of the other particle it is paired with. If we observe D, then we are now using A inside of D. However, if we observe G, we are then using D inside of G. The use of pentatonics allows for seamless shifting between these two worlds. Your observation though, is valid only for the moment you chose to look. It is also a game of chance. If you were to look again, you may get a different answer. What we notice in an array of field tests is that the state of one particle always affects the state of the other particle, no matter what the state of either may be at any time. With enough tests, you can determine statistical averages which become very accurate gauges for predictions. Many of you may remember experiencing frustration in high school math class when you were docked points for not showing the work in arriving at the answer, no matter how right your answer was. The idea seemed silly and trivial because mathematics is finite. It didn’t matter how you arrived at the answer because the answer can only ever be the answer – and it was always the answer, even before you checked. Unlike math, music is not specifically finite. It becomes a quantum-behaving, algebraic equation for audible fractals. Therefore, we can conclude that it is how you arrive at the answer which determines the answer itself. Hindsight is 20/20..

While G and D are paired through spooky action at a distance, the relationship we observe is not: G – to – D. It’s: D – to – G. In the same way G and D are paired, D and A are paired. Here, the relationship we observe is not: D – to – A. It’s: A – to – D.

So now we can do the same thing we did with G – D – C – D, but in a slightly different key. Our progression now will be: D – A – G – A. If you have a looper or a recording/playback device, record yourself playing various progressions. Loop it for playback, then go play with yourself. Pun intended.


A Blues, in A. The blues is a great jam you can find in almost every corner of the world. The basis for countless styles of guitar playing is blues. One could even form a loose argument wagering the majority of popular guitar-based songs are just rewrites of Robert Johnson songs. There are a lot of folk-legends in music, but Robert Johnson’s story may be the grandaddy of them all. A man who played facing the wall so nobody could see his hands, comes back to town after a year of being away. Prior to his departure, he was nobody. He couldn’t play, he couldn’t sing. Nobody even liked him all that much. Still, he was determined to be the best – and would do anything to get there. In his pursuit of the guitar, he walked down to the Crossroads where he traded his soul to the Devil for short-lived glory. He returned a champion, and then became the King of the Delta Blues. Long after his death, poisoned for sleeping with another man’s wife, his songs went on to become some of the most played songs in the world, outside of classical music. Along the Mississippi River, by now almost buried knee-deep in Starbucks franchises, his memory is still honoured – and the legend lives on. If you know what to listen for, you’ll hear the ghost of his haunting voice everywhere.

Your basic structure for blues is twelve bars in length. There are many ways to subdivide the twelve bars, or to recreate the same feeling through other structured lengths such as 8, 14, 16, 24 bars. The melody, and that which really defines it as Blues, is predefined. I’m sure you’ve probably heard it before, and could hum it if you thought about it. The only difference from person-to-person is the feeling.

Use this progression as a guide to navigate your ear through some of the melodic possibilities presented in the chords below.

I – I – I – I

IV – IV – I – I

V – IV – I – Turnaround


The Jimi Chord: That’s some backasswards guitar, bro. It is amazing how far the electric guitar has evolved since its humble beginnings in 1931. It was such a uniquely personal instrument, it took only twenty-five years for it to become the primary instrument in popular music – where it still stands today. Put in to perspective of the human lifespan, that’s really only about one generation. Somewhere in that second generation came about a man whose impact on the instrument was so far-reaching, it changed the way we played the guitar. Forever. After his unfortunate death, his spirit and essence were uploaded into the cloud that is the collective conciousness, becoming a part of everything that followed. The way we learn guitar today is fundamentally different because of Jimi Hendrix and what he gave the blues. He connected jazz, blues and rock in a way like nobody has since. Sure there’s a lot of wannabes, but his touch, flow and flavour were such a humblingly unique combination that even today, we are still missing that magic thing you can’t quite put your finger on. We just don’t get it. A lot of us may never get it; some won’t want to get it.There are after all, a lot of streets in the bustling metropolis that is the guitar. It’s easy to see how one might never go down a street they’ve lived beside their whole life. We’ve forgotten where we came from – this is true for many areas of society; but now new generations are saying crazy things like, “Jimi Who?”. While we should always be striving for growth, we should always keep a respectful eye on the past, for good and bad, understanding and appreciating the advancements our forefathers made on our behalf, then building upon that knowledge-base for the next lot; whom will continue to expand upon that work. A lot of people have contributed to the evolution of guitar; few people have a chord named after them. He may not have been the first to play it, but it was through his songs it was popularized to become a part of our regular vocabulary. The mistake people make with Hendrix is to try to learn the song verbatim, as per the album. He was so high, and only did one take; even he couldn’t have told you what he played. It’s all about the flow of the progression and how the notes fall as he climbs. He went up by going down. He literally played upside-down and backwards. Left-handed guitars didn’t exist then. So if it’s his essence you lust for, then first you must play like a southpaw.

When people ask you to play the Jimi chord, most of the time they mean, specifically, E7#9 - played in the middle four strings.

The notes here are: E – G# – D – G.

Knowing this, you could also play:

What The Jimi Chord really means: An intervallic relationship and chord structure which is both major and minor, relative to the root of the chord.


Be-Bop-Bah-Do-Wop: The real blues scale. The blues is an interesting thing. It is Major. It is Minor. It is Dominant. It is Dorian. It is so many things, it becomes easier to describe by what it is not. Cliché, much? Like its own language that got spread out across the world, over time the blues has developed small regional differences through melodic accents, slangs, and rhythmic flows. Just like with everything, some places do it better than others; some people are just straight up cooler than others. If you want to discover the roots of most modern music, start here. Now riddle this: Playing in the key of E Blues, if you were to leave “home”, how many “homes” could you build while still in key? Based on what we already know about relative minor relationships and the quantum theory behind the Pentatonic Scale, at least six. In E Blues, what we don’t play are: C and F.

E Min. E - - G - A - B - - D - E - G -

E Maj. E - F# - G# - - B - C# - - E - F# - G#

B Min. E - F# - - A - B - - D - E - F# - -

A Maj. E - F# - - A - B - C# - - E - F# - -

G# Min. - - F# - G# - - B - C# - D# - - F# - G#

D# Min. - - F# - G# - A# - - C# D# - - F# - G#


An Introduction To Seventh Chords: Triad + Extension

I IV V vi ii iii IV I ii V

I & IV = Major 7: R – Δ3 – 5 – Δ7

V (Sometimes iii & vii) = Dominant 7: R – Δ3 – 5 – 7

vi & ii & iii = Minor 7: R – m3 – 5 – m7


Chords Built From Fourths: An introduction to the 6/9 chord. These are four, five, or six note chords where the root is, but not always, the root. Think of a fourth as a fifth in reverse. A general rule of thumb is to build your chords so the fifth interval is located in the second octave. However, if the fifth is placed next to the root, place the fifth on the bottom. I.e., play the fifth as a fourth interval by descending. A up to E becomes D down to A. What makes chords built on fourths different than their cousins of thirds is their ambiguity, and their ability to transcend major and minor. If a chord cannot be quickly identified as a funtion of a triad + extension, then it is either a funtion of a 6/9 + extension, or a combination of the two. Even better, it could be identified as both in a parallel world. An A11 chord could be identified, correctly or not, as chords such as: D 6/9 + Δ3; Em7 add 4; G Δ6 add 9; G/D5; A9 with an augmented 3rd. The blanket label of 11 makes it easier to chart or communicate a progression logically, while letting the end user make a judgement call based on where they are playing melodicaly in the moment. It is when you want someone to play a specific voicing that you begin to describe it is as something more elaborate and confusing. This is where a lot of mistakes can be made in the communication of ideas, especially when notes are ommited from the chord. People very often draw the wrong conclusions because they are ommiting the wrong information. For a chord to be pronounced as an 11 or 13 chord, a 6/9 relationship must be present. In situations where quick thinking are paramount, parallel ideas are a simpler and more elegant solution which becomes easier to flow once you get the hang of it. Instead of: R – 3 – 5 – 7, try: 6 – 9 – 5 – R. Congratulations, by the way, for sticking it out this far. If you’ve worked you’re way up to this point, go back to the page titled, G-D-C-D. You will kick some serious butt this time around. 6/9 Voicings

Minor 6/9 Voicings (IV-b5 is found in the parallels of the Lydian mode; related to: vi-m9; and iii “sharp-five”)


Showing Your Work: The difference between 6 and 13. Were you ever discouraged in math class when you were deducted points for not adequately showing all of your work? It seemed like a trivial thing. The answer to 1 + 1 is 2. The answer would always be the answer – and that’s all it can be! It’s a finite scenario - what difference does it make how you get there? Until today, somewhere around 95% of you have never encountered a real-life scenario where the answer to a simple question based in the addition and subtraction of small integers became dependent upon how one arrived at the answer. What is the difference between a 6 chord and a 13 chord?

If we were to follow primal logic, we would say the difference between 6 and 13 is 7. Back in math class, this would be accepted as correct, and the finite truth. Music however, is not specifically finite; therefore, it is not always safe to assume the same types of logic will always work in any given scenario. Many times it will, but an unknown number of times it will not. The 13 chord is a case of the latter. When working with guitar chords, the difference between 6 and 13 is not 7, but 9 + (-2). This is the hidden work behind the answer to the math equation. In chord world, negative 2 would be equal to the dominant seventh note, and 9 is equal to the second interval from the root of the chord – typically, but not always, played one or two octaves higher than the lowest notes in the chord.

Below are two voicings of the same chord stepping down from a dominant seventh, to a sixth chord. You can put the red note (root) anywhere you like on the neck, but for the purpose of academics, A is a nice place to play these chords. Use the shapes to move this chord to other notes, such as F#. Slide the whole shape and grip of the chord chord up or down the neck until the red note is the root note of the chord you wish to play. No matter what note the root is, the difference between a 7 chord and a 6 chord is one fret. You could play both the 7 and 6 tones together, like in the second 6 chord, but you will begin to hear the sixth tone as the dominant feature, thereby making the seventh tone unnecessary for ultilizing the harmonic function of the 6 chord. While adding the seventh tone is audibly pleasing, and it could be included just for the sake of convenience (i.e. ease of grip for the chord), one can choose to add this note, or not, to a 6 chord. The seventh tone alone will not alter the harmonic trajectory of the chord.


Variables Inside Of Variables: 13 – 6 = 7. 7 = 9 – 2.

While showing our work when using our chord formula for a 13, we have discovered that while 13 = 6 + 7; 7 = 9 – 2. In this particular scenario, the number seven beceomes a variable string array with contents of 9 - 2. The equation contains a variable inside another variable.

In terms of practical reality, what this all means is: a dominant sixth chord becomes a thirteen chord when the conditions of 6 + 9 – 2 are met. The tones contained in the string array defining the 13 chord are: 6 – 9 – 5 – R – 3 – 7. In some cases, it can become possible to eliminate the third interval from the chord because the interval between 9 and (-2) is a major third, accomplishing the task of defining the harmonic structure of the chord as a dominant. This point is illustrated through the chords below. Note how the chord becomes minor sounding when the third tone is removed. Played in this fashion, A 13 (no 3) becomes a substitute for Em-9. Then depending on the context of the whole progression, the name of the chord could possibly be changed to Em9 /A, and you might be playing in more than one key. This is the uncertainty principle in action.


Taking Liberties: Extensions, substitutions, and ommissions. By using the triad + extension or, the 6/9 + extension models, you can make your own chords. Take the familiar, and twist.


IV DΔ7= D-F#-A-C# I AΔ6= A-C#-E-F# I E11= F#-C#-E-B-G# ii Bm7 = B-D-F#-A

vi F#m7= F#-A-C#-E iii G#m7= G#-B-E#-F# IV A11= A-D-G-B-E vi Em7 = E-G-B-D

G Lydian = D IonianB Phrygian = G Ionian

E Dorian = G Lydian

6Δ7 11 m7

G b e C e a

IV vi ii

F a d

Bb d g

Eb g c

Ab c f

Db f g#

F# a# d#

B d# g#

E g# c#

A c# f#

D f# b

vi iii IV e b C

a e F

d a Bb

g d Eb

c g Ab

f c Db

ab f Gb

d# a# B

g# d# E

c# g# A

f # c# Db f# G

I ii VG e D

C a G

F d C

Bb g F

Eb c Bb

Ab f Eb

Db bb Ab

F# d# C#

B g# F#

E c# B

A f# E

D b A

F Lydian = C Ionian

I iii vi

iii vii I


IV AΔ7= A-C#-E-G# ii F#m7= F#-A-C#-E I AΔ13= F#-B-E-A-C# V B7 = B-D#-F#-A

I EΔ7= E-G#-B-D# vi C#m7= C#-E-G#-B IV EΔ13= C#-F#-B-E-D# V E7 = E-G#-B-D

I vi ii

m7Δ7 Δ13 7

C G a

I Lydian vi

G D e D A b

A E f #

E B c#

B F # g#

Gb Db eb Db Ab bb Ab Eb f Eb Bb c Bb F g

F C d

IV I ii

IV Dorian vi

Lydian is to major as Dorian is to minor

C b e

G f # b

D c# f #

A g# c#

E d # g #

B a # d #

Gb f bb

Db c f

Ab g c

Eb d g

Bb a dF e a

C Lydian = G Ionian E Dorian = B Aeolian

I iii V

G b D

C e G

F a C

Bb d F

Eb g Bb

Ab c Eb

Db f Ab

Gb bb Db

B d # F

E g # B

A c # E

D f # A

IV vi I

Δ6

Δ3 m3

I iii VTurn vi into iiTurn V into I


I GΔ6= G-B-D-F#-E ii Bm7 = B-D-F#-A IV CΔ9= C-E-G-B -D IV G 6/9 = E-A-D-G

IV CΔ6= C-E-G-B-A vi Em7 = E-B-G-D V DΔ9= D-A- E- F # I D 6/9 = A-D-B-E

m7Δ6 Δ9 6/9 5 R 3 I IV vi

G C e

C F a

F Bb d

Bb Eb g

Eb Ab c

Ab Db f

Db Gb bb

F# B d#

B E g#

E A c#

A D f #

D G b

R 4 6 Δ 6 = down 3 frets

iii V viir m3 m5 e G b

a C e

b D f #

f # A c #

g # B d #

c # E g #

d F a

a C e

g Bb d

c Eb g

g Bb d

r R m5vi I iii

Δ6 R 9

e G a

iii V vi

b D e

a C d

m5 m7 r

g Bb c

c Eb fd F g

e G a

f # A b

b D e

c # E f #

g# B c#

f # A b

mr m3 4

7th = down 2 frets


iii Em6 = E-G-B-C (D) IV CΔ7 = C-E-G-B iii Bm9 = B D F# C# [A] V A11 = E A D G B

vi Am6 = (G) A-C-E-F I GΔ7 = G-B-D-F# vi Em9 = E G B F# [D] ii B11 = F# B E A C#

r 4 7 m3

Δ7 m6 m9 11

m6 = down 4 frets m7 = Dom 7th

iii I IV vii V Ivi ii V I

e a D G

a d G C

d g C F

g c F Bb

c f Bb Eb

f bb Eb Ab

bb e b Ab Db

eb ab Db

Gb

g# c# F# B

c# f# B Ef# b E Ab e A D

6 9 5 Rb G C

a F Bb

g Eb Ab

f Db Gb

d# B E

c# A D

b G C

c Ab Db

d Bb Eb e C F

f # D G

g # E A

a # F # B

c G # C #

iii I IVΔ7 = down 1 fret

b G C

e C F

a F Bb

d Bb E b

g E b Ab

c Ab Db

f Db Gb

a# F# B

d# B E

g# E A

c# A D

f # D G

b G C

vi IV 7


FΔ9= F-A-C-E-G G 6/9 = E-A-D-G A11= E-A-D-G-B G13= E-A-D-G-F

CΔ9= C-G-B-D C 6/9 = A-D-G-C Em7-add4

= G-B-D-E-A D13= B-E-A-D-C

Δ9 6/9 11 13ii V vii

vi I iii

a D f # d G b g C e c F a f Bb d bb Eb g eb Ab c ab Db f c# F# a# f# B d# b E g# e A c#

m7 m3 4

5 R Δ3 vi ii V

ii V I

b e A

6 9 5

e a D

a d G

d g C

g c F

c f Bb

f bb Eb

bb eb Ab

eb ab Db

g# c# F#

c# f# B

f# b E

r m5 m7

4 7 I IVD GG CC FF Bb

Bb Eb

Eb Ab

Eb Db

C# F#

F# BB EE AA DIV Im3 m6


ii (Dm9 = D-F-A-C-E) I (F Δ7= F-A-C-E) iii (Am6/9= E-A-F-B) V (B7 = B-D#-F#-A) vi (Am6 = A-C-E-F) IV (Am6=A-C-E-F) I (F Δ7b5 = F-A-B-E) iii (E7 = E-G#-B-D)

Δ7 m9 m6/9 7

m7 m9 5

V vii iii r m3 m6vi I IVe G CD f # b

m4 Rii I

G b e a C F

d F BbC e a F a d g Bb Eb c Bb

f Ebc Eb DbBb d g Eb g c f Ab Db

bb Ab

Ab c f bb Db Gb eb Db

C# e# a# d# F# B g# F#

c# BF# a# d# g# B E

B d# g# c# E A f# EE g# c# f# A D b A

e Db D GA c# f# 9 m3Δ6 R 4 5 Δ7 Δ3

g F d C a G


Glossary For Decyphering What People Mean This section is meant to sort out in your head quickly, things people bark at you on the fly.

Chords are usually dictated as X (sometimes variable + extensions). When somebody plainly states “A”, they almost certainly mean your garden variety major triad, probably being played as a bar chord, depending with whom you are playing. More experienced players are sneaky with their triads. Experiment with subtle variations from the Triads section of this book, and take it from there. It will never be a minor chord, unless stated specifically, but if you omit the third from the chord, who would even know it’s a minor? Not so intuitively however, when somebody barks A minor at you, they almost always mean play a min 7th, especially with more experienced players. You will almost never go wrong with the two most typical minor bar chord voicings, root 6 and root 5. Straight and plain minor triads seem to be more rare than their major counterparts.

Chord tones are made the same way as I – vii is for scale tones, however, the I (root) is relative to the chord itself. Chord tones are most commonly listed as numeric characters to avoid confusion with roman numeral characters already present.

Major Triad: 3 note chords made from permutations of I – iii – V. Slash chords are very often just iii - I - V or V - I – iii, etc. The left side of the slash dictates the regular chord name, the right side dictates what note is placed on the bottom. eg. C/e is a C major triad, slid up two positions, making E is the lowest note in the chord.

Minor Triad: 3 note chords made from permutations of vi – I – iii, etc. The difference between a major triad and a minor triad is the distance between the Root of the chord and the next interval from the root. If you plot I - iii - V against vi - I - iii, you find that relative to the root note of the chord, the second note in a minor triad is one fret lower than in a major triad.

Relative Minor: The relative minor of I is vi. In the key of C, the relative minor key is A. vi-ii-iii is to minor as I-IV-V is to major.

Root 6: A bar chord with the root note featured on the low E string.

Root 5: A bar chord with the root note featured on the A string.

Voicing: The order in which you arrange the notes in a chord. Playing voicings of the same chord over several bars can provide melodic movement without changing the root. A second rhythm guitar will play different voicings and extensions to produce a fuller sound, and in many scenarios, extending the two guitars as one big chord.

Extension: Additional notes added on to the basic building block. e.g. Amin 7, is an A minor triad + an additional note, which is two frets lower than the root, G.

Slash Chord: A chord over a different bass note than the root of the chord. See Major Triad for a parallel exlanation. The bass note is typically contained to the A or low E strings. It is often strummed slightly ahead or behind the coming chord; like a separate part. Slash chords are also described as a Triad over Bass Note, or T/BN in common shorthand.


Mash Chord: AKA: Polychord. Two chords played simultaneously. Written as I-ii. A horizontal slash indicates a mash chord and consists of 5 or 6 notes, in groups of 2s or 3s, stacking harmonicaly complimentary tones. For example, if you take an E11 chord at the seventh fret on the A string, and add an A at the fifth fret on the low E string, you have created a mash chord of Bm7-A5, or a iii-m7 –ii-power5. The value to the right of the dash goes on the bottom.

Power Chord: A two note chord consisting of R – 5. Commonly found in punk and bar-rock.

Passing Chord/Note: A chord or note used on the way to somewhere else, like a stepping stone. You’ll find them most often around “...and – Seven – and 8 and -..”. These chords may not show up in song charts because they are used very briefly, or are not of grave importance, making it a pain to write out and overwhelming to have to read in the heat of the moment.. They can instead, be applied intuitively and spontaneously.

Octave: The eighth note in the standard western seven tone diatonic scale. Frequency wise, it is a doubling or halving of the fundamental frequency. The electric guitar has a range of 4 octaves over 24 frets, if you develop your touch far enough to include every harmonic available, you can extend that range an additional 2 octaves. A ninth (8 + 1) refers to the second note in the scale, but implies the range of notes spans two octaves.

Mode: Scale talk. Playing the same seven note diatonic scale starting on a different note. e.g. Play the C major scale over two octaves. Then play the same scale, but start and end on F. Modes have Latin names which correspond to I – VII; each has a distinct pattern on the guitar neck. For guitar, unlike piano, you need only learn these patterns in one key to have learned them for every key.

Intervallic Relationship: The direct relationship of the space between groups of two or more notes, or clusters of 2 or 3 notes against another cluster.

Δ: Greek symbol Delta. Shorthand for Major in chord formulas, making m shorthand for minor. In chord formulas, it is indicative of either the third or seventh intervals.

I – IV – V: A standard repeating 12 bar blues progression. Four bars of I, 2 bars of IV, 2 bars of I, 1 bars of V, 1 bar of IV, 1 bar of I, 1 bar of turnaround.

Δ7: A triad + extension; major triad with a major seventh interval, one fret lower than the root. The presence of the Major in the formula is tied to the function of the Seventh interval.

m7: A triad + extension; minor triad with a Dominant Seventh interval. The Seventh here is one fret lower than in a Major type. The presence of the Minor in the formula is tied to the function of the Third interval.

7: Dominant seventh. A triad + extension; major triad with a minor seventh. Same as the Δ7, except the seventh interval is moved down one fret. Used frequently as a substitute for m7 chords in minor blues progressions. The absence of any Major/Minor designation in the formula assumes that it is only ever a Minor chord if you specifically declare it as such.


Δ6: A triad + extension; major triad with a major sixth interval. Same as Δ7, except substitute 6 in place of 7. An interval of Δ6 can be described as 3 frets lower than the root. To describe it in a different way, an interval of Δ6 is the same as an interval of m3 in reverse.

m6: A triad + extension; minor triad with a minor sixth interval. Same as m7, except substitute 6 in place of 7. An interval of m6 can be described as 4 frets lower than the root. To describe it in a different way, an interval of m6 is the same as an interval of Δ3 in reverse.

6: Same as Δ6; Same as the 7, lowering the minor seventh interval by one fret. Without the Δ designation in the chord formula, one can choose to omit the third interval.

Δ9: As a 5-note chord, it is a Δ7 chord with an additional ninth interval, which is an ascending Second interval in a different octave from the root. e.g. CΔ9 = C – E – G – B – D. When played as a 4-note chord, the third is ommited, assigning the Δ designation in the chord formula to be indicative of a Major Seventh interval. CΔ9 = C – G – B – D. Note the intervallic relationship of G to the other notes in the chord. This exact same chord can be identically described as: G/C. The voicing of the chord, and the context in which it is played will ultimately determine it as a Slash Chord, or a, CΔ9. This concept will come up over and over again, so train your mind to think about the possibility of two parallel solutions.

9: 4-note chord built as a Triad + extension; major triad with an additional ninth interval. Unlike the Δ9, there is no seventh interval.

m9: as a 4-note chord, it is a Triad + extension; minor triad with an additional ninth interval. As a 5-note chord, it is a m7 chord + an additional ninth interval. e.g. Am9 = A – C – E – G – B. Note the intervallic relationship of C to the other notes in the chord. This exact same chord can be identically described as: CΔ7add 6, or, IVΔ7/ii.

add4: means just what you think. An extension to an extension. Take the complete chord formula, then add an additional tone. Any chord tone can be attached with an add extension. The use of the add extension, is typically indicative of a specific voicing you are being instructed to play. An add extension may actually mean in practical reality, an 11 or a 13 chord. The same of course, applies in reverse.

#(5):AKA: (+ , or, aug) Raise the value of the chord tone immediately following the # by one fret. (b5) is to lower the note value by one fret. Augmentation can appear in any variety of chord tone. (bb5) is two frets lower. In a blues progression, if someone barks, “#5!” It means after you go to the V chord, slide that whole shape up one fret for two beats and go back down to the V or IV for two beats, then start the turnaround.

6/9: The other kind of chord. One with so many fake IDs, even the FBI can’t tell you its real name. A piano player’s favourite. Four-note chords built from intervals of Fourths as opposed to intervals of Thirds. You may find it sounds weird the first time you play one. The concept takes a little getting used to. Made up of chord tones: 6-9-5-R. e.g. C 6/9 = A – D – G – C. The interval between each successive note is a fourth. A Fourth is the same as a Fifth in reverse. To go up a Fourth, you go down a Fifth. Additionaly, you can build this chord by starting with a standard dominant 7 chord (R-3-5-m7), substituting a 6 in place of 7, and then a 9 instead of 3 by lowering the 3 by two frets.

m6/9: Same as the 6/9 chord, except the 6 becomes a m6 interval. A rare, and very colourful chord which you will probably never encounter labeled this way. Recognize it for what it is and catalogue it in your head when you come across one.


11: 5-note chord built either from a 6/9 + extension model, or a m7 add4 model. An Em7 add4 is comprised of the entire G Major Pentatonic Scale. A G11 chord can be the same chord as Am7(add4).

11 = r – m3 – 5 – m7 – 4. The same chord can be described as: ii-m7/5; IV/5 (add6); RΔ9 (add 6). It could also be, 11 = 6 – 9 – 5 – R – 4. The specific label will usually pertain to the modal context in which the chord is to be played. A very ambiguous and leading chord. The root is not always the root you may think it is. Is it major? Is it minor? Nobody knows! You can loosely catagorize 11 chords as those containing a Perfect Fourth interval at the same time as a 6/9 relationship.

13: 5 or 6 note chords built from the 6/9 + extension model; 13 = 6 – 9 – 5 – R – m7. Commonly, it is played as a 4 note chord where the root is omitted, implied by context. If an 11 chord implies the presence of a Perfect Fourth in a 6/9 relationship, than a 13 acknowledges the presence of a major or dominant relationship in addition to a 6/9 relationship.

Δ13: Same as 13, except the m7 becomes Δ7. A common voicing for a I Δ13 is: vii-m7(#5). A Major designation can also acknowledge the presence of the Major Third interval.

dim: AKA: o

- two different ways of writing diminished. Means specifically, b3 and b5. Alter your chord to meet this criteria. Typically built starting with a Δ7 chord.

ø: half-diminished.Same idea as diminished, but a more of a minor chord. Specifically, m7 and b5. The vii-m chord (Bm, in the key of C) is by definition, half-diminished. We try to ignore that and flex it a little. Sus: This is an abbrev I hate. It should really be updated to Sub, not sus, but for the sake of knowing what people are talking about, it refers to changing the third interval in the chord one direction or the other. A Sus.2 is a Ninth chord with no Third interval, while a Sus.4 is a Dominant Seventh chord with the Third interval raised by one semi-tone; i.e., one fret. 12-bar Blues: A blues jam over twelve bars. There are many standard deviations, but a straight 12-bar blues consists of: four bars of I; two bars of IV; two bars of I; one bar of V; one bar of IV; one bar of I; and one bar of what’s called the turnaround, because you turn it around to the beginning. A “quick IV” means a split of the first four bars. The IV chord comes quickly, for either two bars or one bar, depending on the specific deviation. Blues is not always twelve bars; however, when playing with people you never have before, common ground can usually be found there. Four-on-the-floor: A rhythmic slang for a straight, square quarter note rhythm with a driving temperament. Push: An accent moved just slightly ahead of the beat. Pull: An accent moved just slightly behind the beat.


Pedal: Let a note or chord continue to ring over the next bar as you move to the next chord. 4/4: Count to four. That’s one bar. 8/8: Same as 4/4, except count, “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”. Quarter notes becomes eigth notes. 2/4: Count to two. That’s one bar. 3/4: Like a waltz. Count to three and start again. Break it into two parts, bar 1 and bar 2: “1..2..3..2..2..3..” 6/8: Like a swing or a shuffle. This time count to six. Quarter notes are valued as eigth notes. 12/8: Like 6/8, except you count to twelve. Slow blues, like Stormy Monday Blues, are counted in this fashion. It can be syncopated over 4/4. 7/8: Syncopation City. A wise man once said, “Every time you think it’s a one, it’s really a two.” You can count to seven by 1..2..1..2..1..2..3 or 1..2..3..1..2..1..2. This is a case of white people do it like this, and black people do it like this. Nobody likes a seriously white groove. Or is it everybody prefers a seriously black groove.. Other odd time signatures such as 9/8 follow the same kind of logic. Rhythms are divided and clustered in combinations of 2s and 3s, or 4s and 6s. Smaller amounts of numbers to count make it easier to keep track of time over longer periods of time. Changing how you divide and arrange your clusters has a large impact on feel, style, and genre. It is often the simple difference between regional specific rhythms.

There is a lot of information not included in this book. The point is to keep it short, and to not be redundant. We fortunately live in an age when we can Google almost anything we could want to know, finding the answer in only seconds. This is simply your Rosetta Stone, not the end to your quest for knowledge.

The information contained here, and through the context presented, will hopefully grow with you forever – never to get boring. Here you will always find something classic, timeless, new, avant-garde, popular, or raw. Grow with the flow, bro.

THE RELATIVE NATURE OF CHORDS · forever be tied to the memories from those moments. In the end,...

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