# Chords help, post your questions



## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

Been playing for some time now but mostly metal and honestly never play many chords unless the song called for them.

Now I have the acoustic and play them exclusivly.
Couple questions.

1, Why are some chords named the same yet have different fingerings on the same section of fret?
Do they sound the same (i don't think so)?
G,D and A are diiferent in a book I am working on.
2, Is it possible to cheat a chord when I can't get all the fingers in place fast enough?
3, What are the key chords to know, there must be some that are the bread and butter that are used all the time.

If you have any other tips or tricks for us please let the group know.

Thanks all


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## jeremy_green (Nov 10, 2010)

Hey Bevo,

The thing to remember with chords is the shapes are irrelevant - it is the notes they are made of that counts. For example a C Major chord is made up of the notes C,E,G - therefore ANY location of those 3 notes is EQUALLY a C chord. So you often see different shapes, an extra finger here or there. This is why. If you go back and look and figure out what the actual notes played are you will likely see they are just duplicates of the same note just in different octaves.

The most common chords are the open position 'cowboy chords':

Majors: A,B,C,D,E,F,G - for campfire B is least common followed by F
Minors: Amin, Bmin, Dmin, Emin, F#min are most common followed by the others
Throw in the odd dominant: C7, D7, A7, E7

These chords will get you a long way.

Start thinking notes, it is a huge difference to your understanding of the instrument. Shapes help in the early years but become a serious crutch many never get out of. To get to any serious level you gotta get away from visual references.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Don't know if Jeremy addressed this elsewhere, and if so, sorry for the repetition.

If you have a fretboard map, ie a diagram of the fretboard with all the notes indicated (_Google Images _is your friend), highlight the notes of any chord and you will find every possible configuration of that chord. Remember to use a map with at least 12 frets (mine have 15) so that all the possibilities are shown. To use Jeremy's example of the C major chord, highlight every C, E, G, note and you will have every possible fingering as long as you actually get at least one each of the notes C, E, and G. Additional octaves of C, E, and G, and/or the order of those notes from lowest to highest does not change the chord name, just it's voicing.

From this information you also have all the possible arpeggios of that major chord.

Once you've digested this, you may notice that all it takes is a shifting of the notes to get another chord, ie, move every note up 2 frets and you have D major; move every note down 2 frets and you have Bb major.

The same concept applies to all chords and how to find them. If you have trouble figuring out what notes are in a chord without learning the applicable theory (sorry, I come from a piano/choral background and knew the theory before the guitar), simply map out your known open chord and use those notes as your starting point.

Peace, Mooh.


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## GuyB (May 2, 2008)

Hi Bevo,

Question #1 has been answered by the other posters. As for : "Do they sound the same..." let's say that for two different fingerings (voicings) of a C major chord you will have two "different" sounds but they still will serve the same function. This means that whatever the voicing of a C major chord in a tune, it will be o.k. harmonically (some voicings might sound better for your ears or depending on the context). The key word here is "function" as each chord in a harmonic progression has a specific role : the fundamental (the chord of the key you're in) is the "home base", where you're gonna end; the dominant 7th creates a tension that urges to be resolve (usually to the fundamental), etc.

Question #2 : sure you can "cheat". There are multiple voicings for each chord in wich you can "forget" some notes. For example, let's take a 4 note chord, the ones that are frequently used in jazz : C7. The notes of a C7 are : C, E, G, Bb. For all kind of reasons, you might want to skip some notes (difficult fingering, don't want to double the bass, don't want to interfere with another instrument, like a piano, etc.). The first note that you can forget is the 5th, the G in our case. (I will leave out for the moment the reasons for this, I could return if you want). And, this could seem curious, but the other note that you can forget is the tonic, here, the C. In fact, the two essential notes in this chord are the 3th, the E which tells if it's a major or a minor chord, and the 7th, the Bb, that gives the function. So, depending on your neads or the context, you could play only these two notes, E and Bb and it will be o.k. Now, this is a bit simplified but it's the basic.

For question #3, it's hard to say. For basics, let's say that with major triads, minor triads, dominant sevenths and diminished, you can go a long way. In jazz we could say : Maj7, Maj6, min7, min6, dominant 7th (with or without extensions), diminished, half-diminished, would be a good stard.


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

Great answers!

This does help and makes the fretboard look less complicated, I tried moving around using the same notes and your right.
I also picked up a new poster to put on the wall where I play, it has all the chords and notes on the freboard laid out, very helpfull.
Theory was never something I needed but I think I will spend some time working on it, can't hurt plus my brain is getting soft.

The cheating answer is also good and I do it more for the fact that I can't get the fingers in place fast enough than anything.

To learn some new song I just do one strum/chord then switch on the next change. As my changes get faster I am able to get the chord as well as strum enough to keep up with the music.
Very challenging but also satisfying, it feels like a new instrument!

Thanks!


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## Andy Fake (Sep 25, 2010)

Bevo ole chap
I won't be answering any of your there 3 questions.

Though i must say simply that they are fantastic! questions my boy!!!

For not only are they so very well phrased but heavy as to content too i see!

Well done ole chap.....very very well done indeed; allow me to say.




Fake
(King of English Grammer and stuff)


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