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Theory Part 5
Guitar
Chord Theory
Part
5 - Chord Voicings
In guitar chord theory part
4 we looked at extended chords which
brought us nicely to the end of the elements of chord construction.
Now you need to focus on how to construct chords,
using your chord and fretboard
theory knowledge to create alternate
voicings. This allows you to experiment with a wider choice
of chord tones, adding more colour to your songwriting.
So in this lesson we'll look at using the major scale
and its scale tones in different positions to build
chords around those initial shapes.
I'll reference
those scale shapes during this lesson.
13th chord voicings
In part
4 we looked at major 13th chords and how they included the root,
3rd, 5th, dominant 7th (b7), 9th and 13th (also the 6th) in
relation to the major scale. The 11th is left out because it clashes
somewhat with
the rest of the chord.
Below are a couple of ways
you could play the chord A13...
From the "boxed"
major scale shape on the E string (click
here for reference)
See how this is taken from the standard "E shape" barre chord,
using the appropriate tones from the major scale to create the 13th.
(remember, no 11th (4th) included because it doesn't sound too
harmonious - this is an exception)
From the "descending"
major scale shape on the E string (click
here for reference)
Note, the 5th is left out of this only because the
4 fingered human would not be able to get the 5th in there!
Although the same chord, A13,
this is taken
from the "G shape" barre chord and modified appropriately. The
descending E string major scale pattern should help you find the right
tones for this chord voicing.
Now, compare the two...
The only difference is:
- a lower voiced "9th" in the
descending G shape!
But it gives it a different
voicing nevertheless. I
actually prefer that lower sounding 9th, but this is where your
creative side comes in - what do you want to hear?
If you're confused, let's look
at another couple of chord voicings to see if we can straighten things
out...
Major 7th
chord voicings (Maj7)
Back in part
3 we looked at 7th chords - 4 note chords
built from the major scale.
If you followed that lesson,
you'll know that a maj7 chord basically included all the scale tones up
to the 7th - Root, 3rd, 5th and 7th.
So, let's look at a couple of
different voicings for the same Gmaj7 chord...
From the "boxed"
major scale shape on the E string (click
here for reference)
Standard E shape voicing for Gmaj7 there. But
if you want a higher voicing, you'll need that second root note from
the boxed major scale as a starting point, so one option is to have the
chord built around the...
"Descending" major
scale shape on the D string (click
here for reference)
Notice how the root note of the second voicing is
in the same position as the octave root note from
the first voicing's scale pattern (here)
- this means we can stack up the chord from that higher voiced root
note into the descending D string major scale,
meaning we get an overall higher voiced Gmaj7!
- the 5th
is higher in the second voicing
- the 7th is also higher in the second voicing
So, same chord, two very
different voicings that only you know which one
will fit best in your song/chord progression.
Tip:
Look at the
second Gmaj7 diagram again. If you play the A string,
open
(unfretted), you get a new A bass note - it becomes Gmaj7/A!
Minor add9
chord voicings
We looked at "add" chords in part
4.
Basically, the number referenced in the chord name after the "add" is
the highest tone from the major scale used in the chord. But because
there is no 7th in the chord, it
becomes an "add" chord.
So to recap, an add9
chord includes Root, 3rd, 5th and 9th - no dominant
7th, otherwise it would have included all the tones up to the 9th and
would be just a "9" chord (e.g. G9)
Let's look at a couple of
voicings of the Emadd9 chord...
"Ascending" major
scale shape on the A string (click
here for reference)
Using the ascending scale shape the 9th
gets added (with a bit of a stretch from your pinky finger!)
This is quite a high voicing
of this chord, so let's use the descending major
scale on the same string to see what we can come up with...
"Descending" major
scale shape on the A string (click
here for reference)
- Higher 5th in the second voicing
- Lower flat 3rd (b3) in the second voicing (the b3
is what makes it a minor)
The 9th stays the same pitch
though, because the B string at fret 7 (in
the second voicing above) is the same as the G string at fret 11 (in
the first voicing above).
Tip:
It's useful to look at these
relationships between
strings with the same note - in the example above, the G string at fret
11 is 4 frets higher than the same note on the B
string.
More chord
voicings to experiment with
A good way to try this by yourself at first, while you're still
learning the relationships
between strings and notes etc. is to at learn
the notes across the E, A and D strings, based on the
root strings for the main barre chord forms.
So, if for example you play a
standard E
shape barre chord and
you see that the root note lies on "A", you can find "A" on the other
strings and try to build the chord from
that root string.
This is just what we've been doing throughout this lesson.
Dadd9
So the root
note is on the A string, and it descends
using that C shape barre from the open position C chord.
If you have learned the major
scale shapes, see if you can build Cadd9 (Root,
3rd, 5th, 9th) in the ascending position and on the
E string in both ascending and
descending positions
HINTS: the
E string shapes for this chord involve blocking out a string, using
just 5 strings. You get a higher sounding 5th with the descending
E string position for Dadd9.
Now finger this chord on the D
string, both ascending and descending
HINT: for the ascending, you
can use the open D string for the root and build the chord up within
the first 5 frets.
Next!...
Fadd6
That's Fadd6 in the D string "boxed" voicing - see
if
you can build it up from other positions on the fretboard using the
different major scale shapes. First, find the F root note on the
fretboard and
build the chord up from that position.
Want to cheat?
Use this free Chord
Finder!
Click on the note that the root lies on, and then the type of chord you
want to build from it (e.g. "maj9") and then click "variations" to see
where it can be played.
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And to
finish - a weird chord voicing
What on earth is this jazzy-bluesy chord (you can always trust jazz to
throw up unusual chords)?...
It's probably not what you thought - Ebaug7#9 -
eep, what a mouthful. A big stretch as well.
Let's just try to deconstruct
this to understand it more before we go...
-
Root note is on Eb
(A string, 6th fret)
-
Built from the descending
A string major scale
-
The flat 3rd (b3)
is actually the sharp 9 (#9)
because if you already use the major 3rd (3) then you can't also have
the minor 3rd so it needs to be noted as a #9 (a sharp 9th is in the
same spot as a flat 3 anyway!). Also, the base chord in this is Ebaug7
because from the root you have the 3rd, sharpened 5th (#5) and dominant
7th (b7) - therefore, it takes major precedence so
the flat 3 becomes an added note - the sharp 9th.
You should now
be fairly confident about finding alternate chord voicings
up and down the fretboard. Soon, if you really get to know the major
scale shapes you'll be able to experiment like this without referring
to a scale diagram.
You'll eventually know where
the "6th/13th" lies in relation to the "5th" on more than one string.
Investigate the fretboard.
Learning fretboard theory doesn't have to
be dull!
We'll look at this in
more depth in the next (and last) lesson for more advanced chord
voicings and chord inversions, where the root isn't
the lowest note in the chord!
Come back in your own time,
when you're ready.
Part
6 - More advanced Voicings
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