Home > Theory / Chords > Chord Theory

Guitar Chord Theory Lessons

Tweet

This series of guitar chord theory lessons will take you through how to construct chords. Guitarists often learn chords by using a chord chart, which is fine, but it's also important to know what's happening behind the scenes and why the chord sounds they way it does.

Equipping yourself with the knowledge in these lessons will make breaking down chords second nature. You'll find that your songwriting and improvisation takes on a new edge, as you'll be able to use voicings and progressions precisely how you want them - no more guess work or copy-cat playing. You'll also find soloing over chords easier, connecting scale tones with chord tones.

Don't forget to grab your free chord cheat sheet Learn how guitar chords work together in any key... Click here to start now

See the contents below for this guitar chord theory series and work through the areas you need in your own time. Note that this is not for beginners, which is why I've included links to some important preliminary lessons...

Useful Preliminary Stuff Fretboard Theory The Major Scale The Series Part 1 - Major, Minor and Suspended Triads Part 2 - Augmented & Diminished Triads Part 3 - 7th Chords Part 4 - Extended Chords Part 5 - Alternate Chord Voicings (part i) Part 6 - Alternate Chord Voicings (part ii) + Fretboard Theory - Interactive Software

---

Chord construction basics

First, we need to know where the elements of a chord come from.

Think of a scale with seven tones - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 - this is in fact the major scale.

A chord can be built by first selecting the 1 note. This is called the root note as it is the 1st note in the scale.

We then select two or more additional tones from the scale (e.g. the 3 and 5) and build them on the root note to create the chord (so in our example we'd have 1 3 5).

The root is the reference note for the chord, so when you see Gmaj, Gm or G7, you'll know the root note is... G.

It's the different combinations of scale tones/intervals stacked above that root note that give us the different chord types. We'll be looking at these different chord types throughout the series.

That, in a nutshell, is how chords are constructed. Those scale tones can also be seen as intervals - the distance between the root note and other notes in the scale/chord.

---

Major chord theory - major triads

A major triad consists of a 3rd (3) and 5th (5) above the root (1). These tones make up a major chord in its simplest form.

The root (1) is always the note by which the chord is referenced (letters A through to G).

For example, G major is so-called because its root note lies on G. We can abbreviate this chord as G or Gmaj. E major would be abbreviated E or Emaj. C# major would be abbreviated C# or C#maj.

Here's how a typical R 3 5 major chord would be mapped out on the fretboard...

As you can see, all the notes of the major triad are included in the chord form. A major triad is always referenced simply with the letter of the note used for the root (the 1st tone in its scale).

For example, if the root of the chord lies on the note A, it's an A major chord.

In the above chord form, the root actually appears three times, the 5th twice and the 3rd once - but as you can see, it still only consists of the three major triad tones.

Again, let's create a familiar R 3 5 major chord with the root on the A string, allowing us to play the same chord in a different position on the fretboard...

So again, although there are more than 3 strings being played in the chord, there is still only the Root, 3rd and 5th triad making up the chord.

Test yourself

Don't limit yourself to the most common E and A form chords just because they're the most commonly used. The below video shows you how you can pull several chord voicings (including inversions) right out of a scale pattern. This is your first step in connecting chords and scales...

---

Minor chord theory - minor triads

So, we learned the major triad was made up of the Root, 3rd and 5th.

The minor triad is made up of the Root, flat 3rd (or minor 3rd) and 5th. The word "minor" in the context of a "minor chord" refers to the presence of the minor 3rd.

So technically it's that minor 3rd interval above the root which gives minor chords their sound. The 5th is neutral, which is why it's used in both major and minor chords. Think of it as adding more meat to the chord.

All that we change from major triads is flatten the 3rd a half step - in other words, move it down one fret. This gives us what is abbreviated as a ♭3 (a minor 3rd interval).

If we play an E string barre chord like before, but as a flat 3rd minor, we get this...

See how that 3rd has been flattened/moved down 1 fret (which is the same as 1 semitone) from its major 3rd interval?

Remember, the letter used when writing chords is determined by the root note, so if the root was positioned on the note B, the chord would be B minor (Bmin or Bm for short).

And with an A string barre chord? We can see how it's the same as the major chord but with the 3rd flattened one fret position (one semitone)...

---

Suspended chord theory - sus4 and sus2 chords

Suspended (abbreviated as "sus") chords refer to any chord that does not contain a major or minor 3rd. This means suspended chords are neither major nor minor, as the 3rd is responsible for making a chord major or minor.

Below are the elements of a suspended 4th chord (e.g. Gsus4, Fsus4, Esus4)

So basically, the 3rd is replaced by the perfect 4th interval. The 4th lies one half step/semitone higher than the 3rd - the equivalent of one fret...



That's a suspended 4th chord and would be written as Bsus4 if, for example, the root note was B. It's common to use sus4 chords as tension chords as they have an unresolved feeling attached to them.

You can also have suspended 2nd (e.g. Bsus2. Csus2) chords where the 3rd is again not present and the 2nd note in the major scale is used instead.

Just think of "suspended" or "sus" as meaning "no 3rd". This means suspended chords are neither major nor minor.

In guitar chord theory, whenever the 3rd is not part of the chord, you effectively have a major/minor neutral sound. Incidentally, that means both major and minor scales will work over them.

The below video looks at a few ways you can use suspended chords in your playing...

Time for a break...

So we've covered how three basic triad chords are constructed. Go back and review this lesson if you need before moving onto the next part.

Remember, learning guitar chord theory is so much easier once you know the fretboard.

Was this lesson helpful? Please let others know, cheers...

Tweet

Free Guitar Chord Video Series Three part course reveals: How to play any chord in five different ways across the fretboard How to change chords faster How to increase finger strength almost instantly How to cure and eliminate fret buzz and dead notes And much more... Click here to learn more...

blog comments powered by Disqus

Related

More Guitar Chord Theory Lessons

Main Guitar Chords Section

Main Guitar Theory Section