How Guitars Work

In lesson 8, we looked at the C shape on the fretboard, which can be used to play any major chord. In this lesson, you are going to build on this knowledge and learn how to: solo with the C shape if your root note is on the 5th string identify the C chord and the D chord within the C shape find the other interval notes within the major scale This is called the C shape pattern because if played in the first position, our root note (in the major scale) would be on the note C. But, remember, our root note could be any note on this fifth string. Because the root is on the fifth string, you're going to play it with our little finger. It's important that you do that when using this shape because the other notes you'll play are going to be to the left of it. So you need the other fingers on the left of our little finger available for play. At first, these full scale shapes can seem a bit intimidating, so let’s just take a moment to look at the C shape and review what we already k

The next chord shape we’re going to look at in this lesson series is the D shape.  Just like the other chord shapes, you can use this to play any chord on the fretboard.  In this lesson, you’re going to learn how to: join the E shape and the D shape on the fretboard create and move chords using the D shape play major chords with the D shape change major chords into minor chords with the D shape Just like the other shapes, the D chord is linked to the shape that comes before it, the E shape.  To move from the E shape to the D shape, you replace your annular finger in the E shape, with your index finger in the D shape. This effectively then becomes the nut of your guitar, and leaves the rest of your fingers to play the D shape. There are a couple of ways to use the D shape to play major chords. The first way is to simply play the top three strings, using the D shape, anywhere on the fretboard. Your root note is in the middle of this triad. So whichever note that index finger is on, is g

The fourth shape we’ll be looking at in this lesson series, is the E shape. Arguably, this is one of the most useful, and commonly used shapes, especially in pop music. Just like the other shapes, the E shape is fully moveable up and down the fretboard to make other chords.  In this lesson, you’ll learn how to: join the G shape and the E shape on the fretboard create and move chords using the E shape play major chords with the E shape change major chords into minor chords with the E shape The G shape is connected to the E shape by the notes we play with our anular and little fingers. Those notes become the barre, or our new nut of the guitar, and from there we play an E shape. One thing to note with the E shape is that when we play an E chord, in the first position, the root note (E) is actually just played as the open E string. Therefore, if you are playing any other major chord using the E shape, and you want to include the sixth string, you have to use your index finger to bar the f

The third shape we’ll be looking at in this lesson series is the G shape. The full range of notes in the G shape are almost impossible to play because of the stretching involved, so we need to break it down into two smaller parts to make it practical to play. In this lesson you'll learn how to: create and move chords using the G shape(s) join the A shape and the G shape on the fretboard play major chords with the G shape(s) change major chords into minor chords with the G shape(s) If you have some knowledge of guitar as a beginner, and I asked you to play a G chord, you would probably play this shape: This is a G chord, played using the G shape. The root note (G) is played on the first and sixth strings.  The third interval note (B) is played on the fifth string, and the fifth interval note (D) is played on the open fourth string, and the fretted second string. You might also see a G played with an additional note played on the second string. This adds another fifth interval note

  In this lesson, we’ll be looking at the A shape.   You’ll learn how to: create and move the A shape join the C shape and the A shape on the fretboard play major chords with the A shape change major chords played with the A shape, into minor chords Spelling the A chord If we want to play an A chord, using an A shape, we’ll play the notes A, C#, and E (the one note, the third interval and the fifth interval note in the A scale) - that’s how you spell the A chord. 1. A 2. B 3. C# 4. D 5. E 6. F# 7. G You're probably already familiar with this form of the A chord  played across strings two, three, and four, on the second fret.  The A shape is moveable Just like other shapes, the A chord shape this is fully moveable up and down the neck of the guitar, to create other chords. And just like before, it’s the root note of the shape that determines the chord name. Building the A chord  Our root note in this A chord is placed on the third string, second fret. So if this is our one note, we

We’re going to start looking at chord shapes in this lesson.  You'll learn how to: create and move the C shape play major chords with the C shape change major chords into minor chords with the C shape I explained in a previous lesson, that you should assign a shape name to particular patterns, rather than chord names. So think of this as the C shape, rather than the C chord. This is because a lot of guitarists get stuck on the idea that a specific shape is fixed to one particular chord. So for example, a lot of guitar players might see this shape, and think that’s how you play a C.  That’s correct, you can play a C this way, but you can also play a D, an E, an F, a G and so on, with this shape. When we play the C shape in the first position on the fretboard, we get the C chord. If we look at which individual notes are being played, we can see they they are all in the key of C. C (our root note),  E,  G (open string),  C,  E (open string) The G note, and the E note, are open. You do

In this lesson, you'll learn how to spell each of the major chords.  What do I mean by that? Well, when you learn any new chord, you need to know the three core notes that make up that chord (the tonic, the major third interval, and the fifth interval). If you do this, regardless of how you play the chord, you’ll always be able to identify which notes you’re playing, anywhere on the fretboard. I’ve included a print out for you below, so you can start to learn how to spell each of the major chords. Each time you say a chord name, just spell it out too. For example, you’d say C chord, C, E , G. It only takes a few seconds and it really helps you to remember which three notes you’re going to be playing.  As you move through the next few lessons, you’ll start to see why this is really important, and so useful to you as you mature as a guitar player. Spell each of the major chords - worksheet (PDF, 22KB) Spell each of the major chords - answer sheet (PDF, 23KB) Guitar practice journal

In the previous lesson, we’ve looked at playing the root note (or tonic) along with a third interval harmony.  This next lesson will  be in two parts and we’ll look at adding the fifth interval note to build a full major chord. Remember, that’s how all chords are built, based on the first (or root note), major third interval note, and perfect fifth interval note of a scale. In part a of this lesson, I’ll teach you how to find fifth interval notes in relation to your root notes. In part b of, you’ll have a go at playing fifth intervals by using power chords. Building a C chord with a third and fifth interval note Let’s start part one of our lesson on fifth interval notes by looking at the C chord. To build a C chord, we take the first, third and perfect fifth interval notes from the C scale. So we spell the C chord as C, E, and G. C - Tonic (or root note) C# - Flat 2nd  D - Second D# Flat 3rd E - 3rd F Perfect 4th F# - Flat 5th G - Perfect 5th G# - Flat 6th A - 6th A# - Flat 7th B - 7th

In lesson 4, we looked at the important role that third interval notes play in:  building chords and making them either major or minor creating harmony if you want to play them alongside your melody notes. In this lesson you'll learn how to find third interval notes quickly anywhere on the fretboard. We've already looked at how the guitar is an instrument tuned around intervals of perfect fourths and major thirds. You've also learned that  the perfect fourth interval note is usually directly below your root note.  So, if I play the note G on the E string, I know that the fretted note below it is going to be the perfect fourth interval (the C note): Let’s just check if that's the case and refresh our memories. Well, the fretted note on the fifth string is the note C. So there should be an interval of a perfect fourth between G and C: Tonic is G Flat 2nd is G# Second is A Flat third is A# Major third is B Perfect fourth is C If I know that the strings are tuned in interva