Guitar Chord Forms

Knowing how to modify guitar chord forms to get other qualities and sounds is an important skill to have as a player. Using this type of 'changing around what I already know' helps you grow your chord library at a thousand times the rate of memorizing one chord after another.

This is another use of the CAGED system for guitar chords. Once you know what makes up a chord, you can parallel or compare a different formula, and build new chords. This works, and works very well.

For Right Handers, the E, A, and D Major Forms with some MODS

What are all the numbers?

The smaller numbers outside the circles are the fingerings.

The numbers and the flats next to the chord are the chord component. Notice how we start with a 3, for example, and if we lower it, we call it a flat 3.

And the Chord Symbols?

• A chord that is just a letter is a Major chord (E)
• Little m means minor (m)
• The 7 means flat 7
• If you see a letter (major) with a 7, this means dominant chord
• m7 means a minor chord with a flat 7
• add9 means adding a 9 (same as the 2) to the chord. Typically, the 3rd is still present.
• sus typically means replace the 3 with the 2 or 4. If you see just sus, it usually is the 4 replacing the 3.

Guitar chord forms are a powerful method for organizing the massive amount of possibilities [a good way to track them]. Tracking at a certain point, converts to pure knowledge (no thinking).

Guitar chord forms - E Form