Guitar Chord Forms
Knowing how to modify guitar chord forms to get other qualities & sounds is an important skill to have as a guitarist. 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, & build new chords. This works, & works very well.
E, A, & D Major Forms with MODS
The Numbers
The smaller numbers outside the dots are the fingerings. The double dots are always the Root of the chord.
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 (flat-3rd).
Chord Symbols
- A chord that is just a letter is a Major chord (e.g. E or A).
- Little m means minor (can also be shown with min or a dash[-]).
- The 7 means flat 7 (the tone 10 half steps away from root) , whether shown after a Major or a minor chord.
- Although this group doesn't show a Major7 (the tone 11 half steps away from the root) type chord, that type of chord would be indicated as a Maj7, M7 or
7, whether shown after a Major or minor chord. - Just a letter (Major) with a 7, means dominant 7.
- m7 (could also be indicated min7 or -7) means a minor chord with a flat 7.
- sus9 means suspending the 3rd of the chord to a 2nd (2nd same as 9). When you see add9 or add2 this means to add the 2 to the chord, yet the 3rd will still be present.
- sus typically means replace the 3rd with the 2nd or 4th. If you see just sus, it is typically the 4th replacing the 3rd.
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).
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