TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . .. 2
l. How to Interpret the Diagrams 5
11. How to Mernorize Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 10
111. Homonyrns......................................................................... 12
DlATONIC CHORO PROGRESSIONS IN MAJOR KEYS
IV. 1 ili IV V (1) ..................................................................... 15
V. Diatonic Charo Scales (Major Keys) and String Transference 17
VI. Progressions Built from Scalewise Root Movements and
Progressions Built from Scalewise Bass Lines (Major Key) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 24
VII. I vi ti V and iti vi ii V
A. Short _. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 26
B. Longer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 44
C. Repeated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 48
VIII. The Di.tonie Cyele 01 4th! in Mllior Keys " 49
PROGRESSIONS USING SUBSTlTUTE CHOROS (MAJOR KEYj
IX. ili7 VI7 ii7 V7(.nd 1 VI? ii7 V7) 59
X. i7 vi7 117 V7 (and 1 vi7 117) V7..................................................... 74
XI. 1117 VI7 117 V7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 78
XII. Recommended Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 106
1
r
MOOERN CHORO PROGRESSIONS
INTROOUCTION
VOLUME I
When 1 was flISt leaming to play the guitar, my teacher would come to my house and, if 1 recall correctly, the
routine went something like this: He would entcr the house, say helio, ask me ir 1had practiced (l would lie and say
''yes'' or be more truthful and say "8 littte"), and then say "Let me see the box" (no kidding-this is what he said and,
now that 1 think oC t. my first guitar did look something like a box). Anyway, he would take rny guitar, tune t, and
then playa tilde chord progression which woold just tloor me. NeedJess to sayo the chards and progressions he would
play were quite a few nolches above the simple sounds like e to G7 that 1 was struggling with, and 1just figured that
the lhinlS he was doing \\'ere light years away for me.
WeJJ, al $Ome stage of the game 1 received rny first chard book and, in a short time, I remember becoming very
disappointed with it because, although the baok was teaching me sorne good chord fonns, there were no nice chord
prQ&I'eSjons; there were no little passages that sounded like music; instead, there were just exercises, where you took
the same chord forro and moved it up one fret at a time, in order to tearn the names of the form on the different frets.
While exercises can be very helpful, most people also like to be able to play sometbing thal sounds like music, to ive
thern an incentive to practice; and if that something can be the vehic1e by which they acquire a goad portion of their
musical education as well, it seems right to expose tbem to such material, doesn't it?
As you might gather, J sincerdy feel that lms book, and the succeeding volumes, aITer yau the opportunity to
beoome friends with just such sounds - sounds that wll not only delight your ears but will, when analyzed carefully,
enrch your understanding of sorne of the glories of this phenomenon lhat we call music.
It must be pointed out that this book is not for the complete beginner. If you fall into this calegOl)'. it is to your
great advantqe to find a good teacher (ask around but shap carefully, as you woutd befare any major in\/estment) -
he or she wm speed up the learning process and help you to avoid the creation of bad habits. Later, after you are able
to play !he basic chords (you willlearn the basic chords from almost any guitar teacher in the world), you will be ready
to tackJe this book. Also. in arder to rnost fuUy understand this book, you will have to have a knowledge of the fWlda-
mentals o music theory (like scales, intervals, keys, key signatures, triads, inversions, and seventh chords). TItis
infonnation can be acquired, agajo, from a good teacher or flOm one of the many books on the subject (see recom-
mended list near the back o this book). The reason that this inforrnation i5 not included in the present volume is lbat
it reaUy requires a whole book in itself if the 5tudent wants to thorQughly Jcnow tbese fundamentals and, unfortu-
nately. this is the only way to go if you want to really understand music - it is well worth lh!: time an effort, so start
as soon as you can, and Jet it out of the way.
One bright spot - even if you d2n't understand what's going on as Car as the theory aspect of this book is con-
cerned, you will stin benefit in quite a few ways fyou begin praclicing the e'l:arnples given while you are simultaneously
Cltching up on muse theory. Sorne of these benefits are: l) You wiU be training aod developing your rmgers,
2) Dcveloping your musical ear (by coming into contact with musical examples), and 3) Sharpening your Icnowledge of
the guitar finlcrboard (at lcast Ieaming where aH those werd chords like e speckled 9th are, even ifyou don't know
why sorne o them havc, say. a fermented fifth yet). Eventualiy, ir you keep working faithfu'ly at your study of music
theory, understapding wJ1l enter !he picture, and you will experience the joy of lcnowin&,oCnot only being a b ~ to see
where everything is coming f1Om, but of being able to make up your own \/ariations using the principies nvolved.
2
You may be wondering what 3 "modero" chord pf'OII'Cssion is. Ask ten different musicians and see what they sayo
Probably the only thin&: that most of them wiJl agree about is that ies pretty hard to defme this concepto So why did 1
use this title? Well, the progressions in these books form the backbone for rnuch oC the music written in the 20th,
century, so it didn't seem too far off base to use the W'Ord "modern". However, 1 must confes.-. to having thrown in
sorne examples in the styles oC sorne earlier eras in music; this was done, quite frank1y, with the hope o inspiring you
to delve more deeply into a study oC the wondeul sounds len for us by OUI musical ancestors. There is tremendous
value, on many levels, in such a study, and you can be sure that the rewards will repay you many times over Cor the
necessary time and eneri)' spent. 1
Another lOad question that you may be ask.inS is, "Where does one use a1I tbese progressions?n Although this i
depends to sorne extent on the individual, there are certain areas that IDost musicians are interested in; sorne oC tbese !
areas are: 1
1. Improvising ~ Whether you want to improvise with others oe by younelf, you will probably rllld the going i
quite a bit t::asier, in almOtit any type of musico if yoo have a know1edge of chord progressions. ;
,
2. Composing - While yoo may be Cortunale enough to be able to write sonp or pieces by "car", the eae can only .
take you so Car. There are many sounds that you may not have dreamed even existed or, ir yoo did know oC them, .
maybe yoo dldn't have tbe foggiest idea abaut where to Iook Cor them oe how they were derived. Once you undee
stand the principies of chord progressions, whole new worlds of sound will open up for YOllr use and enjoyment.
3. "Recomposing" - This deals with taking someone else's song ar piece and working it out in yaur own style. As
you might guess, a knowledge of progressions is priceless bere also.
4. Arran.in - Very similar ro reoomposing
o
but you miht also wish to anange your own song or piecc. i
Virtually every gaad amnger understands about progressions and malees use oC them in introductions, tTtlls", !
hannonizations of melodies, modulation pasnges, and endings.
Earlier ir wa.s mentioned that your musical ear will be sharpened ir you practice the material in this book; this is
true in at least a twofold way: Not oniy will your ability to select and hear sounds for your own playing improve, bUl
in a like manner, your ability to recognize what others are doin. (on records, tapes, live perfonnances, radio, ete.), '
will grow, slowly but surely, or if you woek harder, even by leaps and bounds.
There is a strong emphasis on melody throughout the entire book and if you study all the examples, you can be
conlident lhat your feeling for melody in general, and Cor melodic variations on chord progressions, will be in pretty
good ,hape.
Many of the examples can be applied to different rbythms (soro as jazz-waltz
o
swing, bossa-nova and others); if
you have trouble in this area, a good teacher might be yoor best bet apio.
You will probably find that quite a few oC the examples in this book wiil not be as easy to playas YOll, would like
them to be - in fact, sorne may even seem impossible at frrst, causing you to grace rny name with a few four.letter I
titles. DON'T GlVE UP! Remember how hard barre chords were at first? How is it that you can play them now'?
One magic word: PRACTICE. You don'! get something ror nothing on the gutar, but Nature has a way of stJ'etching
and reshaping your hands yoo meet her halfway. Even a person with small hand!, who is willing to ~ will be
abIe to play these examples (don't be alanned at cramps, calluses and other assorted aches and pains ... they're all part
of Che leaming peocess).
Key words: PATIENCE and DETERMINATION.
If you encounter any progression that sounds at all strange or unatteactive to you, make sure you are Ienily playing
a11 the right notes, and then play it a couple oC more times. Many times your ear wU1 adjust to sornethinl that, upon
flrSt hearing, sounded a httle "out in the twinkies". and you may even begin to reaUy like sorne of tbese sounds.
(Sorne people who do not respond very favorably to modern chords ato flISt
o
acquire a passionate lave fOl them, with
continued exposure.)
Actually, It is a good habit to repeat every progress.ion
o
no matter what your f e e l i ~ are toward it
o
because there
is a stIong possibility that yoo will hear new things in then: each time (eveJ'Y choro progression is really a col1ection of
melodies being heard simultaneousJy, and your ears might latch on to different ones of these melodies at difCerent
times).
3
lt is highly recornrnended that you go through ihis book in order, thoroughly absorbing the principIes and at least
sorne of the examples in each section before moving on lo the next. The book is laid out in such a fashion that this is
the onIy way to get tbe most oUt of ir; if you skip around, you are doing yoursclf an injustice; tite reasons for this will
only be clear arter you have gone rhrough (he book in order.
As you play through tlle progressions, you wilJ probably wonder why many of thero are so shoet. There is good
reason for this. If you \Itere to ana1yze the chord progressions of many dfferent songs or "c1asscal" pieces, you would
lloUce that the same short progressions keep appearing over and over again but in different combinations with each
other, and these short chord progression combinations fonn much of the bulk of these songs OT pieces. 10 be sure,
there are sorne longer prog.ressions tbat are commonJy used, and t h c ~ will be covcred as well (mainly in Volumes 2 and
3). But even these longer progressions are often derived from the shorter progressions, so we can amI should consider
these common short progressions to be our essential building blocks. You may be asking, "How wiU 1 Iellro how to
combine all these progressions'!" Good queson. Mainly by experimenting andjor using the principies to be given lt
Volumes 2 and 3, no! to mention lt;arning by observing how others have dealt or are dealing with the subject.
The short progressions are systematically arranged according to certain concepts which win become clear as you
go; these progressions utilize vietually aH of the most important chord forms and the entire fingerboard, while offering
enough varialions so that, in aJllikelihood. you will havc little desire or need to create more, even though you wiU be
thorough.Jy able too The ooger progressions are less systematic:, while not being totally witbout Jogic that you wiil be
able to relate too In case you are curious, systematic variation techniques on thesc longer progressions will be given in
Volume 2.
Finally, while H is absolutely in your best interesl to play through anlhe examples gjven, don't fee1 as though you
have to spend your time rnemorizing alJ of them; this is neither necessary nor desirable because your time is precious
and you don't need to know, say, thrce hundred different ~ ..ays to play the same progression before you can start work
ing 00 another. You wHI naturally want to memorize sorne of your faverites though and please remember that the
shoet propession& are eventually going to be combined with each other, as wcll as with longer progressions. and with
other harmonic tool5.
Sincerely hoping that this boolc, and its brothers to follow, will be stimulating, rewarding and enjoyable.
HOW TO INTERPRET THE DIAGRAMS
The type oC diagrams used in this book are lhe standard ones used fOf guitar. The fol1owing points are given with
the hape of clearing up DOY con"usion on how lo Tead them:
The vertical lines are the strings; the horizontal lines are the (rels.
2. The fret rhat the chafd is to be played on is indicated by ti number to the left of the djagram. Example:
~ ,,,,,,, .FT_ ~ I "
3. The dots (darkened-in circles) in lhe diagrams are the notes of the chard and only tbose strings whch contain
notes are to be pll1yed - 1n other words. your rigbt han should only pluck (hose particular strings Ihat llave the dais.
4. Speaking of pluck, the progressionli in thi!;; book wen: geared to be pJaycd without a f1at pick, tbat s, they are
meant to be played uf;ing only the thumb and fingcrs of the righl hand (howe\'er, ir you are accustomed to using a
thumb pick or finger picks or both. this book is also right up your alley). Now maybe many of you have never played
with your fingen up till now and might he hesitant to leam. There is nothing ro fear - SUTe it wiJI be awkward for a
week or two but the benefits that follow soon after this. far outweigh the initial period of discornfort. The two main
benefits are: 1) the ability to play all the notes in a chord ar the sarue time; most peoplc fmd the sound produced by
this techniquc to be very attractive; 2) the availability of many new chords that are very impracticaJ when approached
with JUS! a llat pick. Oue bonus of playing fingerstyle: Once you ha't'c gotten 'used to it, lhe sensation ofyour fingers
grabbing the strings on four or fivenote chords just feels greaL
Okay. so how do you go about getting ioto this type of right hand technique if you are a complete beginner at it1
A few simple guidelines are all you real1y need:
a. Yow thumb (T) should strike the 10west (thickest) string involved in Ihe ehord; yaur olher fingers just gel
added on "in order" (starting witb the 1st finger) according to haw rnany other notes are in the chord. Examples:
5
I
,
I
!
I
I
,
,
.,. ,..,

.,. .la}
I
.,., ..,
y 'A'
I
T''''
T,..,
3
'T'.'
5
,
6. In many chords, more than one goad fingering is possible (referring to the left hand now); but in certain
progrelSions, sorne fingerings are definitely more advantageous than others and so in theJe cases, if there was a
reasonable degree of doubt as to whether or not you would readiJy see the best rmgering, it was written below the
diagram. Example; Sometimes the "best" fingering will onJy provefso in the long ron
"7 4 and you might think il is the worst fUlgering at frrst, causing.you te>
jump lo an erroneous UlIumption about the marital status of rny
parents at the time of my birth. But have faith, the fmgering is
there for a good reuon and has been successful1y tested witlt !
.. ,. .. ,. .. 3+1 .. *' I H& 4students. ,.qr __1/04 .
By the. way. coneemin left hand fingerin&: 1be index fmger is cOl1!iaered to be the flISt finger, the uliddle finler
is the second, and so on; if the thumb were to be used, ir would be indicated by a T.
6
Don't be alarmed if yon can't quite play mese
ex.amples yet; the main thing rigIlt now is to
understand how you will use your rigbt hand in
plucking the strings.
b. Almost aU guitarists who use their bare thumb and fingers for plucking have round it necessary to lel their nails
grow here so as to produce a ciearer and cleaner sound.
c. Holding your right wrist up away from the guitar puts your fingers into a position wl1ere it is to achieve
800<1 tone, accuncy and speed. This posture may seem a little awkward al ftrst (mainly because it's new to you) bul
graduaIJy this becomes an incredibly relued way to play. As far as how high to hald the wrist. just staft out with a
moderare height (about 2 to 3 nches) and raduany you will fllld yourself going up higher automatically (although al
fInt, you wiJI probably keep lending to go lower if you den'l k.eep a pretty constanl eye on the situarion). Incidentally,
if you play with a thumb pick, yoo won't be able to hold your wrist up as far and, in fact, you may not fmd it desirable
lo hold you! wrist up al a11; experiment and see what you think.
d. As far as Ihe actual plucking of the strings goes, all you need lo do is usqueeze" gently lo produce a sound.
Exceptions to lhis arise when dealina; with a chord that has six notes in t. In such a case, one recommended approach
is to just use your thumb io strum all the strings.
4. Optional notes will be symbolized by " nstead oE
Ir optional noles given, it's worth your
while lo the subt1e differences that
resuit froro their inclusion. If more than one
optional note is given, try a1I posslble t:ombinations.
5. Open slrinllS wil] be symbolized by a dol "above" !he diagram if!he diagram is on m. 1sI fret (as al left). If
diagram were on, say, the 4th fn:t and a note was above the diagram,
Example: this note would be on the 3rd fret, Dot unless otherwise
I indicated.
".",.,

, 3 5
,
..4'3 A general guideline for deciding when to fiarten and when to double
stop might be something like: If the two adjacent notes are al the
top oC the chocd (in terms oC pitch), use the flattening technique; if
they are in the bass or towards the bottorn of the chord. then use
tne double stop. However, to help yon, double stop fingerinss will
actually be notated with a titt1e connecting line to distinguish them
from the Oattening technique:
7. ... .J .....1bi! symbol between two notes of two different diagrams means that you should hold the note and
let it rin but not pluck. it again in the second diagram (in other words, Id the note SUSTAIN fiom one chord to the
nut; this will make sense when you encounter this type o( situation).
8. When you see symbols with the 2nd or 3rd finger on two adjacent strings, tbis is often going to requirr: yoo to
use a special technique !hat we will call the double stop. We can defme the double stop as a technique where you come
down with the tip of your finger right between two strinWj, so as to sound them both. Unless you are lucky enough to
have wide fingen already, this is not goin to work. out too weU at fint (sound famili.aJ1) However, (bere he goes
again), just lceep on practicin' - Magically enough, more skin will appear on the tips of YOUT fmgers, enabling yoo to
8U.ccessful1y execute these double stops. A goad way to spced up your development in this area is to practice on a
classicaJ (nylon string) guitar; as you prohably know, the fingerboard is much wider and the strings are farther apar
than on other types of guitars. This will rnake it even hardcr to cope with double !ttops, but somehow this is good.
Whatever it is that produces more skin will produce it faster when ir keeps receiving signals that yoo are in e1ire need of
help; aJso there are sorne goad psychological reasons, that nccd not be explained here, fOl occasionally practicing on a
classical guitar.
Thece are certain types or cases where you have the 2nd, 3rd or even tlle 4th finRer covering two adjacent strinP.
OOt in which you will find that it is more advantageous to flatten yow finger across both string,s instead of trying to
come down bdween them in !he manner of !he double stop.
Examples
~ i
Example:
7
Oh yes, don't be discouraged if yon aJways have trouble double--stopping on the classicaJ
guitar; it will always be pretty rnuch of a battle on the wide neck, but it wiU serve to
make the technique surprisingly easy on the electric guitar, which s, quite fnnkly, the
a instrument that this book is most suited fo!. During aU this taIk about double stops yoo
may havo. aslced yo rself, "Why does this nut want me to use these things, anyway?" or "What good will they do me?"
Fair enouh; you deserve sorne answers to these - sorne oC the most importnt benefils oC the double stop lechnique
are: ]) the ability to play chords that could not be played any other way. 2) lhe ability to play some chords on higher
frets th_n would nomially be practica!, and 3) the freeing of an extra finger, which can be used foc certain melodic
effects while you sustain the chord (more on this ro come).
9. lt is very imporllnt lo always strive for cleanliness in al1 chords; by cleanliness, it is meant thal a1l notes which
are 5lIpposed to be sounding should be doing just hato Obvlous, you say1 Maybe so, bul it has been my experience
lhat it is easy lo deceive yourself on lhis matter by taking it Cor granted. Far instance, suppose yoo are given the
foUowing chord: A ~ Let us suppose that you try and play it but, for sorne
1 reason. you eithec miss el muffie the note on the (ourth'
string, thereby producing the following sound:
Now, this chord has a nice sound to the ear, but it is
not what was intended; if you are aware, as you play this
chord, that somethina is not quite right, then you will go back and with a Hule extra practice, correet the problem.
But the big danger lies in not even realizing that an error exists. (You won't ever COtTect a problem if you don't know
that it .is there to begin with.) 1f your eae cannot detect these errors yet, try arpeggiating (holding the chord down and
pluclcing each note of the chord one at a time) chords and progressions to check your accuracy. Eventua1ly, there wiIJ
be no nud foc this. as you w1l be able to teH whether or not you are rnaking the intended sounds, but until this
h.a:ppens, mue it.a hab,t to check yourself quite often.
10. If you encounter a diagram with indications for one finger on tWQ different frets, don't be alarmed; this is what
George Van Eps calls the 5th fmger principie, and YOll can be sure that it is practica!. Here is an example:
l
t A t ~ m s:? To perforrn this technique. the ..ti2. of your fmger gets one note, and me side of the 3rd
..,.-l ~ - - s u joint oC the finger gets the other: in the tase illustrated here, the tip of your 1st finger
.,... get.'i the bass note (A) while the side of the 3rd joint of yaur 1st finger gets the G# note
on the 1st string. Compared lo sorne of the other te<:hniques fOU have already leamed
on the guitar, this one is re1atively easy,
1J. In order to indicate moving melodic lines with a sustained chord. the folJowing symboh are used: The symbol
x indicates a note that is added to the chord, after Ihe chord has heen sounded, and while the chard is still rinKini (try
not to muffie any of thc ringing chord notes while you bring in this new note). ExampIe:
A...?
ln this diagram, your right hand wouid pluck the 6th, 4th and 3rd slrings together ando
while they were stitl ringing, you wOllld pluck the 5th string ~ 7th ftet (E). 1t would look
like this in music notation:
1
Sometimes you may wish to mume the string you have just H(;ome from", Example:
This e note and the B note (x) 1l)ight tend to clash (this is a matter of personal laste) to
your ear.i, so in placing the 4th finger on the B note, you may choose to Iightly brush
against the 2nd string, thereby stopping the sound oC the e nole,
However in a situabon Iike the following, YOll will probably agree that the e note and Bb
note (x) sound great, when ringing togcther. So experiment in cases like these and jusi
let your ears be tbe final judge.
I I
If more than one x appears in a diagram, bit aH the x"'s together (aCler the chord). Example:
f7...
J
Ir an x appears on top oC a regular note X, fint nelude the note as part oC the chord and then treal it as an x.
Example:
I
Gol'
,.
,
i
8
tIt1f' ..,." ...
D ... '" _ JIU""
BETIER
5
,,ec ....
a .. )CUI
J ~
The !yrnbol o indicates a note to be played after aD x. Example: tt-7
3 f m ~ _ . . . . , ~
Any pro:ressions whic:h contain melodies that are more complicated than what has been discussed so far, will be
indicated in musical notation only (no diagrams). Thls situation wiU not arise in Valume l. lf left hand fingerings are
indicated in a diagram which contains x's or 0'5, these fingerings indicate the initial chard sound anly unless atherwise
indicated.
As with x's, iC more than one O appcars, play thero together Carter lhr: x's).
9
Mast situatons are toss-ups though as far as the naming goes, so be Oexible.
IC you are ever writing YOUI own examples, it's not worth splitting hairs overo
POOR
Tbe naming oC chords wilh x's is reaJly debatable. Far instance:
Both approaches are fine and yon will see hoth af them used, so don't expect
consistency here. Why? Because as you will see, there are times when ane
approach would be ridiculous, and vice versa.
Example:
12. You won't have much trouble understanding the names oC chords, but a few poiots should be mentioned:
a) a s1ash through a number means major (Example: Major 7th); b) + means sharped 5th unless it comes befare 11
(+J1) in which case it mean! sharped 11 th; e) sus.is an abbreviation foe the word suspended which means that the 3rd
has been replaced with the 4th (it also has another meaning bul you needo't worry about it in this book).
HOW TO MEMORIZE CHORD5
Durina: the course oC this book you will probably encounter quite a few charos that you have never played before,
and you might wonder if there s a quick. way lo memorize them. Ves and no. While the leaming process never seems
to 10 as quickly lIS we would like it to, there are a few things that rnight speed it up a bit for you:
1. Many guitar playen learn new chords quickly by re1ating thero visually to chords they already know. Example:
Suppose you encounter the following cherd for the fim time.-... and after playing it, YOU

decide that you like the sOW1d enough to want to memorize it. Suggestion: try relatihg it visuaHy to:
You can probably see tbat this type of operation will work well jr yau already knQW guite a few cherds. Now
Let"s suppose you here is a simplified vemon of the sarne thing (quite a few also use this approacb):
2. Divide the neck. up into five main areas for any major er minor chord aOO use these: areas as reference points fOl'
any chard that yau learo. Far instance, using th.e A major chard as a model, the fJve areas would be:
i
I
,
A
10
A
f
it lOes with
You could relate il lo Ihe 4th orea ea!y.
fHf
This can be euily relaled lo lhe finl area (transposed lO el
Achord such as this can be related to one of two areas or both of them:
71+++'fl
II
Diminished and augmented chords are more easiJy leamed by the third technique (given below) or by some otber
method of your own devising.
Or wppose you encounter the foUowing:
Now suppose you encounter tJtis chord for thc flrst time:
Dominant 7th type chords can be related to the major chord areas:
ThereJ!d1L.be chords that don't seem to neatly faU into one area. such as:
Suppose you encounter this chord for tbe fll"St time:
Another good technique fOI learning chords is:
,
7
The five main areas fOI minor chords are (using Am
as a modcJ):
3. Remember the chord by where the TOot is; tbis way assumes that: a) tbefe is a root in the chord somewhere;
b)you are able to locate it; and e) you know the names of the notes on the fingerboard. Far instance, suppose you
have neveT leamed this chord:
7 A
but you have declded that you would like to so that you can use it as a reference in the
five-area concepto The root in tbis chord on the: 4th string, so if you know the names
of your notes on the 4th string, you will be able to transpose it and rnemorize it fairly

easily by focusing on the root a.o; a visual anchor point. This technique takes practice
but it works very well. as a last fesort when the other techniques don't seem
lo be doing !he jobo But remember to effectively use this, you should Imow the note
names on the fingerb03.rd. (fo leitrn this, you might wish to make up drills Iike: "Find the"A notes on each string;
likewise with B, e, D, etc.; then Ah, Bb, erc., then AfI, B'-, etc." al any other dril! you can think up that seems
effectiye; or )'ou can work on your note reading _. tbis too wi1l eventual1y teach you the note names on the fInger
board - see recornmended book li5t at end of this volume.)
Most players use a rombination of all three methods outlined here, so experiment with all of them tUld you will
fmd what works best for you.
HOMONYMS
Webster's dictionary defines the word homonym aS "a word with the same pronunciation as another but with a
differcnt meaning." In otber words, the two words saund the sarne but come from diffcrent places (like read and reed
or principal and principie). In playing through this book, you are going to enCOllnter char homonyrns, that is, chords
that sound the same but have different origins and names. For instance:
1 1
So which name i5 right for trus chord? It depends on the siruatioR.
If you are working with the progress.ion. sayo Em Am. and you see this chord being used in place of Ero, guess
what ifs going to be cal1ed (how about Em6?).
Likewise. if you are working with C#rn7 F#7 Bm and you run mto this chord being used in place oC C4Itrn7, YOU
can expect it to be narnt:d C#m7b5.
Finally if you are working with Em7 A7 D and you rmd this chord being used in place of A7, then it will be called
.1\.9.
So. as you can see, the naming of hornonyrns will be dctermincd by "what is easies'" or just plain common sense.
(Hawcvcr, it must mentioned that there are advantages in sometimes going with a name other than the one dictated
by cornrnon soase. These advantages have to do with advanced chord substitution concepts and wandering into related
keys, but they will have to be coyered later.)
Memorizing a chord form with more than ane name (such as the aboye) might be a liUle confusing at first, but ir
you apply the principies given in the section "How to Memorize Chords," you will do just fine after awhile. You will
have to know a1l the useful names for a chord form or you will just be making it hard for yourself in the long runo
12
,
El 2779
The 3rd and 5th are rnissing
- Very general vicw
Analysis:
Analysi.s :
>
,:/,
I
Given
Examples: Given S
DIATONIC CHORD PROGRESSIONS IN MAJOR KEYS
The answer to the second Question can be found through sheer ohservation. As you progress through this book,
you will see many chords with "rnissing" tones; many chords that have missing tones are used to create smooth
VOleE LEADING (voice leading is the art of eonneeting eaeh note of a given chord with eaeh note in a follawiog
chord. See CHORD CHEMISTRY .. Section 13.)
Twa questions you might have at this poiot: 1) "How do I know what tones are supposed to be in an 11th ehord
(oc any ather ehord, for that matter) to begin with?" and 2) "How do I know what tones can be len out of any
chard?" /'
The answers to the first question can be gotten from, you gucsscd it ... a good teacher; or froro my frrst book,
CHORD CATASTROPHE (also known as CHORD CHEMISTRY), amongst other books. However, if you cannot
afford either of these alternatives at the moment, just remember that chords are built in 3rd intervals (if you are still
asking "WhaCs a 3rd interval?", I'm afruid that you will have to get a teacher and/or sorne basic theory books, 36
explained in the lntroduetion).
CHORDS BY 3rd INTERVALS
Triad, - 1 3 5 Illhs - 1 3 5 7 9 11
7th, - 1 3 5 7 13th, - 1 3 5 7 9 11 13
9th, -13579
Sorne of the most common chord progressions are those using only chords derived from a major scale. Because of
their beauty and the bright, happy sound thcy produce, thousands and thousands oC musicians have been attracted to
these progressions. Also, from a theoretical standpoint, they are very important because they fonu the foundations for
many oC the advanced sounds that arise out of certain substitution prim.. 1.ples.
The following inforrnation is given to make sure that YOll, first oC all, know just what chords can be built using
only the notes of a major scale (the Key of e will be used for demonstration purposes but the infonnation can be
transposed t all other keys too). In other words, every chord in the following lis! contains only notes that are found
in the e majar scale. These chords are said to be DIATONIC to the key ofC (in this book, diatonic means: using only
notes ofthe seale). You will already know rilUeh of this infonnation (remember this book assurnes that you understand
the basic fundamentals of music theory - see the Introduetion if you missed this point), but if there are sorne chords in
this list that perplex you as to their eonstruetion, rest assured tbat if yon analyze the ehord fonns (ehord forrn here
meaos the same thing as ehord diagram) you will meet in this book, you will understand the eonstruetion of virtually
anyehord.
Analyze, as used here, means to find out what tones of the ehord are present and aecounted for (many ehord
forms leave out 5ths or roots oc even other tones sornetirnes).
13
e
I
11 Vi
x JI Vi
Ff'
S f
,
In modern times, the 7ths aud extensions are used very often, with the triads playing a lesscr role. Example:
14
Usualiy these missing tones are e.ither the 5th aT the root, as mentioned befare, but don'l be shocked ir any otht::r
tone is left out. The main thing to roncem yourself with is leaming good sounding chord forms, and learning how to
Ule them. and these two points are what this book s abaut.
Anyway, on with the show ...
The diatonic triads in the by of e are: e Dro Ern F G Am 6
0
The diatonic 7th chords in the key of C are: C ~ Dm7 Em7 F;t G7 Aro7 Bm7b5
A complete list or the mast commonly used diatonic chords in the key or e including thc EXTENSIONS
(extensions are chords lhal add other diatonic notes on to lhe diatonic triads al diatonic 7th chords) i ~ : (capital
Roman numerals indicate a major triad)
1: C, C'I-, C, C/9, C/9, C\l, CH-. (C'fI. Csus. C/9sus)
h: Dm. Dm7. Dm7/ll, Dm/9, Dm9. Dmll, (Dm7/, Dm6, Dmsus)
w: Em, Bm7. Em7/11, (Em7b9, EID ..... Em7+)
F. n, F, F/9, F/9, F ~ FH-. F/9+11, F6/9+11, F;t+11, F,\l+11, (FT/, F/+JI, F+.>+ 11)
G, G7, G7/, G9, G13, G7sus, G9sus (usuaJly callcd GIl). Gl3sus, G7/sus, Gsus, G7/IJ. G
VI: Am. Am7, Am7/11, Am/9, Am9. Amll. (Am+, Amsus. Am/9sus. Am7+)
vu: BO. Bm7b5, Bm7b5/11, Bm7/IJ (no 5th), (Bm7bS<;5)
t also called B ~ diminished 7th and written like B;? --- both symbols .....ill be used in Ihis book.
These chqrds can be and have beco combined in counUess ways; for instance, in the Haroque period of music
(rough1y 1600(1750), mosUy triads and to a lesser extent, 1thchords, suspensions and addctl9ths were used. Example:
Vou rnay have noticed in examining the Roman Numeral symbols under tllesc two progressions tha1 1hc numbers
Ivi V and IV V 1 appear in both; these are two examples of what we will ca1J HARMONIC FORMULAS (meaning
progresslons, fhat because they are so well liked. are canslmUy used by musicians as a basis for improvisation. rompo-
sitian, anangin and what have you). As you can imagine, it is very important to be well acquainted with hannonic
formulas, and part of the funetion oC this book will be to cover this aspeet of the study of chord progressions, in great
detai1. The first ane we are going to work with is: [ili IV V (1). Only triad symbols will be used for diatonic harmanic
fonnulas (in other words, even if a prop-ession uses, say C/9 Em7 F/9 G7sus C ~ . in a general sense it is stilll i IV V 1,
eveu though specifiooly it is 1/9 i7 IV/9 V7sus I?-).
lQ.(.,c
e.. E;,..7
(j) 5 7
15
I iii IV V (1)
I
1'mit
The exarnples in this book will only be given in one key each, but it is important to be able to play them in all
keys (where this is physically possible); so it is a good idea to at least transpose your favorites ioto aH the keys. How
ever, sorne .chords, especially sorne very modern voicings coming up lateT, sound preUy terrible in low registers (that is,
on the lower frets) so let your ears be thc guide in determining how low to take any progression (if you don't under-
stand this, you will when you encounter the problem).
D1ATONIC CHORD PROGRESSION: 1 i IV V (1) ...ft:L,
..."
~ I J
1
3
El9
+
,'"
" 1
I
can substitute for IV because thcy are virtually the satne chord - like F#m7 = A6 (the homonym ooncept).
16
"
G
1
,
F E.-..
/O
..J.
D1ATONIC CHORD SCALES AND STRING TRANSFERENCE
1Ia-('(" e
5
Play lbe following:
17
t!.Al/TloN: It is important to THINK when you are first Jearning any chord progression to get the information to
sink in. The two things to thinl. Iibout when playing chord progressions. chord scales(to be discussed beJow) or what
have you, are: 1) The n.mes ofthe chords, and 2)the "numbtTs"(like 1ji IV V). 1t won't bccasy al first, butin the long
run, you will be:: able lo do more, be more crealive if you can play and Ihink logether.
This is what !'vill be rcfcrred to as a DIATONJC CHORD SCALE in a majar key (C in this case) - for short, we
will just call it <t mORD SCALE, Ihe diatonic parl being undcrslood. By Ihe way. why is il diatonic in the Hrst place?
8ecause only notes of the majar scale are used, rig.ht? Ir this is nol desr to you, don't go any further uotil YOll bave
cleared it up, by yourself or with the help oC someone cIsc.
Anyway, a chord scale can be built by starting on a major chord and MOVTNG EACH NOTE IN THE CHRD UP
ro THE NEXT NOTE IN THE MAJOR SCALE WHICH HAS THE SAME NAME AS TIlE CHORD. For instance, in
the aboye example, the C chord contaim the following notes (from the bass up): I:::: e G C; ta find thc next diatonic
charo in the chord scule, the E moves up to F, the e to D, the G to A, and the e to 0,0 thereby forming the Dm chord.
Ir you continue me same procedurc, lhe notes oC the Dm would move up (in (he C major scale) lo form Ihe Em chord
and lhese in tum would move up to form (he F chord and so on. Al this stage of the game you migh( be saying, "50,
what'i'i the big deal? 1 already know the diatonic triads of the escale." This may very wcll be true, bUl this discussion
is to make sure yau know how to build and play lbem ON mE GUITAR. Here is anolher example:
Occasionally l:I. nondiatonic note will be thmwn in for color; thcy wiJI be discussed later.
@j:(1t 1!-7 E ~ @ " ; 1 ~ ~ 7
, 5 ~ 1"
F
5
.,
J , I
7
,
lO
Aeo1
S 1
j I
""r-c.
You would get the following chord rn(,'r 3 J_
F
11 .. ,
I
753
The principIe is the same as ibat described aboye foc triads, that s, you just move all the notes in !he up to the
next notes in the e major sca1e, theceby creating the other chors.
Now try lhe following: ClI ...., 1f.-7
, I 7 1
As you might have guessed, chord scaJes using diatonc 7th chacds 'Can aJso be pJayed on the guitar. Hero is an
example: Slarting from Ibis chon!: You would gel Ihe following: I:.'t ......7 Et-1 .......,
, , lO lO
18
This chord scale utilizes a technique that will be referred to as STRING TRANSFERENCE. Notice that this
technique enables yeu te playa IOlj,j;er chord s;aJe. The secret of being abJe to utilize this technique Iies in the
foUowing guidelines:
higher lower
1. Te find tbe same chord voicing on the next higher group of strings, .,. <.
move a1l the notes in the chord over to the next higher group o( strings; retain the rIJ ::m:
same visual shape unless any note has landed on the 2nd string, in which case you ttW:1
move the note.!rn one Cret; now move the whole chord clown Ove frets (or up seven i you want to hcar the same chord
an octave higher). Now that you're probably totally 10st (seriously, ifyou are, read the directions slowly once more);
herc is an example:
Starting from this chor:
1$:' """ .l.
I .. u.
it is nol (hat easy to play the
chords on mch high frels (abo,
lhe sound is weaker up there 00
the lower strings).
.,
....'7 Here are the steps involved, as described aboye: ...,
,,'. .. JOOIl
,.. -+
I
L' Mere are Ihe steps involved. as deSf.:ribed aboye:
j, ... .. 7 ,..rn;.,.,
> -+
,
is the saine as J).a"
5W
More ex.llmples:
(,,:Jo
19
2. To find the same chord voicing on the next lower group of strings. move all the notes in the chord over to the
next lower group of strings; retain the same visual picture lUlless any note has landed on the 3m string, in which case
you move this note down one fret; now move lhe whole chord up live frets (or down seven ir you want to hear the
same chord an octave lower). Examples:

7
ffiI ....t:t:tJ
The slring lransference principie can be helpful in situations where you sturt to "run out oC room". For instance,
while the following is theoretically possible:
t "
MIICI:
It,
J 6H:OO
/O

Examples: Key of G
"". PHT_7
, 'Iij
..,;-

Also, the principIes apply to minor scales and keys, but this will be covered late!.
A knowledge of chord scaJes wiU prove to be most valuable for the serious guitarist; many, many de.as spring from
sUl;h knowledge.
PRACTICE MATERIAL:
The following is a list of chord forros to start your chord sca1es from; the fonns that would be derivcd (rom the
string transference rncthod are grouped together (if this is not cIcar, it will be when you practice building the chord
scaJes from aH the forms). The fonns are given in the key of E, but you slIould practice them in a11 keys eventually,
NaturaJly. all of the inforrnation discussed in this section can be applied to any and all keys.
3 J 7 I lO r , ,. 11. /O
But u s i n ~ the string transference principie, you might play any of the following instead:
e.;,. ~ 1 11-7 "' 4-7 ~ .....' E..7 F",
, " ,. ... , lO 7 ,
20
FORMS FOR DIATONIC CHORD SCALES IN MAJOR KEYS
~
7
11
1
E
A
~
; 1
2.
E
2.
A
7
E.
2 1
You will Batice that these are 1st inversions; there i:; a ;ertain magil: in 1st inversion ehord ::leales that seems to
have drawn compasen and players to use them more fre(]uently than rheir root position ar 2nd inversion brothers, but
this is llly tme as far as 4-note triads go, llot 3-note triads ar 7th chords.
One more poil1t tha! should he mentioned here - these ehord scales wil! he more fun and will sound more inlerest
ing if you decorate them. By decoratan, 1 mean "breaking lherrt up" in certain ways such as: 1) de1ying notes.
Examples:
E
\ , :1-
This technique involves finding two interesting ntervals in a .chord and alternating rhem. This is whar George Van
Eps caUs the "team concept", Actual1y, 1 think George refers to it as this only if separate "tearos" o fingers are used
in the len hand. Por instance, getting two notes with one finger would not be applying the "team" concept.
2) Using moving lim:s built from ulltcr uialunic scalc lunes.
Examples:
Moving Hnes are more easily physicallv played when working with 3-note triads. Here are sorne more chord forms
(this time - 3 note triads) for chord scalcs ano foUowing thern, a few more examples illustrating the moving Hne
concepto
I
E.
1

I
I 5'
7
t
E.
il.
7
"
This pattero combines lhe
delay principie and a mO\'ing
line.
E.
I
,n'r:I
Yoo will probably wanl lo
tift off your 2nd finger from the
A note in arder 10 play Ihis D#;
sometimes ~ i t u a t i o n s like this
are unavoidable on the guitar.
'1tttH
7
Notice that tbe moving effect is lransferred to different yoiees altcmately in this example. A1su natice that the
pattem starts on IV, nat 1; patterns using chord scaJes can start on <ln)' degree 01' a scale. according to laste; expcrimenl.
An upcoming book wi1l Iist many pattems such as these and also many more elaborate oneiO, but you might eojoy
making up sorne of your own foc now. Even jLL<;t using lhe dclay concept (which is pretty casy to work with once yon
are used to t), yoo will come up with lots of sounds.
...
't l'
Breaking these cb.ords up softens
the dissonance.
7
1
23
. 1
USlItIJII; ~ . . . . . ...... .. ... ..... .. .... ..... . .
I
, rn-n-
"
7th CHORD D1ATONIC FORMS
(MAJOR KEY)
..,.
Remember to go down in aH your chord scales, too (that is: E:r D'ilrJ7 CIFm? B7 etc.)
Examples oCsorne decoration:
Try building diatonic 7th chords from the following fonns:
., U lo' El- U El- q ~ , .
1:Z I 1 , ~ "mi:
SWR and SWB PROGRESSIONS
This section wilJ deal with two typcs or progrcssions:
L PROGRESSIONS BUlLT FROM SCALEWISE ROOT MOVEMEt-:TS (Majo, Key) (wilL be abbrevialed: SWR)
Another name for these progressions might be "Progressions dcri'icd fram diawnic chord scales". Analyze the
examples &i..-en and yon will see why.
2. PROGRESSIONS BUILT FROM SCALEWISE BASS UNES Kcy) (wiIL be abbreviated: SWB)
Many pio,;ccs o[ music have been written llsing these kil1ds of sounds and you will probably find thero to be very
attract\ve. The logic hehind them will be cIear ir you understand your fundarncntals uf music theory conceming
jnversiQDS. tf you don't. eojo)' them anyway, but if YOll want to conSiluct similar variations, you rna)' have to gel
YOUT music theory aet together.
Also, Valum..: 2 will go into subject of "BassProgressions" ver)' thoroughly. The few brief examples presented
hefe are jost Uteasers.
24
,
K . . . t ~ E . 1 t . J ~
,'hTIE """7
1lm ~
, , 8
I vi V (and iii vi V)
Another imponant diatonie hannonic formula is 1 vi ti V (and the closely related ili vi ti V). 1llls progJession has
been UJed as much IS probably any other in the history of music. lt is especiaUy common to fmd this proaression used
IS an "opener", meaning the fint progression in a SODg or piece.
You will probabty wonder why so many examples oC fuis progression are given ("Look Mabel, this SUY Greene's
gane cruy - more than twenty pages on the same ").
Mainly to show just what can be done with a simple harmonic formula, and also Cor the purpose oC exploring the
entlre fingerboard from rnany different angles. AlI 1ask i5 that you give each example a Cair shake, meaning: playeach
one al leut a couple oC times with a reasonable amounl of continuity and smoothness befare rnakilll any value judg-
ment about iu worthiness. As mentioned earJier, you may mn into physicaJ difficulties at first which will prevent you
from being abJe to hear the ntended sound of sorne progressions. In these Ca9CS, continued practice ofthe examp1es
which pose the problems will help you in another way: the progressions then become your friends as fu as devcloping
th.e necessary manual dexterity and coordination which are essential to coping with this difficult instturnt\nt.
Remember to pay close attcntion to the len hand fmgering where it is indicated.
You may be curious as to hoVo' the many variations on a given hannonic formula are organized. MainIy by
melodies (melody bere refers to the higbest pitch in the chords in almost: al1 cases) starting from different forms (chord
!ih&pes). While playing through the examples in order, you will become aware of this. Remember, they are meant to be
played in order.
One more tbing: You should always try resolving the V to J. Sorne of the examples will give you ideas on how to
do trua, especia1Jy in the fllSt few pages, but after dtis, yon're on yon.. own. (Volume 2 will llave complete charts on
!he resolution of V to l.)
26
27
.....7
3
AH t:xamples are givcn in the keys uf e or E at first, laler in variuus keys. This is done to avoid monotony which
can creep in if you stay in one key too long. In faet, if anything in music ever sounds monotonous to you, changing
the key can be like a breath of fresh airo Try it and see_ Say you know a song in the key of G. Changing it to E or B
\ViII make a lot o" ditIerence. ("Yeah," you're saying, "1 won't be able to play it any more.") Seriously, do try chang-
ing keys on any of these if you g:t bOTed and, as rnentioned before, naturally, you shouJd transpose, at least your
favorites, to a1l keys ir possible.
~ ~ C
S
Remember, tlle IIngering applies
lo lhe ., not the x (unJess
otherwise indicated).
28
C O \ ~
I I
r
,
29
_..
...'d".,.- l' l1I'r Jo
ji

5'
30
,
31
C-7 F",,7
,
5:
32
33
Q etJ:"T*" F"tn7 .87
, 7 7
7 , S
34
7 t ~ P4t.7
., .,
'mm
L..J...l.U.J
';"'7
t:tt:tJ:j1l1
PI.)J,w7 C.7
1" ,
C-1 .....1
I 8
<61 ~
7
35
Ctl:..1
,
~ 1 P't.,7 oH7
r 7 7 7
~ 7 Fft-7 87
, 7 7
ffit-H
I
7
f
';"'1
,
36
~
, 1/
'1' T
m
c:r
3
37
,
rfn3
,
,
9
,
e-7 ';"'7
J I
38
39
I
7
~ 7
s
4U
A7
7
7 ,e.,.7
-+++ oS 31+tt
,

.("
/1
41
,
7 et..7 1"*7
1 7
1 C"7 PW
7 f 5 7
42
, , . ,
m ,
,
1
,
8
,
,
I
!
,
43

8, ,
I
LONGER I vi ii V's and i vi ii V's
J
F])".1 {;,.7
177
mm
1
J:J#(F
F
I J

44
JI
F6
7 e 7 ~ rrrl-
~ I
I 5
Fli
, 3
45
JJ-I"
I
EL 2719
e,' ---'-r't
I 1'"
'R:m
__n .,I/ .ix.... '% ."rTit Jt
I
"'" 7
10
,
46

.... Gk..6
. ,1,,;60
"7
I 3
<M.., ~ f
7 "rm
I
IJ
47
REPEATED 1 vi ii V's and iii vi ii V's
These sounds can tend to get monotonoUi if played as given, but latcr you wiU be able to use partions (rather than
the whole) effeclively.
!
I
,
i
"
mm E-7 4-7 J,
51-tT S S S
fm
E",.7,4",7 1/ 1 J ~ Ji,.. ...... 7 , ~
5 3 3 9'15' 5' "::
C-1 'n
1
c ~ FlA1 J7/' E ~
" 7 1 1/
E6
I
E6
7
+Hf
48
THE DIATONIC CYCLE OF 4THS IN MAJOR KEYS
The harmonic formula 1 IV vii
o
ii vi ii V 1 IV viio iii vi etc. has heen very popular for a long time. It is often
referred to as tbe CYCLE F 4ths (or 5ths) meaning cadl chord rool is a 4th higher (or 5th lower) than the previous
chord root. Example: In the key of e, using 7th chords, the diatonic cycle of 4thSis F.:r Bm7b 5 Em7 Am7 Dm7
G7 F1- etc. 1 IV vilo i vi ii
y 1 IV
I
,
Looking al the rool names of the chards, you will see that F is a 4th abuv(: C. B is a 4th (..4th) aboye F, E is a 4th
aboye B, ano so on.
Noticc (hat i vi ii v. wilh which you are :dready familiar. is oonlainec.i in the cyclc of 4ths. Also you should
know that it is common roe tite cycle to begin on alhce chords than the 1; roc im;tance, you might encounter the cycle
in a song i.n lile folloYt'ing form: IV 'lijO iii vi ii V 1. Ko matter which chard it starls on. as long a::; cach chord is a 4th
higher in lhe key, it still the diatonic cyde of 4th5.
Most cydes of 4ths use a SEQUENCE pattern (a sequence- is an exact repetitian of a musical idea bUl
diffcrcnt pitches. Example: IGU" c.:
.B-7 6-1 4001
f. I 7 7 5,
mm
1 e
3 Notiee that the sequence pattem used here nvolves ullits of two chords: C:r
B07 Em7, Aro7 Dm? G7 C1", Br/;7, cte. (the string transference changed the
pattem at thc end, but unfortunately the physical lnits of the instrumt;nl nect:ssitatc
this type of thing sometimes, if you wish to kccp a pattero going a little onger).
One trick to creating a good cydt: oC 4ths pattern is to ge-t a good connection oC the fiest two chords, and thtm
carry lhe p1l.ttern down. This is where your knowledge oC chord scales comes in. lMPORTANT: A cycle of 4ths
paUem as iIIu...trated above, can also be viewed as two chord sales descending, while they alternate wilh each other.
Try playing just the first, third and fifth diagrams aboye; now play just thc sccond, fourth and sixth diagrams.
The first, third and diagrams belong to one chord scale and the second, fourth and sixth diagrams belong to
another.
Gla
,
REMINDER _ When you play cycles. or any
.<-- Th 1 d 11 b d d 1 t progressions. for that maner)o
1S e lor Wl e Iscusse a eL THINK in Human Numerals and
CHORD NAMES whilc you play: in he Ion,
runo they wiJl sin!;. in betler wil!l this tcchnique.
Rere is another example:
A j) '"""
i
49
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1
This is fine bu I there is still
more than half th.e neck being
left unplayed (on the same
strings). So. maybe you couJd
stm an octave higher lile so:
A'" .P e-.."
17 " "
18
5
'1 J<- ...
"'
You will see sorne of your old friends from the
iii vi ji V progressions cropping up as you are playing these, which should be helpful in memorizing them. So, it is not
as if you are starting from scratch on this subjcct - you already know many chord scaks and some iii vi ii V I patlerns,
so it is just a question of putting the inforrnation rogether in a slightly differenl lighL
Sometimes you will have to lea..'e a note out of a chord (or change a note), duc to the physical problem.
Example: lf this chord should occur in a cycle 1'7 you mig,ht change ji to "'" tJIt F1
t + t
+- -,.". ;:
Just use your own judgment in litis U .....
type oC situBt.ion.
50
To really know the whole instrument, )'ou mould practice each c)'c1e in all octaves 011 each string seto For
example, ir you are given the frrst cycle patteen you will come up with will be as follows:
Oc if you can't play that high on your particular guitar, you could at least start on IV (or sorne other chord).
Again notice that once the initial good connection of I and IV is made, it is ;ust a matter of figuring out the
chord seales from both chords and alternating them, The firigering on tbe G#o and F#m chords neae che
beginning was also changed to make the playing l liUle easler (don't laugh, in the long run these. fingerings will be
easier; likewisl: the fingering on the C#m and Bm near the end).
OK, so how do you find all these good J to IV connections? Well, you can try and find them youIself or you can
consult the following list. Only the 1 and IV chords will be given in this list, but you should make Ihem into cycle of
4th patterns (if you are going to work with thero) by figuring out the. chord scaJes, most of which you already know if
you have done your homework. Occa.o;;ionally the IV and "'
o
chords will be given inlOtead of the 1 and IV, for the sake
of variety. But the procedure of figuring out the cyc1e by me two altcmaling chord scales is stiU the same, whether
you start from IV viio or I IV.
Here 1s an example of a dial. cycle of 4ths starting from IV:
.)'1' " ..... J-r1 .t7 ..b1' lO...., e.....'1 f .....1 !J-7
'7775 3 z ,

~ :
~ ~
1/ ,. ,
Sorne chords (particularly iii7b9 and vii7b9) that you will encounter as part of a few cycles will nol soun too
great, but t1le rest of the chords in those cycles will make the whole thing worth checking out anyway.
Be prepared to see some amazing nverse relationships with cycles (nothing to worry abaut, this will be clear, an
you will probably get a kick out of thern as well).
Finally, ane reminder: The cyc1e of 4ths is a beautiful harmonic tool, hut it can be monotonous if overus.ed, so
try combining it eventually, with ather ideas. Yan will be learning more abaut this in later volumes of this series, as
mentioned, hut there is no harm in experimenting right away on your own. Even just combining different cycle
patterns might be [un for now.
51
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58
PROGRESSIONS USING SUBSTITUTE CHORDS (MAJOR KEY)
iii7 VI7 ii7 V7 (and 17 VI7 ii7 V7)
Many chord prugressions in major keys use chords that are widiatonic. You have already seen sorne examples of
ii DI V chords that weTe nol diatonic. Example: F#m7+ and B7b9 in the kcy of E ... the F#m7+ contains a D note
and B7b9 contains a e note and, as you know (I hope), both of these notes are non-diatonic to the key of E. Chords
such as these are what we will call SUBSTITUTE CHOROS and soon we will work with sorne new common hannonic
fonnulas that utilize such creatures. But first, ane simple, yet very important, concept must be stated: ANY rn?
TYPE CHRO MAy BE REPLACED WITH A DOMINANT 7th TYPE CHORD, ACCORDING TO PERSONAL
TASTE. Ihis principie is very cornmonly utilized in almost an kinds ofmusic. FaI instance, suppose you are playing a
song in the key of e, and you see the progression eE7 Aro; there is the conccpt at work - E7 is replacing the normal
Em? (nI? is replacillg i7). If you keep your eyes and ears open, you will start noticing similar applications of the
"dominant for minar" principIe in much music that you already hear.
Anyway, the first new harmonic formula is going to be iii7 VI7 ii7 V7 where Vl7can be any dominant 7th type
ehord (7th ehord symbols are going to be used from 1l0W on, most of the time; to make sure we have OUT symbols
straight, vi? in e would be Am7 while VI? would be A7).
Occasional1y, I?- will be used for iii7. You willllotice that V17 and V7 commonly use what are usually referred to
as ALTERED TONES (name]y b 5, #5, b9 or #9). In fact, in a i? VI? ii? V7 progression, these are the nonn rather
than thc cxception. Why is tbis? Because they sound good. And why is this? I tried to work out a simple explanation for
this and kept running up against a subject that requires a complex explanatioll to do it justice, and also depends to
sorne extent on personal taste. So rather lhan wast,: your time and mine, it seerncd more reasonable to just give many
good examples of the progressions, and let you be your own teaeher on this subject. if you care to be. Actually, ifyou
are like most pIayers who dea} with this subject, you will make and rerncmber your own "rules" as far as what type of
colors you prefer on a given degree. Example: You might say to yourself, "7b9+ chords are great on VJ7;" this is a
"rule" you might remember.. Or you might go furthcr and generalize in a similar manner to what was said befare:
"V17 sounds good with ~ n y altered tone when the VI? is used in smooth connection with the chords that precede or
follow it." ('rhe examples will iIlustrate tll': wid,: range of ground that the term "smooth connection" really eovers).
For the curious: There are reasons for most of the musical phenomena enjoyed by the human ear but don't be
afraid to admit that sorne questions as to the "Whys?" may lead to dead-ends or back to the same central question, the
one fundam,:ntal qucstion undcrlying alllife. For example, let's follow the chain of qucstions gcneratcd by the ques-
!ion, "Why does a 7b 9+ chord sound good on VI? (In other words, if we are in the key of C, why does the A7b9+
sound good when used smoothly with oth,:r chonls?)" Possible answer: Most of the notes are diatonic to !he majar
scale of the key of the T chord. Question: Why does a majar scale sound good? Possible answer: Because it is based
on the tones of the majar chord which is part of Nature's overtone series. Question: Why should Nature base ib over-
tone series on the major triad'! Or even more basic, why is there an overtone series in the first place? (If you are not
aware of the overtone series, it should prove very interesting for you to check it out.) Possible a n s w e r ~ Apparently for
man's enjoyment. Last question: Why?
Although a qucstioning mind is onc of your best fricnds, and this is in no way meant to deter such a spirit, there
are certain things that may have to be accepted on a "that's the way it is" basis, at least for now. Can you answer the
question, "Why lioes man have only five fingers on each hand, inst,:ad of six or nine Uf eleven and a half!" The person
who can answer this type of question will probably help us answer OUT most basic questions about music as welL
The i7 VI? ii7 V7 pattern has witItin itself!he potential for many different colors and moods; in this section (as
well as others) uf lhe book, you will encounter sounds which were used in different time periods during tIte history of
classical, jazz and popular music. For instance, play the following;
59
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I'.aotr; 3o"r.. 1 O ~ JIt&:L
1jf"
1
Quite Po diffen:ncc in their colors, right? And yet they are a11 (slill) iii VI ii V's. The diffcrcnccs have to do wit
thc particular VQIClNGS and CHORD QUALlTIES; you wilJ be encountering al1 these types of sounds in the progres
sions lo follow.
60
I
! You will noticc a different type o organization in this section ... aH progressions from any given "starting"
I chord are pretty much grouped together. A gaod way to rncmorize your favorites is to flIS! make a list of aH the
different starting chords given in these i (1) VI ii V's, and then group your favorites accordingly. (In rae!, this tech-
nique would be gaod on the 1 vi ii V section also.) Remember to resolvc the V7's to l's occasionally.
,
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iii7 vi7 117 V7 (and 11 vi7 117 V7)
The next harmonic formula to concern liS is going to be iii7 vi7 117 V7 (sometimes 1'1 will be used in place of ii7).
The quickest way fOI you to come up with sorne good cxamplcs of this progression is to go back to your ii? vi? ti? V7
progressions and raise the 3rd (one fre higher) in the ii7 types, thereby making thero IITs. Tf there are .two 3rds in a
ii? type, try raising the 3rd that is the lower in pitch of thc two, and just leave the other ane alone; this will create a
1I7*9 chord in many cases. ]f you are dealing with a iiro?!ll with its 11 th in the soprano (highest pitch) then nane
o these ideas will work ver)' well.
Vou may be wondering why we didn't derive the Hi7 VI7 ti? V7 progressions from the iin vi? ii? V7's in a similar
fashion. Actually sorne ofthero were (that IS, lhe 3rd was raised in the vi?, thereby creating the V17), but most ofthem
were derived in other ways, specificalIy to produce more desirable sounds. However, if you are curious, you may wish
to go back to the iii7 vi7 7 V7' s and raise the 3rd on the vi?, as explained aboye, just to see what you come up with.
Anyway, here are sorne other variations on iii7 vi7 Tl7 V7. Rernember to try resolving the V7's to 1, occasionally.
74
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1117 VI7 117 V7 ,
The lasl hannonic formula we will deal with in this bcx:lk is IlI7 VI7 117 V7. Thcrc are many diffcrcnt cxamples -1'
given be<:ause thece are many different attractive sounding choros thal tit together well on this progression. These .
examples are organized, once again. according to which chord starts the progression.
A surnmary of starting forros is as [0110W5:
(l)A''''T
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1 7
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If you decide to skip around, and you ron across a chord that you canDot find the right fingering for, the chances
are great that the fingering was given earlier somewhere. Please remember, for your own good, tls book is mean! to be
approached in arder. [rom the beginning to the end.
Occasionally, you may wish to try using 7 types in place oC UJ7 types, oc vi7 types in place oC V17 types. In
many l,,;KSes, either oC these chords would sound very good - experiment and see what you thlnk. AJso. you might fool
aTound 'Itith I ~ oc 17 for In7 (thesc are all common sounds).
Don'! be alanned if you get boced with this section though; this wiJl probably be a nanual reaction due to the faet
that: 1) there are an ncredible number oC variations given, and 2) almost all of the examples use altered dominant 7th
tYpes (altered domnants are those with ;'9'8, b9's, *,5'8, and oS's). which are very "spicy" chords. As mentioned
euller, given a littJe time and exposure, you will probably leam to enjoy these sounds even jf you do not upon lilSt
hearing. But there is one qualification to this: Just as mast people would not have a meal made UJ) almost total1y oC
spices, there is a good chance Ihat you would not enjoya piece oC rnusic in which almost every chord was an altered
dominant, and yet, unfortunatelYI in one sense, this is what you will be hearing (the "piece" of music being one
example after another) if you play through these examples for evcn a few minutes in a row. The solution? Take tms
whole section in small doses and add sorne of your favorite examples of these ITI7, V17 II7 V7's lo sorne of the more
"nonTIal" progressions you have already studied; the ear wiH accept allercd chords mOfe easily in most cases if they are
prepared with sounds oC a more normal, diatonic "majar scaJey" nature first.

,
This type of technique (that is, of combining the consonant and dissonant types oC progressions) is also fun for
your ear becawe of the contrast; and it is good Cor you because it will get you into the spirit oC combining shorter
progressions in order to make longer progressions.
Oon't forget to occasionally try resolving the VTs lo I's.
79
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