Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
..
Diatonic Chords
Chords within a given key are called diatonic chords. Major and
minor chords are composed of three notes, and the three-note chords
are called triads. The numerical relationship between the notes of these
triads is 1-3-5. For example, to build a C Major chord, we start on C
(1), add the third note in the C Major scale, E, and then the fifth, G.
Therefore the notes in a C Major chord are C, E and G.
If we now build chords starting on each note of the C Major scale,
here is what we get:
~I-Cmajor
§ § § § § §
Chord Progression
As I mentioned earlier, some chords seem to "go together" more nat-
urally than others. This section will help you to understand the reasons
why this is so. The basic chord in any key is the "key chord" itself,
called the tonic or the I chord. The next most important chord in a key
is the chord which is built on the fifth step of the key; this V chord is
called the dominant and usually leads back to the I chord (the tonic).
This V-I progression is the basis for most music in the Western world.
Very often the V chord has a fourth note added to it, this note being
the fourth note in the major scale. For example, in the key of C Major,
the V chord is a G; adding an F note to the G makes it a G7 (the V7
chord). The third most important chord in a key is called the sub-dom-
inant or the IV chord. Together with the tonic and the dominant, the
sub-dominant rounds out the three basic chords in any key. Thousands
of songs have been written using only these three chords.
3~
Transposing
Now that you know about scales and keys and diatonic chords, trans-
posing becomes a very simple matter. Let's look at the following chord
progression, in the key of G Major.
r
G Emin Amin F D7
, , , , , ,
1.#.#""#
, , ""
1""".#.#1""#
"". "'.#°1
u "
Notice that the progression begins on the I chord (G), goes to the III
(minor), E minor, then to the 11 (minor), A minor. Then it goes to an
F Major, which is out of the key of G Major, and then to the V7 chord
(D7). Ifwe want to transpose this progression to the key ofE Major, the
first chord would be an E (the I chord), then a,rC~ minor (111),then an
F# minor (11),then a D Major, and finally a B7 (the V7 chord). Since the
relationship between the G and F chords in the original progression is
down a whole step, we use this same relationship in finding that in the
key of E Major, the chord corresponding to the F Major in the first
progression is a D Major-one whole step down from E.
In general, when transposing from one key to another, find out what
chord intervals are used in the original progression and then appry this
formula to the new series of chords. If you are writing out the music,
remember to notate the proper key signature.
40
~
..
1- IV- V7 Starts on the I chord of the key (the tonic), goes to the
fourth and then to the fifth. For example, G-C-D7.
You can see that the first and second progressions are almost the
same. In general, you can substitute a II chord for a IV chord (and vice-
versa) in most progressions. For example, E-A-B7 becomes E-F# min-B
when an F# min chord is substituted for the A chord. Here are examples
of thes~ various progressions, and some more in addition. Remember,
the Roman numerals above the staff refer to positions, not chords.
I.IV.V7
- - - - -:. - - - - - .-3--,
- -
'-
It :. ;" :. "' ::. ;) ;) r.
\{ '" "' .. :< ., ,
i ....
I
..I :" .,
J.: I I
. I
I
I s s s '( s s s
.... s s s s I
V7.IV.I
D7
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + vc r"I
"
VII
u . - '-
!'!I:
("')
':::ri.
V
- -
r"I V r"I
,
.
V r"I V.---.....
--
(r"I) V
-
,41 s .I .I s s
- "
..... ..
- .. -
,, -
:. .,'
- --- :.r-
:.
-
::
It. . I \I :' \J
- - ., '"1- :J
S s I
41
f ,~-""",-, .
G
f + 2 + 3 + 4 +
1""1 v 1""1
v
---- -----
I-II-V7
,
.... - .. - - 'I
v. .. .. .
I J - "
V s S V 8 S ,... I S V S S V S S
...
S
I-II-IV.V7
,
IX F#min7
~ ~
S S S s S S s s
s s S s s SS S
~
s S S S ss s S S S S s s
S S S SS ss s s S s s s
42
I.VI.ll.V7
s s s s 8 S S 8 s S S S S S S S S 8
S S 8 S S 8 S 8
--- S S S S s S S S s S
Emin 7 A9
~ Y~ V ~ Y~ Y ~ V ~ Y ~ V ~ V VI
S S S S s S S S S S 8 8 SS 88
S S S 8 S S S S S S 8 S S S S S S S
VI.IV.V
,.........
5;::.;;
VI.U.v
The A minor and D7 in the last measure of the rhythm are passing
7
chords to bring you from B~ back to G minor.
III Gmin :> Cmin I F Fsus4 F7 Bb Amin7D7
~ y ~ V ~ ~ V :>
43
"
- ------- ... ~
....... ~
Playing Rhythm Guitar" ~
I- I I I I
."
'!ft. Y -
A. .. . "(
I
I I
44
..
"" ~
Well, it sounds OK but not really right; therefore your group probably
won't sound together-like a band-if you play this rhythm. There is
nothing actually bad about this rhythm; the idea or germ for an inter-
esting rhythm is there, but it doesn't quite make it yet-it needs work.
What's missing? What's wrong? First, you might notice that this rhythm
has no "bottom" to it. Let's try something in a lower octave, on the bass
strings.
G
,., ,., ,., ,., c G
What a difference! Now we've got the basic sound down. But there
doesn't seem to be any energy or drive or life to the rhythm. Let's double
up on the rhythm, using eighth notes instead of quarter notes, and see
how that sounds.
illG c G
,., V ,., v,., V,., V
Look at how much progress has been made by just changing two
variables: the tonality of the chord and the rhythm pattern. Now let's
change two more: use only downstrokes instead of alternating picking
and slap-damp the second and fourth beats of each measure. Also, play
the C chord in the eighth position (it's easier to downstroke it there).
IIIGt + 2 + 3 +4 + VIIIC G
,., ,., ,., ,., ,., ,., ,., ,.,
s 8 s s s s s s
45
....... c~= -. "'" ,~
Now thisi~q9:s r~.Y"'g:reatLAp.d if "Your dr"lmmer pappens to bo ~
playing a "rolling" rhythm, as Ringo RtaI'r does on the record, this next
rhythm pattern will complement his playing. Then you ~can alternate
G between this rhythm and the previous one to further vary your sound.
ill 1 + 2 +
,., ,., ,., ,., ,., ,., ,., ( or )'" V ,., ,., V
s s s
.
s s s s
Once again, playing great rhythm guitar is not magic! You can see
that by systematic experimentation you can create interesting, solid
rhythms.
Now obviously I can't take you through the changes and rhythms to ~
every rock song you might encounter. What you have learned from the
preceding example ("Get Back") is that getting the "right" rhythm for
a song has a lot to do with experimentation. The more you play, and
play with others, the more valuable experience you will gain. The more
experience you have, the less you will have to experiment in order to
get a good rhythm part; you will intuitively know what will sound good
and what won't.
46
-
G
ill )
,, . .
III
,. s s ; ; =.
..1
T
s
=.
s
=. -=. =:
-
'T' -2" j{
... v ...
.
I . ..,
-
D Il
S ) S s D s
-p
c IV D9 .
'I U . . ') . If- 1"- .. .. ..
, .,. S "111 S ... "111 .. . s s .. ..
D
ft - -
'I' 11 . -iL .
:. .. .. :.
7
:
D
S ,/ S l) S [) f!I )
';? :1
s s s
s s s s s s
47
... -
You have varied your rhythm pattern slightly (notice the use of
. sixteenth notes on the last beat of measures 1 and 2) but still managed
to keep the same feel. Also, an Emin7has been substituted for a G chord'
in the second measure as well as a cmaJ7 for a C and a D7 for the D9.
In the following example, the further variations include playing a bass
riff against the changes, using partial chords in various positions and
switching from up and downstrokes to only downstrokes in the last two
measures.
v VM IIEmin
M v M M M
M M ,M M M M M M
,"
"",
'.I ~ ~
"U
Amin
J.
M M M .. .. M
-
:::;;;;;;;;r
M
-- M
II
M M M M M
r---
M M
J
M
..
.. ..:..
... S -.1 -'
T"""
-"" --
-4J.
::>
. . S tT' . :4j . ,
t
ss::>
'.'
.. ...
,
I">
A IJ
.\ n
D A Y
s S - I
--I
v Emin
v M V M V M V M V M Y M
ML ML
:ilL ML
)lIR MR
ML :ilL MR MR ML :ilL ML ML
ML ML ML :ilL
48
u c ,;:;;;;;;;;; I
IVD
.. y ...,
.
.
'T'
A. .t: .. 'f I . . - -
..-.., .
D A A A A I -. .
u v "u
ML ML ML ML ML ML ML
ML ML ML ML
Let's get back to playing chords. Here's a funky rhythm over the
same changes (G-C-D9). Try using your own inversions; vary the
rhythms by yourself but remember to keep your playing steady and
even.
G Emin
VII~ " -
V 1"'1
v 1"'1 y 1"'1 v 1"'1 V 1"'1 V
u r
.
:a-
i.-
1-1-
- -
I- I- I- 1- .. I- i- i-
,t S S S S S S
.....
- -
... ...
"- -- I I
no / / /
s s s 8 8 8
Cmaj7 D7-
2 .. -
s::=- I- i
S S S - S S 8
...
A
....--....
,- ......
(A 'rA
.. .. ...
- I I /
-
D - /
,
/, )
8 s s s s s
49
~
-- ~~ -_m
.~-
G
"J6
ill ,., ,., ,., ,., ,., ,., ,., ,.,
Emin
t
v
.- .v ..V,., .v
I' 3..8 .
t-' =: =: -.. =: :>
:: V I,; == ""
:> :> :>
- -
'T' - - -
., .' . J. J.
V
<AI
'
D ".l ".l j 1
,. iiiiiii
D7 .
VIII C' Am in X'" V,."., V ~,., V,., V
11 U 1 $: s:
- '::Ill.
X
; i_L"""--
.. -4 .. .. -4' -4 .. .. .. r
3" -r --;-
. . ... ,
:x x '<'
... ... 'I Y :'f :'I' .
/11 '" .'- lA lA fJ;.
'v v 'v ,v -g .
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiii iiii
3 3 3
The last example in this section is a very melodic rhythm. You are
really playing a melody within the chords. This is done by using various
substitution chords and inversions. The rhythm itself is quite simple
but it may take you some practice to be able to change from one chord
to the next without breaking time, so don't let those eighth notes fool
you. This is a difficult rhythm pattern. Notice the following substitutions.
G-Gmaj7_Gmaj6
Emin-Emin7 _Emin9
Amin-A min7-A min9_Fmaj7
D7_Amin7(cmaj6)-D7+5
50
~.' ,
..',; .
..
Th .."
'--"
-----...
~
- - - -
~
'Cniaj6
Amin9 Amin7 Fmaj7 D7 VII Cmaj7 (Amin7) X D7+5
A
:.
:. :.
:!
:.
i{ ---
.....
.
I V
I:Ii v
I S
When jamming, you can also modulate from one key to another, using
the same progression. Refer to the chapter on Transposing if you don't
remember how to go from one key to another.
In the next chapter I will give you some ideas for rhythm patterns
you can play for various kinds of tunes. Five categories will be covered:
Rock and Roll, Hard Rock, Light Rock-Rock Ballad, Rhythm and Blues-
Funk, and Disco. These categories are by no means mutually exclusive.
For example, you might go to a "disco" feel in the bridge or middle of
a rocker to lend variety to your rhythm sound. You should try mixing
up the following rhythm patterns, remembering that your ear is the
final judge of which rhythm makes it and which does not.
.; ..." I
51
>~~~,:;.; ~\~:r ~
.
Rock_Rhythms
Rock and Roll
Think of songs by artists such as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, the
Beatles, the Beach Boys, Steve Miller, etc. The essence of these kinds
of rhythms is a chugging, almost bouncy feeL Early Rock and Roll, such
as the kind of music associated with Little Richard and Fats Domino,
was not as syncopated (accented) as is today's popular music.
IIA IV Db V D
,., v ,., v ,., v ,., v q-,) v ,., v
s s
;;
D VII Bmin7
Dsus4 ---... L.
lE
~
2 2
s s
. -
E (11) (IV) v
I,., ,., ,.,
--
Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma MK MK MK----- ~K MK MK MR lIa MK
52 ..
,
~~ --- -- - -. -
~ ~.. ~ ~.
"--'
MR Ma MR Ma Ma Ma
---
MR MR Ma MR MR MB
v
VA
4MR
M'B MR MR Ma
MR MR MR Ma MB MB Ma MR-'" I
I Ma Ma MR Ma MR Ma
E
V V V V V V
s s s s
s s s s s I r s
VII B VA7
IV C#min7
...
Ma If s S
JIIa Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma
, ,
S
lE B7#9
s S 2
Ma Ma Ma MR MR MR MR M~ ::>
"
Ma MR MR Ma MR MR MR
s s
M~
53
. .
Hard Rock
Now think of songs by artists such as the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart,
Peter Frampton,Bad Company, FleetwoodMac, the Who, etc. Use power
chord settings on your guitar and amp when practicing these rhythms.
A
Il r'1 r'1 !"'I r"
'"
F# .
iAutt I'.. I'.. I'..
III
:4 :4 =4
-
.
., ., ... ... ... ...
I
\
/ .I 'I
E
::> ::> E7sus4 ::>
::> ::> ::> ::> ::>
VII r'1. V r'1 V r'\ V ~ V etc.
----------------
---------------- ------------
----------------
.~ ~ 6U:r 6!:U ULr ULr tU:r ~
~
,.-.....
-~;
~~
-- '.
~
"
"
54 .11 m...
. ..
. .
'. . .\ . i' -------
,..
c 2 a + a VIBb - . IF
.... .
10
..'
iIr..
1"'1 1"'1- 1"'1 ..
-;;; ... . --.... . --
--..1-.. .
.
. - '
...
. ...'
s
.. lrI. -. ...
s
'
3
.. t ..
,:!"
..
.......- ......- ......--
.... -
'::.. .n J:, J " !,
n
---
L.J
;.: :" )<
---- L..j' ---- ----...
c VI Bb IF Fsus4 F mG7
VUII"'I-
"'.
'
.
V 1"'1
.. Il:
.
_ . . I
..
. .
Ill ,.' . Ir S :!
. s "lr
- ... ...' ...
f!}
,..~'f>c\.t>
~ff;y ~ , 55
'...' . ~
,J' . ...
.. ~"'~;
VIlE V
E
B I
C
V V
VIII ,.,
,., V~"')
"-- . ..
,., V
: :: .
.....-.....
-. ..
-
I' .. . 8 ----- S S
W'
s
j---
,
r s s
... -
.....-......
,.... -...:
----:
..' .., .. .. .. ..
.cl. .
----
,v--- .v ,v '.... -,
s D---- s s s ;' s s
s 8 8 s
-----
...-.....
8 s 8 B s
56
I' 8 S 8 8 If s 8
1 I.
.....--..... ----.....
; 'T'
.. .- -- I I
..
I
..
I
y,-'
D
s!OI " 8 s 8R 8 8
'" n
'='
n
'='
----.....
',-- --- w -
- :. ' ---'
- .. .. .v
.. ,v
.
'f Of '" // , n .
J '{
S S S 8 /
KW( ~([ad
57
.-
J
..
Rhythmoond Blues-Funk
SongsbySarnand Dave, Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MG's, Stuff,
the Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind and Fire , and the Average
White Band provide good illustrations of this next category. The rhythms
for R & B material are usually highly syncopated mixtures of eighth
and sixteenth notes. The first one here combines a few different rhythm
patterns. A lot of "funk" rhythms are built around riffs, as in the second
example below. Try making up your own rhythm riffs to popular songs
you already know.
(Z "'~\ i 0 o\~
+
Dmaj7 2 8 + 8 3 8 + 8 4 Amin7 28+838+8
V r"! r"! V r"! r"! V r"! V r"! V
8 8 8
8 8 8
----
...-... . - -
'.!
888 8 8 888
III C# 9
+828+838+848+8
m Gmaj7 Vr"!Vr"!Vr"! Vr"!V1r"! V
888 S 8
..-
~
888 S 8 s s 8
(("l:>\v"V-1.o ",°, A
*Mute the A string with your thumb when playing this version of G Major 7.
58
--
2 a + a 3 + . a + a
D7
A
VAmin
.. -.- 1'- - IT
1"'1
v 1"'1 1"'1
==
V (1"'1) V ,.,
-
- L-
V 1"'1
..
tI
... .. 8
I r
S S . . S . . S 8
. . .
'T'
.. t
.
. 1;.
:..
.,
'.J ... ... ..' .
.
S
or LJ'
S S S = S S -
:;.
59
Disco>
Disco rhythms are almost all sixteenth note patterns played in a very
repetitive style. Here is your "basic disco" rhythm, as made popular by
a very big recording star.
F
"
v ,.,
.. R-".
,., y ,., ,., y,.,
..... ....y
,., ,.,
.. y
,., Fmaj7
.. .... :>
.... ...... ....
::>
. - s
- - s
- - s
-
-
.... s -
.... -
D
s s s s
Fmaj6
. ... :>
.. .. ...... .... .. .. ..
::> :>
..... .... ... ::>
-
A ,
-
....
n
s s s s
A
F
.. .....
:>
.... ..... ::>
.... VI F7
I
::>
- - -,
::>
1411 I.....
s
.... -
--
s
.... - s
- i....- I --
-
....
-
....
n
s s
-
s
i.- - -
411
S S S S
-
It.
I1i
s s s s
60
-
r
,.
T }\
::
).
s s s s
X D7 :> :>
VF :> :> 8 8-
j\ ........ ... ,R- ,R- R-+ f- f- j.!=. --+-- ! :!
411 - - - s s
s s
. - - . ,- ,n ,n ,n . ,- .
'T' Ii :: !< >I IX I.. ,>I >I i) 1'1 :>1 l\l
. - . . . :y :y IY IY
:.: :.: :.: ". !.! ,\ ., " i.'> ',\ I,'" I"" ,:,.
I ! , ,
,
s s s s
VIII C7
1 a+a2a+33a+ a 4 a + a
Gmin7 :> :> M V
t:f::I: :1::1::1: f:t:l:
"IJj
t
S S
'
:> :>
----t
:> :>
s s
61