Guitar Mastery Simplified: How Anyone Can Quickly Become a Strumming, Chords, and Lead Guitar Ninja by Erich Andreas
Authors: Erich Andreas
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They usually fit
the matrix of the key that we are in.
The method that I just showed you was how I taught myself
how to transcribe songs. For those of you just starting out, I would
suggest going through each step. If you are finding success skipping some
of these steps, then more power to you! However, if you are having
difficulty , do them all. This is an incredible skill to develop and
will SERIOUSLY revolutionize your playing. All
of my students are different. Each comes with a unique skill set and way
of learning. Now, when I sit down to transcribe a song for a student, I
will usually jump straight to step 6 where I am humming the bass notes.
From doing this process so much, I can usually determine what the tonic
of the song is right away. Finding my bass notes tells me my chord
progression and also tells me where I might put my capo to simplify the song.
Again, let me remind you that this is a learned skill.
I hate even saying that one person might be naturally better at this than
another because I don’t want to give you an excuse to not learn this skill.
It can be frustrating at first but if you are persistent, the rewards are
great and every time you find a new note and new chord it’s like finding a piece
of gold. It’s always helpful to start with a song that you are very
familiar with and that you love. It will make this whole process a lot
easier and more enjoyable.
Also, remember, regarding guitar and anything associated
with art in general, there is no perfect way. It’s all subjective and
open to interpretation. I’m not saying that there are not definite notes
or chords represented in the song, but that your method for determining those
may be different than someone else’s. Always be open to learning.
In this way, you will always be increasing in skill and not grow
stagnant.
Click here to receive free
videos on right and left hand techniques and exercises that will quickly boost
your guitar playing ability.
Introduction
to Chord Construction
As defined in the Diatonic Harmony chapter, a chord
is 3 or more notes played at the same time. Let me add a bit more detail
for the real world. The most basic type of chord is a 3 note chord,
called a triad. Usually, those three notes are different notes.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming this means how many fingers are
holding down notes for your chord. For example, an E minor chord only
utilizes 2 fingers while still sounding 3 or more notes. I happen to run
into this a lot with new students, which is why I mention it.
With every chord there is a root. The root is the
letter name of the chord (i.e.-A, B, C#), and the one note on which the rest of
the chord is built upon. For instance, C major and A major have the same
formula – which categorizes both as major chords - but since that formula is
calculated from 2 different roots (A and C), then 2 different chords are
produced.
In this section, we will discuss the 4 basic triad types
(major, minor, diminished, and augmented). All chords are analyzed and
named according to the notes (or better yet, the intervals) that they contain.
An interval is the distance between 2 notes. These notes, or
interval distances, are all derived from the major scale. In order to
build or embellish chords from scratch, one must have a good working knowledge
of the major scale, it’s formula of whole-step, whole-step, half-step,
whole-step, whole-step, whole-step, half-step (WWHWWWH) and the scale step
names (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or one). Also, remember that when we
sharpen (#) a note, we raise it one 1/2 step, and when we flatten (b) a note,
we lower it one 1/2 step.
Please note the following formulas, as you will need
them as we continue .
Major chord (1, 3, 5 ): a major
chord consists of the 1st, 3rd and 5th scale steps of the major scale.
The distance between the 1st and 3rd notes is 2 whole-steps. The
distance between the 3rd and 5th notes is 1
the matrix of the key that we are in.
The method that I just showed you was how I taught myself
how to transcribe songs. For those of you just starting out, I would
suggest going through each step. If you are finding success skipping some
of these steps, then more power to you! However, if you are having
difficulty , do them all. This is an incredible skill to develop and
will SERIOUSLY revolutionize your playing. All
of my students are different. Each comes with a unique skill set and way
of learning. Now, when I sit down to transcribe a song for a student, I
will usually jump straight to step 6 where I am humming the bass notes.
From doing this process so much, I can usually determine what the tonic
of the song is right away. Finding my bass notes tells me my chord
progression and also tells me where I might put my capo to simplify the song.
Again, let me remind you that this is a learned skill.
I hate even saying that one person might be naturally better at this than
another because I don’t want to give you an excuse to not learn this skill.
It can be frustrating at first but if you are persistent, the rewards are
great and every time you find a new note and new chord it’s like finding a piece
of gold. It’s always helpful to start with a song that you are very
familiar with and that you love. It will make this whole process a lot
easier and more enjoyable.
Also, remember, regarding guitar and anything associated
with art in general, there is no perfect way. It’s all subjective and
open to interpretation. I’m not saying that there are not definite notes
or chords represented in the song, but that your method for determining those
may be different than someone else’s. Always be open to learning.
In this way, you will always be increasing in skill and not grow
stagnant.
Click here to receive free
videos on right and left hand techniques and exercises that will quickly boost
your guitar playing ability.
Introduction
to Chord Construction
As defined in the Diatonic Harmony chapter, a chord
is 3 or more notes played at the same time. Let me add a bit more detail
for the real world. The most basic type of chord is a 3 note chord,
called a triad. Usually, those three notes are different notes.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming this means how many fingers are
holding down notes for your chord. For example, an E minor chord only
utilizes 2 fingers while still sounding 3 or more notes. I happen to run
into this a lot with new students, which is why I mention it.
With every chord there is a root. The root is the
letter name of the chord (i.e.-A, B, C#), and the one note on which the rest of
the chord is built upon. For instance, C major and A major have the same
formula – which categorizes both as major chords - but since that formula is
calculated from 2 different roots (A and C), then 2 different chords are
produced.
In this section, we will discuss the 4 basic triad types
(major, minor, diminished, and augmented). All chords are analyzed and
named according to the notes (or better yet, the intervals) that they contain.
An interval is the distance between 2 notes. These notes, or
interval distances, are all derived from the major scale. In order to
build or embellish chords from scratch, one must have a good working knowledge
of the major scale, it’s formula of whole-step, whole-step, half-step,
whole-step, whole-step, whole-step, half-step (WWHWWWH) and the scale step
names (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or one). Also, remember that when we
sharpen (#) a note, we raise it one 1/2 step, and when we flatten (b) a note,
we lower it one 1/2 step.
Please note the following formulas, as you will need
them as we continue .
Major chord (1, 3, 5 ): a major
chord consists of the 1st, 3rd and 5th scale steps of the major scale.
The distance between the 1st and 3rd notes is 2 whole-steps. The
distance between the 3rd and 5th notes is 1
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