Chord Progression : The Basics

A chord progression (or harmonic progression) is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing (or contradicting) a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. Chords and chord theory are generally known as harmony.

A chord progression can be thought of as a harmonic simultaneity succession: it offers an ongoing shift of levelOceania and South/West Africa. A change of chord, or "chord change", generally occurs on an accented beat, so that chord progressions may contribute significantly to the rhythm, meter and musical form of a piece, delineating bars, phrases and sections. that is essential to the music of Europe (at least since 1600),

A chord may be built upon any note of a musical scale, therefore a seven-note scale allows seven basic chords, each degree of the scale becoming the "root" or "tonic" of its own chord. A chord built upon the note A is an A chord: however, since any progression may be played in any key, the fundamentals of harmony are best grasped by numbering the chords according to the step of the scale they are built upon, upwards from the key-note. The structural meaning of a harmony depends exclusively upon the degree of the scale.

Any major scale gives three major triads that together include, and so can harmonize, every note of that scale. They are based on the first, fourth, and fifth scale degrees (the tonic, subdominant and dominant).

Diminished Chords

The same scale also provides three relative minor chords, one related to each of the three major chords. These are based upon the sixth, second and third degrees of the major scale and stand in the same relationship to one another as do the three majors, so that they may be viewed as the first, fourth and fifth degrees of the relative minor key. Apart from these six common chords there will be one step of the scale that gives a diminished chord.

In addition, extra notes may be added to any chord. If these notes are also selected from the original scale the harmony remains diatonic. If new chromatic intervals are introduced then a change of scale or modulation occurs, which may bring the sense of a change of tonal center. This in turn may lead to a resolution back to the original key, so that the entire sequence of chords helps create an extended musical form.  

Although all this allows for a large number of possible progressions (depending upon the length of the progression), in practice progressions are often limited to a few bars' length and certain progressions are favored above others: there is a certain amount of fashion in this and a chord progression may even define an entire genre.

In western classical notation chords built on the scale are numbered with Roman numerals. A D chord will be figured I in the key of D, for example, but IV in the key of A. Minor chords are signified by lower case Roman, so that D minor in the key of C would be written ii. Other forms of chord notation have been devised, from figured bass to the chord chart. These usually allow or even require a certain amount of improvisation. [source : Basic Chord Progression]

Power Chords : A Key Element of Rock Musics

In music, a power chord (also fifth chord) is a chord consisting of only the root note of the chord and the fifth, usually played on electric guitar, and typically through an amplification process that imparts distortion. Power chords are a key element of many styles of rock music.

Link Wray is commonly cited as having introduced power chords with his hit 1958 instrumental "Rumble". Wray used a pencil to punch holes into the loudspeaker of his amplifier in order to replicate a distortion effect first improvised at a show in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Link Wray pioneered electric guitar distortions, like overdrive and fuzz, and was the first guitarist to use power chords to play a song's melody. 

However, power chords can also be found in earlier, less commercially successful recordings. Robert Palmer has argued that blues guitarists Willie Johnson and Pat Hare, both of whom played for Sun Records in the early 1950s, were the true originators of the power chord, citing as evidence Johnson's playing on Howlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years" (recorded 1951) and Hare's playing on James Cotton's "Cotton Crop Blues" (recorded 1954).

A later hit song built around power chords was "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, released in 1964. This song clearly demonstrates the fast power chord changes that would become typical of heavy rock riffs. Early heavy rock bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple also helped to popularize power chords. Pete Townshend, having been influenced by Link Wray, is often credited for introducing the term and the power chord in general and is an avid user of them.

Theorists are divided on whether a power chord can be considered a chord in the traditional sense, with some requiring a 'chord' to contain a minimum of three degrees of the scale. When the same interval is found in traditional and classical music, it would not usually be called a "chord", and may be considered to be a dyad or simply an interval. However, the term is accepted as a pop and rock music term, most strongly associated with the overdriven electric guitar styles of hard rock, heavy metal, punk rock, and similar genres. The use of the term "power chord" has, to some extent, spilled over into the vocabulary of other instrumentalists, such as keyboard and synthesizer players.

Power chords are notated 5. For example, C5 (C power chord) refers to playing the root (C) and fifth (G). These can be inverted, so that the G is played below the C (making an interval of a fourth). They can also be played with octave doublings of the root or fifth note, which will make a sound that is subjectively higher pitched with less power in the low frequencies, but still retains the character of a power chord.

A power chord is neither major nor minor, as there is no third present. This gives the power chord a chameleon-like property; if played within the context of major chords, it will sound like a major chord, but when played with minor chords, it will sound minor.

Power chords are often performed within a single octave, as this results in the closest matching of overtones. Octave doubling is sometimes done in power chords. Power chords are often pitched in a middle register. If they are too low, they tend to sound unclear and boomy. When played too high they lack depth and power.


Although the power chord is associated with a distorted sound, most guitarists would consider that a power chord fingering can be called a power chord whether played through distortion or not. [source : Power Chords]

Easy Guitar Lessons: Chord Structure

Author: Oguz

A technical familiarity of harmony is not a certain prerequisite to the enjoyment of music, but the amateur musician, and listener alike, should be conscious of harmony as a basic of guitar chord structure.  He should be aware of some basic principles, properties and uses of this element, while learning how to play guitar.

Harmony as an element is more seasoned than rhythm and melody.  It is virtually non-existent in old cultures.  Moreover, it is an element which came into view comparatively late in the music history, and which was developed primarily in western civilization.

Harmony is a musical element  established upon the concurred union of musical tones (as differentiated from the sequential tones of a melody), or the accompaniment of a melody by chords.

A combination of three or more tones played concurrently and perceived as sounding as a whole is called a chord.

C-major scale

A few fundamental principles can help you understand the basics of routine building of chords. The simple one is the major triad, which includes three tones.  You can build a triad by choosing the tonic of a certain major scale and by adding two or more tones above it on alternate degrees of the said scale. For example, if we start with the tone C/do the tonic of the C-major scale, you get the triad do-mi­-sol, 1-3-5, or C-E-G.

The tones of any chord maybe picked out in different order, and they maybe duplicated an octave above or below without changing the essential nature of the chord. This is the reason why so often we see chords such as C/E, (the first inversion of the C major triad using the chord tone E as the bass) or C/G (the second inversion of the C major triad where the tone G is used as the bass).

Constructing chords in thirds (on alternate scale levels as delineated) was the foundation of all conventional harmony from 1700-1900.

In the twentieth century impotant music composers have grown larger the chord vocabulary by extra means of building in order to create more enjoyable and compound  effects.  Although additional means of construction have been introduced, modern pop, rock and jazz music still follow the conventional way of chord construction – by thirds.

Going back to the major chord, you may be  wondering why there are lots of fingering for a given major chord. This is possible since in the 12 frets of the guitar, the notes are repeated in increasing octaves, at their corresponding string.  C, for example, it  is on the first fret at the B string, third fret at the A string, fifth fret at the G string, and on the eighth fret at the E strings.

So conditional upon how the melody of the song is organized, the chord formation can assume any fingering position if the triad is formed and however it is played easily.

Minor Triad

Now that you have a knowledge on the major chord, let us look at its parallel counterpart, the minor chord.  If the third of the major triad is altered by lowering it to one semitone (one fret on the guitar and two frets for each whole tone), the resulting triad will be C-Eflat-G, which is the minor triad.

Take your time with the fret board of your guitar and investigate all the possible fingerings, for the minor chord. You may see that if comparing it with the major chord fingerings, only one string is lowered when forming the minor chord, not until there is a doubling of the minor third (Eflat).

If ever you are wondering why all the examples given here are on the C chord, well, it is now your turn to apply the lesson here.  Chart down the major and minor chord triads for the rest of the notes and … start playing guitar!

P.S.: I suggest you to use a learn guitar software to learn guitar fast and easily. Learning chords is very easy if you use a guitar learning software.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/easy-guitar-lessons-chord-structure-2678868.html#ixzz0rM5h1i4N
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Guitar Chords: How To Solo Over Chords With The Minor Pentatonic Scale

by John Bilderbeck

Soloing over guitar chords is easy when you know how to use the minor pentatonic scale. Add spice and power to your solo's with these simple but highly effective techniques.

The humble minor pentatonic scale is what most guitar players start with when learning to solo. Trouble is, they don't learn to use the scale to it's best potential.

Here, I'll show you an easy way to use the pentatonic scale to solo over the three most common guitar chord types: Major, minor and dominant 7th chords.

1. Major Chords

A Major chord always has a relative minor chord. The easy way to find the 'relative' minor of any major chord on a guitar is to take the note three half-steps (3 frets) below the root note of the major chord.

For example: a C major chord - the root note is C. On a guitar, the note 3 frets below a C note is A.

Therefore, A minor is the relative minor of C major.

So to solo over a C major chord, use the A minor pentatonic scale and you can't go wrong.

Another example: F major chord - three frets below the root of F, you will find D. So you use a D minor pentatonic scale over an F major chord.

Another example: G major chord - three frets below the G root note you'll find E. So... you use the E minor pentatonic to solo over a G chord.

Now, you may have noticed that I listed C, F and G major chords there. Coincidentally, They are the 1, 4 and 5 chords of the 'KEY' of C Major. This applies to all instruments, not just guitar.

More about this later...

2. Minor Chords

These are easy... just use the minor pentatonic of what ever the minor chord is. E.g. Use D minor pentatonic for a D minor chord, an E minor pentatonic for an E minor chord, an A minor pentatonic for an A minor Chord.

Now, did you notice I used D, E and A minor chords as the example? Did you also notice that these chords are the 2, 3 and 6 chords of the 'KEY' of C Major?

More about that later, too...

3. Dominant 7th Chords

You have a couple of choices here. But basically, you would use the relative minor pentatonic, or, the minor pentatonic a tone below the root of the dom7 chord.

For example, over G7, you could use either E minor pent (relative minor), or D min pentatonic.

The reason you could use the D minor pentatonic over a G7 chord is because the Dmi chord and G7 chord often go together in chord progressions. Forcing a Dmi sound over a G7 chord gives a G7sus sound.

4. Thinking From a KEY Perspective

OK, what we have looked at is the KEY of C Major.

Basically, you can use just the A minor pentatonic alone for ALL the chords in C, or you can also use the D and E minor pentatonics to add some color and more conformity to the chords being used at the time.

Remember, these principles apply to whatever chord you are playing at any time, but can also be applied on a KEY basis,which is a more encompassing picture.

The Key of C Major has these chords:

C, Dm, Em, F, G7, Am, Bmin7b5.

Ami pent can be used over them all, or just the C and Am chords.

D min pentatonic can be used over the F and Dm chords.

E minor can be used over the Em and G7 chords.

We didn't mention the 7 chord (Bmi7b5) because it's not used very much. But a good choice is the Dm pentatonic. In fact, though, you can use either of the three pentatonics from the C Major scale - Am, Dm or
Em. Try them, see which you like best.

I hope you enjoyed this article. You can find more information about guitar chords at my site: Free Guitar Chords

The idea of using pentatonics for different chords is a powerful one, don't overlook the cool sounds you can create with such a simple device.

Also, in a future article, I'll be discussing 'Pentatonic Substitution' where I'll show you how to use substitute and altered pentatonics for even more sound choices.


John Bilderbeck is a professional guitar teacher. His website shows beginner and intermediate players the importance of mastering the basics to slash learning time in half. Claim your free Pentatonic Guitar Magic eBook now by visiting Free Guitar Chords now.

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