Guitar chord and music theory help?
Alright, so I’m awful with music theory despite playing a bunch of instruments. So my question, is who can explain basic music theory (particularly for guitar) well and without sending me to a 50 part music theory lesson or something. I can read music and all, just don’t understand the concept of 5ths and 7ths and scale progressions. Can anyone help out? Thanks!
so you want to build a bar b que in the backyard without having to touch a brick?
Music Theory is the same for pianists and guitarists
e.g. I can play the piano from guitar chords
****
—-one year, our teen youth group got together for a college
reunion Christmas party – I played and we all sang the Carols and songs
had such a great time – until somebody said – remember bunny foo foo?
so we all had to sing Bunny – and that led to another – which led to another
with me pounding out the background on the songs
tears later we finished – - and broke up
one of my pianist friends came to me and asked – how did you know all those songs??
I replied – I had only heard of one – but they are all built on the One, Four, and Five chords ( I, IV, V) so you can fake it
WHAT!!!!!!
yep – just plain music theory
******
So one lesson – - let’s see if you can catch this brick?
Basic Guitar key – is G for our example
so your main chords will be G , C, D
and those are all major chords I, IV, V
if you put a 7th on the V chord, i.e. D7
it sounds like it needs to go back to I (G)
note that the major chords are all capitals
the minor chords are lower case in Roman Numerals, that is
Am = ii (2), Bm = iii, and Em = vi in the key of G
so, of our 7 chords in this key 3 are major – 3 are naturally minor
and vii with a little circle on it – is diminished (both the third of the chord and the fifth are lowered a 1/2 step ( a diminished 7th chord is made up of all minor thirds BTW)
you will hear several of these chords some very similar and the have
the same notes as other chords
V and vii diminished
IV and ii
In a chord progression there are 5 levels of rank
I
V or vii dim
IV or ii
vi
iii
Rules of the table
1) All movement comes back to the top (tonic chord) ONE
2)you can jump down to any level, and proceed back to the top, stepping on each level ( I-vi-ii-V-I)
3) you MAY skip ONE level on your return to the top (ie I – IV – I)
4) the tonic chord (I) may be placed in between levels on return to the top as you go back up
now when you alter chords – you give them new life
ii is minor is a major key – but what if you made it a MAJOR chord
then it functions as V of V and then you really have a fun time
so my show off tune is an old song used by an airline to fly with
I love it for the chord changes and display of theory
(pls bear with me – Yahoo! will not let me write nomenclature)
(G)Take me along, if ya (G7)love a me
(C) Take me along, if ya (C) love a me (different on u tube version)
(G) take (B major) me a (Em) long (A major) with (D) you (D7) my
(G) heart will ride (G7) sweet and glorious
(C) high above the (G) clouds if you will (G/D) take me a(D7)long with
(G) you
now the tricky (G/D) means it’s a G chord in second inversion
you play the G but with a D as the bass note – - gets you prepped for the D7 coming up in to the final cadence
So let’s see how that first into our scheme
I – I7(acts as a V of IV) -
IV -
I – III major(acting as a V of vi) – vi – II major (acting as V of V) V – V7
I – I7 (yep V of IV)
IV – I – I 6/4 (2nd inversion) V7 – I
yep – we’re street legal per the chart
fun?!
all the best
Bachelor’s in Theory
Masters in Music
enjoy the old commercial – only rendition I could find of this song
Piano Lessons & Musicians : How to Read Music
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