A Chord is a series of notes played in unison that are representative of any particular musical key

A Chord is a series of notes played in unison that are representative of any particular musical key. Full chords use 3^rd, 5^th, 7^th and octal (8^th) note combinations. These numbers represent the number of tones between the root note and others being played.

Example the note “A” is the root and is played with a 5^th note. A, B, C#, D, E counting from A for 5 notes is the note E. These two notes played together then form a 5^th chord. Please note that 1 tone is 1 fret and 2 tones are 1 note except between B and C as well as between E and F. These exceptions are 1 tone for 1 note. Some music notation or instruction will call 2 tones a step and 1 tone a ½ step.

This example is a cross section of two string chords and their visual appearance on the music staff. Learn to recognize these particular visual shapes and the finger patterns that are involved.

One point to notice is that string 2 on your guitar is tuned down 1 tone, so when playing strings 2 and 3 you will have to alter the fingering on string 2 by (–1) fret.

Chord root positions on the fret board are marked in the following diagram. The root note is the note that is tonally correct in sound to the key of the music. As the basis that all chords are built on tonics (also known as triads, a three note chord built with 3rds) all root tones, 3^rd notes and octaves from them are called “rest” tones. 2^nd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th tones are called “active” tones. This means they create the movement in a pattern or series of progressions. This is true for both chording and the respective scales involved.