Guitar Chord Progressions – Where Do They Come From?

By Ricky Sharples

Guitar chord progressions are like baby brothers – you cannot escape from them and they take some explaining. Let us do some analysis on the term “guitar chord progressions”. In case you did not know, any time two or more notes are played, this is referred to as a “chord”. You probably know that certain guitar chords sound good together. These are called guitar chord “families”. Guitar chord “progressions” are certain sequences of chords that sound so good together that they are used as the musical basis of songs.

Chord progressions are derived from musical scales like C D E F G A B C. This is the C major scale which is used very often in music. It is just a sequence of notes with no sharps or flats which makes it easy to use to teach music students the principles of music. When we study chord progressions we think of these letters as chords instead of single notes. If we number the chords from one to seven we can work in a practical way with the chords in any key because the basic principles are the same.

If we write out the chords as numbers we have the problem of getting the numbers denoting the chords confused with numbers that are used in the names of the chords. If we are working with the chord B7 we do not want to have to stop and think what “77″ means so we use Roman numerals to number the chords. That way B7 is named VII7. To a newbie that might still be confusing but it is a good way of fixing the problem.

So, now the chords are named I II III IV V VI VII. To save us from getting too bogged down in musical theory, let us take some simple ideas for granted. First, in any key the chord that the key is named after is always the I chord. So now you can go back and look at the notes in the C major scale and check out the new names of all the notes. Not that it will mean much yet.

Another thing we are going to take for granted is that I IV and V are the three most important chords in the scale. When you learn a song or instrumental piece, the chances are that you will be starting the song with the I chord and when you end the song, the chord you finish on is also the I chord. There are exceptions but there is no need to go looking for them. So we can take that fact for granted.

That is all the basic theory we need to learn guitar chord progressions without blundering around like an elephant in an outhouse. There is more you could learn but we are more concerned with playing the chords than explaining them. Now we can take a look at the some chord progressions. The most common progression you will come across as a guitar player is I IV V. You will find these chords referred to in music theory as “tonic” “subdominant” and “dominant”.

You have probably heard that pop musicians only know three chords. This may or may not be true but they do mostly work with one chord progression consisting of three chords. The main variations come when for effect the composer or interpreter of a song might use the V7 or IV7 chords.

This chord progression is the basis of almost all pop, blues and rock songs. Many songwriters have made departures from this basic progression and jazz musicians have long ago abandoned sticking to this, or any basic form.

So there you have your basic chord progression for modern popular music. Other progressions that you could benefit from experimenting with are: I IV I V, I IV V IV, I V VI IV, I V IV V, I VI II V and I VI IV V.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

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Acoustic Guitar Chords – Learn a Few Play a Lot

Acoustic Guitar Cords – Learn a Few Play a Lot
By Bart Rutherford

Several notes played simultaneously is called an acoustic guitar chord. Even with many different acoustic guitar chords, if you learn just a few basic acoustic guitar chords, you will be able to play hundreds of songs, if not more. Major chords give out a cheerful sound while minor chords emit a sound that seems darker or sadder.

Acoustic guitar chord diagrams notate guitar chords. Rather than side to side (horizontal) the way guitar tabs run, the lines that represent an acoustic chord diagram will run up and down, or vertically. You will see a grid when looking at a chord diagram. The strings are represented by the vertical lines, while the frets are represented by the horizontal lines. The areas where you need to hold the string down is where the dots appear.

Numbers will be at the top or bottom of the acoustic guitar chord diagram. This diagram represents the finger that holds down each strong – 1 means the index finger, 2 means the middle finger, 3 the ring finger, and 4 the pinky. If you see a 0, that means to leave the string open when you play. On the other hand, an X means an string open that is not played. And occasionally you’ll see T used. This means to use your thumb to play, but this does not occur too often.

The first acoustic guitar chord we’re going to tackle is the G-major chord. Your middle finger goes on the sixth string at the third fret, your index finger goes on the fifth string at the second fret and your ring finger goes on the first string on the third fret. Play each individual note, including the open strings one by one. Be careful you can plainly hear each note and make sure you don’t hear any strange buzzing or rattling noises from the strings. If the sound isn’t right, you can try pushing harder on the string so that it presses closer to the fingerboard. You can also bring your finger closer to the fret. Your fingers should not be touching one another, or any of the other strings. You can strum all of the notes in unison once the sound is good. You will then be playing a G-major acoustic guitar chord.

The E-minor acoustic guitar chord is easier on the left hand. The E-minor chord uses only two left-hand fingers: the index and middle fingers, both on the second fret, of the fifth and fourth strings respectively. Make sure that both strings are held firmly without the two fingers touching each other. You may want to play those two strings several times by themselves before attempting the chord, so you can adjust the fingering if needed. Then strum all strings to play an E minor chord.Since this is a minor chord, the sound will be darker.

If you are a beginner, good basic acoustic guitar chords to learn are A-major, A-minor, C-major and D-major. You should try to move back and forth between the acoustic guitar chords as quickly as you can. Practicing quick finger placement is critical.

Learning to play acoustic guitar chords will not happen quickly or easily at first and you will have to keep checking your finger placement. But if you continue to practice, practice, practice, the muscle memory will soon take over and you will be moving freely through all of the acoustic guitar chords. In a short time it will become second nature to you.

Acoustic guitar playing can be more than just good music. To read more about Guitar Cords….Playing Them ….follow here at http://www.acousticguitarguide.net

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Free Acoustic Guitar Chords Chart – Basic Chords for the Beginner

Here is a basic acoustic guitar chord chart that I put together to help the beginner guitarist quickly learn chords.

I also included a list of video demonstrations on how to play the guitar chords.

Play each chord slowly making certain that you have a clean sound when you play each note individually. If you don’t get a clean sound you are not pressing down the strings hard enough, or one of your fingers is touching another string.

This is common so do not get discouraged!

Do not try and master all of these chords all at once. Take on a few at a time and then move on.

Here are a couple of easy chord progressions:

GMajor, DMajor, CMajor: Knocking on Heavens Door by Bob Dylan

Emajor, AMajor: For What Its Worth by Buffalo Springfield

Click the thumbnail image below to open the Acousic Guitar Chord Chart:

Here are the guitar chord video lessons:

E CHORDS
E Major Chord:	E Minor Chord
E 7 Chord
A CHORDS
A Major Chord	A Minor
A 7
D CHORDS
D Major	D Minor
C CHORDS
C Major Chord	C Minor
C7 Chord
G CHORDS
G Major Chord	G Minor Chord
G7 Chord
F CHORDS
F Major Chord	F Minor
B CHORDS
B Major	B Minor
B7 Chord

How To Play Chords On Your Guitar

By Kevin Sinclair

As a beginner you will already be making your own music on your instrument but learning how to play chords by strumming or striking two or three strings of the guitar at the same time takes your playing one step further and learning how to do this can be very rewarding.

The three most frequently used chords are G major, C Major and D major. These are also the easiest chords for placement of your fingers so an ideal place for the beginner to start learning and practicing to play chords. When these easy chords are mastered the more challenging chords can then be studied.

To play a chord in G major you need to place your second finger on the sixth string of the third fret. Then place your first finger on the fifth string of the second fret. Your third finger is then placed on the third fret of the first string. It is important to curl your fingers so they are not touching any other strings as this will change the sound of the chord. Then with your fingers in place when you strike all the six strings in one continuous strum the sound of the G major chord will be heard.

To play the C major key, you need place your third finger on the third fret of the fifth string. Then, your second finger should be placed on the second fret of the fourth string and finally your first finger on the first fret of the second string. When playing the C major chord only the bottom five strings should be strummed so make sure you avoid hitting the sixth string as this will also change the sound of the chord.

The D major key involves all three fingers being placed in close proximity so this may be a little difficult for some beginners although once the technique is mastered it will no longer be a problem. Put your first finger on the third string of the fourth fret. Then your third finger on the second string of the third fret. Lastly, put the second finger on the first string of the second fret. You will then play the D major chord by strumming the four bottom strings.

There are many songs to choose from which have only these three chords and then once you are fully familiar and confident you can move on to songs involving different chords. There is only one way to play chords to perfection and that is to practice on a regular basis.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development. http://www.musicianhome.com

The G Chord on the Guitar – Relearning It

The G Chord on the Guitar – Relearning It
By Lee Griffith

In the mid 1970’s, after I had played guitar for about ten years, I took a few lessons from Mick Martin, an incredibly fast and versatile flatpicker. It was these lessons that put me on the right path toward getting those fiddle tunes to sound crisp and lively on the acoustic guitar.

I was told I had to “unlearn” a number of habits in order to get going in the right direction. The first thing he told me I had to do was to change the way I played the most basic of all chords: the
g chord!

I had spent ten years playing G the way many people play it. You know, your second finger is behind the third fret of the sixth (low E) string, your first finger is behind the second fret of the fifth (A) string, and your third finger is behind the third fret of the first (high E) string. What could be easier?

But being easy wasn’t the point. I had to learn something that was going to be very hard at first, in order to make a lot of other things much easier down the road. Here’s what I had to do: I had to put my THIRD finger behind the third fret of the sixth string, my SECOND finger behind the second fret of the fifth string, and MR. PINKIE behind the third fret of the first string. THE FIRST FINGER WAS NOT EVEN GOING TO BE USED IN THE CHORD!

I tried and it was so unnatural. It was PAINFUL. I couldn’t even push the high E string down with my weak pinkie. What could possibly be the purpose in all of this? Mick told me to discipline myself to learn this and the purpose would become apparent. How true his words were!

After weeks of learning to play G in this new way, I found that I could switch to the C chord with much more speed that ever before. I also found that when I switched to the C chord, I could, at will, just leave my pinkie behind the third fret of the high E string, which gave the C chord an entirely new dimension. Then I could leave it on the same way and go right back to G. I also found that playing the G this way left my first finger and my other fingers in an ideal position to go quickly into lead licks. Why not try this yourself? Take the time to get it down and you’ll never go back!

Copyright © 2007 Lee Griffith. All rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lee Griffith is an avid acoustic guitar player and a vintage instrument enthusiast. He invites you to receive a FREE REPORT on a revolutionary acoustic guitar lesson kit, along with his weekly newsletter via email.

Just click on http://optin.flatpickpost.com

Check out Lee’s blog, “The Flatpick Post” at http://flatpickpost.com

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