Everything you need to know about Chord Structure

[E-Phrygian]

ok, we need an explaination of chord structure, let's start from the basics, like how to construct Major and Minor Chords, Flats, Augmented, Suspended, Diminished.

this is important, cuz i wanna improve my arpeggio skills. Like if i just play Am arpeggio but i wanna do it in different modes, how do i do that? what notes should i be playing on the neck of my guitar??

This is a challenge for you guitar pros
*cough* JayP *cough*

[uriahsmusic]

....you need to change yourself to modeman!......
first thing is the language...lets agree!
if i say "1" it means the root!...or the the first note of the key we are in!
we will be in "c" so the first note or the "1" as we call it will be "c"!!!!

now!
when I say "step" I mean move 2 frets on the guitar upwards"(toward the body of the guitar is "Up"

example!  start on "C"....and move 1 step up...(boom!) you are on "D"

so a half step means to move up just 1 fret!

so if you ar on C...and I say move 1/2 step up...you will be on C sharp!(C#)

1 whole step= 2 frets up
1/2 step= 1fret up
2 steps= 4 frets up!

got it! good...lets go!

c major is 1,3 and 5   C, E , G
c minor is 1, flat third and 5   C, Eb, G
c suspended is 1, 4 and 5      C, F, G
c augmented is 1, 3 and #5th  C, E, G#
DIMINISHED IS  1, FLAT 3RD AND A FLAT 5TH!....C , Eb, Gb

THE "1" IS WHERE YOU START!...C
A 3RD IS 2 WHOLE STEPS HIGHER STARTING FROM THE C
A MINOR 3RD IS 1 1/2 STEPS HIGHER STARTING FROM THE C
A 4TH IS 2 1/2 STEPS FROM THE C
A 5TH IS 3 1/2 STEPS FROM THE C

REMEMBER...A FLAT IS 1/2 STEP LOWER...AND A SHARP IS 1/2 STEP HIGHER!

THINK OF A FLAT AS GOING DOWN!..LIKE A FLAT TIRE!

I HOPE THIS WASNT TOOOOO CONFUSING!....HARD TO PUT IT ALL ON A MESSAGE!

[JayP5150]

Looks like Uriah beat me to it.  

Could you explain what you mean by playing an Am arpeggio in different modes?  If it's an Am arpeggio, that's just what it is.  If you want to lear variations on that--like an Am7 arpeggio, etc--is that what you mean?

[uriahsmusic]

....i realy think ModeMan is appraoching modes in reverse!.....he must think of a mode as playing different scales against the same chord!....Like...play a C chord...then play each modal scale against the C chord...for different flavors!......

[JayP5150]

That's a good point, Uriah.  For anyone trying to understand modes, keep this in mind:

The root chord/key is what changes.  The scale stays the same.  I touched on this on that other thread:  Out of the C major scale, you will get these modes--C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian, A Aeolian, B Locrian.

That order will not change--ever.  Notice that all those modes follow the notes in the C major scale?  It's the same way for any other scale.  Say you want to play something in B Phrygian--now what?  You take the pattern from above and figure out what scale you would use to make that mode.  Guess it yet?  It's G.  Why?  Because G major scale is G, A, B, C, D, E, F#

So... your modes out of your G major scale are G Ionian, A Dorian, B Phrygian, C Lydian, D Mixolydian, E Aeolian, and F# Locrian.

Is that making more sense?  E-Phrygian (unless you want to go by Uriah's new name for you--LOL ), tell you what, for practice, write out your seven major scales (A B C D E F G), and tell me the modes associated with each scale.  Two of them are already done for you above.  Remember your scale theory: if you do not know the notes in a scale, the pattern is, Root-whole step-whole step-half step-whole step-whole step-whole step-half step (W W H W W W H).  That last half step should bring you back to your root note.

Write all of these out and post what you come up with, please.  I want to make sure it's clear to you.

Have fun, this drove me nuts for a while while learning it.
I guess we're still on modes, huh?  That's cool.  Just for everyone, I'll post this in a new thread also, and we'll get down deep into this, if you would like.

[JayP5150]

Okay, I made a Mode-specific thread.  Anyone that's interested, please put Modal posts there.  We'll lick this thing soon enough.

Back to chord structure...

6ths are just that--a major chord (1 3 5) with an added 6 (1 3 5 6--for ex. C6=C E G A)

Maj7 is the 7 out of the scale added (1 3 5 7, or C E G B)

7th (like in blues) is actually a flat 7 (1 3 5 b7, C E G Bb)

min7th is just like a minor with a b7 (1 b3 5 b7, C Eb G Bb)

9th is an added b7 and a 9th (keep counting, it's the octave of the 2nd)  
      (1 3 5 b7 9, C E G Bb D)  
      looks like this...
--3---
--3---
--3---
--2---
--3---
--x---

7th#9 is an added b7 and a #9 (the Hendrix chord--1 3 b7 #9, C E Bb D#--no 5th in this one)
     looks like this...
--x---
--4---
--3---
--2---
--3---
--x---

Uriah put a sus chord above, which I call a sus4, because I also use a sus2 a lot (or an add2).  Anytime you see just "sus" it's the 4, though.

Sus2 is just an added 2 (C E G D) (on an open C shord, put your pinky on the 3rd fret of the B string--I use this alot--it's really pretty in slow stuff)

Did we miss any, Uriah?

[bug]

There is no end to harmony.  There is no end to chord structure.  Anyone who tells you they have all the answers is not telling you the truth.  There is always a new chord, and a new way of voicing it.  It is a joy and a life long persuit.  Enjoy the journey.

[JayP5150]

Bug,
   
Very true.  My wife was saying I play a lot of the same stuff one day, so I made it a point to re-fret some easy fingerings, and I came up with some really cool voicings--and they're still just major and sus chords!
     
I don't expect for it "all" to be figured out here, I was just trying to pump out as much info as I could for E-Phrygian.
     
Very good point, though.  This is even more true for soloing.

[uriahsmusic]

....I play about 10 or 12 different things generally when I play out!....but they are a really cool 10 or 12 things so people get a kick out of it!.....My wife can sing almost all of them!....(she needs rest!)

[E-Phrygian]

sorry if i confused you when i mentioned to play Am in different modes.
I been watching some of earlier Yngwie Malmsteen's videos. In his video he was playing A minor, then he played the same A minor down the neck. and he said he played them in different modes. So that's why i was confused and would like to know more from you guys.

Could he meant that he was playing A minor in different variations?

EDIT: LOL, i thought modeman was like another one of those modes scales.

[B3Wannabe]

...maybe "inversion" was meant.

[E-Phrygian]

back to chord structure

does it matter which of the six strings should be tonic, or third or fifth??

[JayP5150]

B3's right.  He probably meant inversion, not mode.  You got to take into consideration that the guy you were watching is Swedish, or something.  Lost in translation, maybe?

As far as inversions, it really doesn't matter where the tonic is on the neck.  It is going to change the voicing of your chord, and you may write it different on a lead sheet.  For instance...

--8---
--10--
--9---
--10---
---x--
---x--

...the above is an Am.  The lowest note voiced is the 3rd, C.  It's still just a plain ol' Am, but you may want to write it as an Am/C, if that's the flavor you want.  Let's say you are playing with a bassist or pianist, and you want them to play the C root, you would write it as above, if you just want them to play an A root, just write Am.  It's the same chord regardless, it just depends on where you want your bassline/melody to go.

[E-Phrygian]

hey guys, i found a few chords interesting, would appreciate if you can explain it's structures/properties.

C#m for example, and F#m what the hell are these?

[JayP5150]

Any minor chord is just a major chord with a flatted 3rd.  

C#m is the triad C# E G# (major would be C# F G#.  See? The 3rd is just flatted a half-step.)

F#m is the triad F# A C# (same here, the major is F# A# C#, just flat the 3rd for a minor)

[E-Phrygian]

thanks and well come back JayP,

i think i've written this brilliant song, it's not fully complete yet, but i've already written most of it's layouts, i'll try and post it somewhere for you to download once it's fully complete and recorded!!!!!!


-Phrygian