Anyway I found this movie tutorial on YouTube and thought it would be great to share because the skill level sits where an intermediate guitarist can get something from it.

I thought I’d put together a guitar chord chart for all to take home with them from the site. I’ve put enough chords on the sheet to get you into trouble. I’ve gone through minor, major, 7th, minor 7th, major 7th, sus2 and sus 4 in the open position for A B C D E and G. I left out F and sharps as you would probably prefer to use barre chords also know as movable chord patterns. I’ve added these patterns to the chart as well. These Barre chords are listed for the E string and for the A string. The root note of the chord will indicate what the chord is. So, if you were to play the major movable chord at the third fret it would be a G major, at the fourth it would be a G# etc.

At the bottom of the chart there is a c add9 and then some blank guitar frames for you to add other if need be.

This image of the circle of fifths / cycle of fourths is reversed to most you will see. The Cycle of Fourths runs clockwise and the Cycle of Fifths runs anti-clockwise. It still all means the same this and is created in the same way. Notice as we cycle through the fourths that a flat is added on that side of the image. When practicing or writing in a contemporary or Jazz style it can be handy to cycle your chord progression around in the fashion of the cycle of fourths. Alternatively, you can go the other way for a more classical style. How many songs have been written with a chord progression that goes C - G - D and then the occasional A. You’re probably doing it and don’t even know why.

When you circle through the fifths what you are doing is starting the next Major Triad or scale on the Fifth increment of the previous. If you want a Jazz feel go the other way and play the fourth increment.

An easy way to remember the cycle or the circle is to know that the keys (without incidentals) are C at the top, F then BEAD G BEAD G in the direction of the cycle of fourths. The first BEAD G is all flat and the second is all natural.

The first model name we’ll look at is the IONIAN. This is the natural Major scale
C-D-E-F-G-A-B

Now, for example, If this scale is started on the D then the interval patten will change and give a different ‘flavour’. It is still a C Major pattern but it now starts on the second degree. Starting on the second degree will create D DORIAN.
D-E-F-G-A-B-C

Here is a complete list of MODES as taken from ‘The Original Guitar Case Scale Book’ By Peter Pickow

The seventh mode, Locrian, was avoided for centuries due to it’s truly weird flavor. The scale outlines a diminished chord, melodies written in Locrian never seem to come to rest. This is commonly used in jazz for soloing over half diminished chords.

As a bass player you’ll find that you may not use every note in these scales. One needs to be wary that their phrasing doesn’t create the tonal qualities of a chord other then the one that is suppose to be being outline. I recommend alway spending as much time as possible working around the notes of the chord that is being played, or that is trying to be expressed. Tonic notes will almost always produce consistency with a song or piece of music.

As guitarist, there is always some room for movement but in the same way a bass guitar will move around the tonic notes it is also advisable for a 6 string guitarist or pianist etc. to consider the same.

You can create a Minor scale by having a flat 3rd, 6th and 7th. This is a cumbersome approach and understanding the relative Minors is a simpler way to continue.

Every Major Scale has a corresponding ‘relative minor scale’ that shares the same key signature. It has a ‘modal’ name which is ‘Aeolian’. I’ll write a complete post about Modes and you’ll find that also under scale theory. Anyway, you can find the relative minor by starting your scale at the sixth degree. So, for a C Major you will have an A minor. By starting the C Major scale on the sixth degree (which is the 3rd down) you will have played an A Minor. Remember only plat the notes from the original Major scale.

Here is a chart showing relative minors:

Minor Triad: ROOT, m3, P5

So as for most chords we start with the root, then by playing the third of the major scale flat and the perfect 5th we have a minor triad.

As for any chord formation where the minor third shows in a pattern is irrelevant, as long as the bass or a chordal or melodic instrument does present it. If the minor third is not presented at any stage then there is nothing to indicate you have been on a minor triad. If you have played the the Major Third during the passage then you would have indicated it to be of the major variety.

Another way to look at this triad is too consider the minor scale being played from the root. You’ll find that the third is the naturally occurring one in that scale.

You see, a minor scale is created by having a Flat 3rd, 6th and 7th. You can also create a minor scale by considering the relative Minor scale mode to the Major.

Major Triad: ROOT, M3, P5

This is the 1st, 3rd and 5th of the major scale. It is a simple as that. On keyboard you may invert the chord to M3, P5, ROOT or P5,ROOT,M3 - these would be known as inversions. On guitar you may omit the 3rd in the first octave and play it in the second octave, it is also likely that you will repeat the ROOT and P5 an octave higher.

Things to know:
You will not always represent M3 in the first octave, and with ‘heavy distortion’ you will almost never use the 3rd in any octave.

It is important to understand Major Scale theory. Scale theory can get a little complex and complete knowledge of all scales is unnecessary for understand how chord is constructed.

During these chord examples that I will go through, a chord will be often referred to as a triad. Triad being a group of three notes that harmonise together.

Some Quick Major Scale Theory (start here):
A major scale is a group of 7 different notes and an octave. We can start on any note but for this example we’ll use C. When starting on C, creating a C major Scale there are no Sharps or Flats. So a C Major scale will run through like this

C Major - c,d,e,f,g,a,b,c

The formula for creating a major scale needs to be understood. Each increment of increasing pitch is called a half tone. For example: going from C to C# would be considered to be a Half Tone (also known as a half step). If we W to represent a Whole Tone or Whole Step (being two half tones or the step from a C to D) and H to represent a Half Tone or Half Step (the Step up from C to C#) we can create a Major Scale formula that looks like this:

Major Scale Formula: W-W-H-W-W-W-H

Here’s a chart to make it as clear as possible (note: we refer to first C in this scale as the ROOT):

The final thing that you need to know is that each note is represented in chord construction theory as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc or ROOT, 2,3,4,5,6,7. You’ll also need to know that when when we play the note as is ,without a flat or sharp, it will be accompanied by M or P, example M3 meaning the major third or P5 which is a perfect 5th). If a note is flat it will be represented as something like m3 - further examples will be included when it is pertinent do so.

With that information in hand you can start creating Chords on your own, with your instrument and without a chord chart. The best way to work through the knowledge would be with Keyboard or Piano.

I’ve done my best to keep all this information as simple as I can. Read through it a couple times and refer back to this post if required.

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