How To Build Guitar Chords

[IndersGrowl]

Finally someone speaking my language! Thanks for the video!

[okability1]

dude im just scratching my head during the whole video..

[cffgamboa]

Found your lesson to be extremely useful and enlightening, but I am having difficulty understanding how chords with extensions are built on the guitar, aside from their formula. Which notes are duplicated (ie 1st, 3rd, 5th or sometimes 8th)? When is one to usethe high 3rd or low 3rd (or 5th)? Thanks once again.

[HenfieldWill]

@cffgamboa Understood. There's no absolute formula here. Just find the combination of notes that suit the fingering and the stretch of your fingers. No point, for example, in picking out a pattern where there's a huge stretch between the fingers - choose appropriate notes that make the chord... :-)

[JohnDavis45]

Thanks for posting, I think this may well help me if I watch it enough times!! If it were slower giving more time to absorb the info....twood have been better from this end, and if I do eventually grasp it ....I have to transfer the info to my fretboard that is different to yours :(

[Amkies]

Thank you, you'r a great teacher!!

[Jar0mir]

audio captions made me lol 1:03 c shop, 1:07 and can also be called d flaps so in this kind of see these black notes have two names

[HenfieldWill]

@Jar0mir I think your hearing must be defective....

[Jar0mir]

@HenfieldWill no, thats what automatic automatic audio captions said (dunno why i have that turned on)

[HenfieldWill]

@Jar0mir Good grief - I didn't know such things as automatic audio captions existed! :-)

[Jar0mir]

@HenfieldWill go to your account settings and click on playback setup, then turn on "always show automatic captions" for fun in all kinds of videos; its NEVER right



[renbla]

Finally I understand. Great video, great explanation. Thanks.

[oceanofdarknesse]

does a major 7 chord use the 7th note in the scale or the flattened 7th note in the scale? coz almost all instructional videos on youtube are showing it as the 7th note and not as the flattened 7th note as you are showing it. i am damn confused. please clarify!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HenfieldWill]

@oceanofdarknesse The video doesn't include major 7th chords. The only 7th chords it deals with are the basic 7th and the minor 7th. The basic 7th chord comprises the 1st, 3rd, 5th and flattened 7th notes of the scale. The minor 7th chord comprises the 1st, flattened 3rd, 5th and flattened 7th notes of the scale. The "major 7th" chord comprises the 1st, 3rd, 5th and natural 7th notes of the scale. D major 7th is written as "DM7" - D 7th is written as "D7" - D minor 7th is written as "Dm7". :-)

[oceanofdarknesse]

thanks for the clarification! i didnt know that there was a ''basic 7th chord'' for a key. but what i want to know is whether the ''basic 7 th'' is a scale in itself justifying and vis-a-vis the captioned terminology and whether there is a corresponding ''basic'' chord pattern for all such extensions i.e. for 9th, 11th and 13th which differ from the major 9th, major 11th and major 13th chords?

[HenfieldWill]

@oceanofdarknesse The problem often arises because of the naming of the 7th chord. D7th, for example, should strictly speaking be called "D flattened 7th" - because the 7th note of the scale is flattened. Similarly, DM7 should really just be called "D7th" - because it uses the natural 7th note of the scale - but custom and usage have decreed that's the way it is! Ironically, D major 9th is usually just known as D9 - they're the same chord. But D flattened 9th is a different chord again! :-)

[oceanofdarknesse]

ok thanks a lot! but where do i get all the comprehensive information about all these chord types and the kinds of ''transgressions'' and ''misnomers'' as experienced in the case of 7th chords? any link or reference that you can suggest? thanks again for your explanations!

[HenfieldWill]

@oceanofdarknesse Couldn't say! It's just stuff I've picked up from general playing in bands and reading over the years... :-)

[robban97swe]

Hey, I was looking for a scale without minor or major, like just "G scale", but on every lesson they shows G minor. Is there any clear scale without minor and major? And also, when I was going to make my own D minor chord I took open (D) , 2nd fret on G (A), 3rd fret on B (D) and second fret of high E. But then I realised that they had the same notes, D and D minor, please help.

Great lesson, I knew how to build minor chords before but hadn't any idea how to build all the others;)

[DiCola119]

I understand it now (mostly), Thank you SO much! I am having trouble with chords such as C and G though. 1-3-5 of C on the major scale turns out to be C-E-G, yet we place our fingers on C-E-C......Also for G, the 1-3-5 or the Gmaj scale turn out to be G-B-D yet we use three of out fingers to push down G-B-G. I'm just getting into music theory, so I'm probably missing something very obvious. Thank you!

[SuperJeremiah333]

@DiCola119 Not at all - you're missing something very very very obvous! A C chord has C on the 5th string, E on the 4th string, and G on the OPEN 3rd string (we don't need to fret a string if it plays the note we want open! There's a second C on the 2nd string and a second E on the 1st string - and if you want a second G you can fret the 6th string at the 3rd fret and play a 4 finger chord.

Ditto with a G chord - the D note is on the open 4th string - or have I misunderstood your question?

[DiCola119]

@SuperJeremiah333 Thank you! Your right, it was very obvious. I overlooked the open strings. Now it all makes sense.

[VODKASOLO]

YOU ARE A GENIUS TEACHER. THANKS A LOT

[crash06krt99]

Wow!I cannot believe how much this strengthened my playing.Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge and talent with the world.much peace and love..........crash

[mexrilla]

You sir, are a great teacher. This pretty much summed up all the "important" chords that are used, now you should post a video for suspended chords.

[Danelectro63]

Many many thanks! Very helpful.

[alanmaxx]

thank you very much this was very helpful.

[element1988]

hmm i have a question. Would a chord with a root, 5th and 9th be a sus2? or something else?

[HenfieldWill]

@element1988 They're two chords with the same notes really. If the 2nd note of the scale is on the top of the chord - say an A fretted on the 5th fret and with the B note sounded - then I'd call that A9. However, if I was playing a standard A in root position, and took my finger off the C# note on the 2nd string - to play the open B - then I'd call that a sus2. "The prominent" note in the A9 is the top B - but the B note in the Asus2 is less prominent and gives the chord its unresolved quality.

[trashboxfilms]

i really dony get it

like since the formula for minor is 1 3b 5

and for Dm those notes would be DFA

on the Dm diagram there are the notes

but what order are you supposed to put them on the fretboard? Cause on the diagram, it just looks like the notes are randomly put on the fretboard. Do you get my question?

[HenfieldWill]

@trashboxfilms The notes D, F and A are not randomly put. Note D can be played on 2nd string/3rd fret or open 4th string in the root position. Note F is 1st string/1st fret or 4th string/3rd fret or 6th string/1st fret in the root position. Note A is 3rd string/2nd fret or open 5th string in the root position. These aren't random - - they exist in those positions because of the tuning of the guitar. How you play them and in what combination is up to you.

[jj00005577]

thanks for this video!

[cazybass75]

Many thanks Will. Very clear and straightforward, Nothing to frighten the horses!

[coolskaterlikeice]

i get it but i dont get it ): why do all the chords start at #F and then after the third letter is starts wiht adifferent letter? why?

[HenfieldWill]

Before most of the chord diagrams, the screen shows all the possible notes in the scale of D major. The first (lowest) note on the guitar fretboard in a D major string just happens to be the F# on the bass string. So, in many full root chords in the key of D, the F#3 note will appear first. But you don't have to play it! If you were playing chords in the key of E, the first note you'd meet for most of the chords would be the open E on the 6th string but the chords themselves use different notes.

[kindsamar]

Simple, concise, easy to understand.

Thank you very much Will for taking the time and effort to help those afraid of the dreaded theory

[francusfasteye]

Fly Will Chevereeeee!!!! Muy Buena explicación!!! Realmente me quito el sombrero!!! Greetings from Peru. Byeeeee!!!!!! Buena Voz!!!

[cardigansarecool]

I have a quick question. When playing power chords, you have sharp and flat notes, like G flat for example. Is there a way to play that chord not in the barre chord shape but in an open way? So as to be more jangly? Thanks for any help.

[HenfieldWill]

Yes - identify the notes of the chord you want to play, find them on the fretboard in positions which allow you to play as many of them as possible without using the barré - and away you go. Remember that you don't always have to play 6 string chords - 3, 4 and 5 string chords can be as effective providing you avoid discordant notes. :-)

[cardigansarecool]

@HenfieldWill

oh I see. so try to find the notes using different finger placements? got it. that helps. i just find it hard to keep it from sounding shril. Like a G major shape open and power chord are fine, but then on G flat I can only use a barre chord. Moving down one fret obviously doesn't work with open chords like it does with power chords. But I'll try some things out. Thanks for your time.

[cazybass75]

tHANKS VERY MUCH MATE VERY USEFUL.

[xXTeneciousKXx]

Ok, so i know how to form triads. How do you apply that to the fretboard? How do you know which notes go first on the fretboard, like in CMaj. root C, 3rd E, 5th G. how do you know which notes come first? is there a particular order that the root, 3rd, and 5th go on the fretboard? im really confused, could someone help me?

[HenfieldWill]

The order or "shape" of the chords - and its place on the fretboard - depend on several factors: the possible melody line, or bass line, the ease of movement from one chord to another, the particular sound you want. The point of the video is to give you an insight of how chords are formed - so that you don't always have to rely on diagrams in books... :-)

[ihypno]

your going to want to look up inversions on that.. basicly .. a cmaj is .. CEG.. c being the lowest note in the chord.. however .. you can do .. ECG or CGE or any other form.. it will always still be a Cmaj

[masterman3178]

im taking guitar lessons now and this is what i dont understand how chords are built and can look at a chart and play a chord but my instruter handed me a sheet with all kinds of letters on it going up and down right and left on the fret board what d all those mean and how does one note say a C corrospond with the other notes i dont get it.

[Splurgendii]

are the 7 and 9th notes necessary for making 11 and 13ths? In other words, just as 1-3-5-7-9-11 = major 11, does 1-3-5-11 = major 11???

[astrotravelin]

thank you!!

[astrotravelin]

but, what determines what F i will use with what D ect...thats what confuses me. does this make any sense?

please help..

[HenfieldWill]

Well, the combination of notes you use to construct the chord you want depends on all sorts of things, such as the ease of playing, whether the chord shape flows neatly into the next one, how you want the chord sequence to sound, whether the melody line of the tune is emphasised by the chord shape or not. So, if you were playing a C major followed by an A minor, there would have to be a reason to play a barred C on the 8th fret and an Am down by the nut - for example... :-)

[smithfam4]

how would you flaten F# in the d minor scale? i dont get it because F# is not in the d minor scale.

[HenfieldWill]

F# is the 3rd note of the D major scale. Flattening it to F means that D major (D-F#-A) becomes D minor (D-F-A). So, you start with the major scale each time, and use the note combinations to create the chord. 1+3+5 = major triad. 1+b3+5 = minor triad; 1+3+5+b7 = 7th chord; 1+3+5+6 = 6th chord - and so on. :-)

[smithfam4]

i dont get it =' (

[MohamedTheWise]

Really thanks form the best part in my heart u are an excellent teacher and that was absolutly amazing, thanks again

Keep on

[Gravitron89]

Very very useful video! I've been playing guitar by ear for many years now and this has conglomerated all those understanding I had together. You're a king.

[Finkldorkin]

So if an altered chord is either a chord that has a sharp 9, flat 9, sharp 5 or flat 5, then would that make augmented/diminished chords altered chords?

or is this just another case of "same chord different name"?

[americanfighter13]

great ur from luara croft right u sound like it

[souljiro]

amazing this has helped me so much thank you!

[ameetkushwaha]

i heartly appriciate u. the begineer like me can gain alot about guitar..

thanx a lot

[RokinDoc]

simply amazing.....

very helpful.

[JudysTv]

This made no sense to me! D:

[HenfieldWill]

Then I can't help you.:-)

[Jean1juan]

how do i keep all this in my head.

do all notes have the same scale pattern.

what notes make up a scale for any chord

[Splurgendii]

all scales have the same shape across the next, whether it's c, eb, f#, g, doesn't matter.

[SK3Nives]

That definately helped me understand this stuff a little better, it may talk me a while to have it down as second nature though, but this is a great explanation thank you

[maryannemay]

THANK YOU

YOU ARE A VERY GOOD TEACHER

[dannyl28]

Awesome! Finally I get a lesson from a guy who actually knows what he is talking about

[Velocitor071]

I sincerely appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Thank you!

[maxsmodels]

Finally! SOmeone has made sense of this.  Thankyou!

[jbirsner]

Thank you . Oh so clear. Great graphics. Very appreciative of your teaching efforts.

[flixo92]

this guy is such a legend

[pinkguitar9]

excellent. just what i needed. simple and straight, using fretboard chart. chords much easier to construct on piano. this really helps visualize on guitar. thankyou!

[WRRA]

dude it was really helpful, like a lot, hop e you liek shown it on an actual fretboard and teh sound corresponding to th e chord....but helpful nun d less!

[buffenuf]

Thanks, I appreciate the clear explanation!

[HenfieldWill]

I think a little basic theory helps everybody - it just depends on the individual as to when they want to do it. Glad it helped you! :-)

[Scriptednow]

I cant stand not understanding why something is the way it is. I cant stand learning for example a 9th chord out of a book with no theory explanation about why it is the shape that it is. This is extremely helpful(especially if you have to know the inner workings of things, like me) and very easy to understand. Finally a person who can explain this clearly.

[guitarristaeluli]

Why you are a very clear presentator.

[superknight660]

i didnt understand squat i watched this vid for nthing i wanted to find out how to make notes to make new song but i didnt uderstand anything on this vid im gonna make a band soon and i only have like 2 o 3 songs without lyrics i just need someone to help me give a bunch of cool note to make a bunch of rock songs and punk rock

[HenfieldWill]

Well, it's not about song writing or chord sequences - it's explaining the theory of how individual chords are made. You can learn chords from a book quite easily - this just demonstrates why chords have the notes that they have! No more and no less.

[cyrus0717]

You are a hero! haha! I'll be honest I don't quite get all the theory yet, but I've only watched the video once! I've been playing for 2 years now and I feel that I haven't progressed as much as I should have but thanks to your vids I will def be able to take my playing to the next level! Thank you!!!

[rnrhc10]

Hi Will,

Thanks for this theoratic vid. It was very usefull to me.

Are or were you by any chance a (school)teacher?

If not, you missed a chance. You do explain very good.

Greetingzzz

Rob

The Netherlands

[HenfieldWill]

Hi Rob - I've not been a teacher by profession, but I have taught guitar - and lectured on information theory in a university... :-)

[crguitar411]

Very useful WIll

thanks a bunch mate

[julianfoxall]

Will, you are a very generous man to put so much time and effort into helping us beginners.. Thanks.

[jessyquedens]

Yes, your graphics are always nice.

[jameswp46]

Thanks Will, that was very well explained.

It should help a lot of folks.