SHYAMPARIWAAR SANGEET KALA KENDRA

MURADNAGAR

PERFECT PLACE FOR MUSIC LEARNERS

The Guitar Book

(English & Hindi)
VIKRANT SINGH
SHYAMPARIWAAR SANGEET KALA KENDRA
INTRODUCTION

OF

GUITAR

A
Handbook
for the
Guitar Beginner
Courseat
SHYAMPARIWAAR
SANGEET KALA
KENDRA

VIKRANT SINGH
Inspiring teacher and music
PARTS OF ACOUSTIC GUITAR

• Head / Headstock
• Tuning Keys
• Tuning Pegs
• Neck
• Nut
• Fretboard / Fingerboard
• Frets
• Position Markers / Fretboardmarks
• Sound Hole
• Sound Box / Body
• Pick Guard
• Rosette
• Waist
• Upper Bout / Lower Bout
• Saddle
• Bridge
• Bridge Pins
• Belt Pins
• Strings
• Pick / Plec / Plectrum
 learn the parts of the guitar.
The major parts of the guitar are discussed in terms of its body:

the top of the guitar is the “head”,

the fingerboard/fretboard is on the “neck” and the soundhole is usually centered in the “body”.

The tuners are usually made of metal or tortoise shell. The tuners are wound counter-clockwise from
their positions on the head when strung.

The nut is white plastic piece at the bottom of the head. The nut is the starting point of the string that
produces a note when plucked. The ending point is the saddle, which is the white plastic piece in the
center of the bridge. For instance, the first string in a standard tuning is an “E” note (it is also referred
to as the “E” string).

The face of the neck is called the fretboard. The frets are the spaces between the fret wires on the
fretboard.

The space between the nut and the first fret wire is the 1st fret. When you press the E string on the 1st
fret, you shorten the length of the string that vibrates, creating a higher pitch (the “F” note).

The position markers are usually found on the fretboard and on the side of the neck. These are dots
which indicate the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th and 17th frets on an acoustic guitar.

The soundhole allows the sound to project from the body.

The pickguard is designed to protect the body from being scratched. Not all guitars have pickguards,
but when you look at the holes in the body of Willie Nelson’s guitar you can see why they are
important.

The bridge is the wooden piece attached to the center of the body. The bridge anchors the strings to
the body of the guitar either with pegs or through holes in the bridge

Truss Rod

A truss rod is a long, adjustable piece of metal that is mounted inside the neck and runs the length of
the neck, helping to keep it from bending under the tension of the strings. A properly adjusted truss
rod is essential to any good setup and helps to eliminate things like fret buzz, intonation issues, and
other playability problems.

Cutaway (F)
The cutaway allows a player to more easily reach the highest fret positions on the neck.

Upper Bout (G)

The upper bout is the part of the guitar body that is nearest the neck.

Lower Bout (H)

The lower bout is the largest part of the guitar that is nearest to the string termination at the bridge.
 Why posture matters.(position)
When you start learning to play the guitar, posture may be the last thing on your
mind. However, when you use correct techniques from the beginning, you have
a solid foundation to build on as you advance.

Most guitarists focus on the fingerwork, but how you position your back,
shoulders, feet, and arms. When your body is cramped, enjoying your practice
time is hard. Your playing usually reflects your feelings. When you feel
uncomfortable, the songs may sound stiff and stilted.

The correct guitar position may seem a bit awkward at first. However, your
back, arms, and legs will thank you later. You can prevent injuries and make
your guitar sing when you hold your guitar correctly.

Casual vs. classical positioning.

If you move from an acoustic guitar to a classical one, you may notice that the
playing style is very different. The fretboard size is different, the type of strings
is different, and you hold the guitar differently. Let’s take a closer look at the
casual and classical guitar positions.

Casual position

Many electric and acoustic guitar players choose the casual position. This position has fewer
guidelines than the classical position. Here are some tips for holding the guitar in the casual
position:

 Keep your back straight.

 Tuck the guitar under your elbow. (But don’t hug the guitar.)

 If sitting, you can rest the guitar on your dominant side. So, if you are right-handed, rest the guitar
on your right leg.

 Hold the body of the guitar in a slightly horizontal position.

 Keep your feet flat on the floor.

 The thumb often reaches over the fretboard for fingerstyle guitar playing.
Classical position

For the classical position, standing is not an option. There are also strict guidelines for how
you should sit. Here are some tips for holding a guitar in a classical position:

 Keep your back straight and sit on the edge of the chair.

 Relax your shoulders and keep them straight.

 Use a footstool or guitar foot support to raise your left foot.

 Rest the guitar body on your left leg (if you are right-handed).

 The guitar head should be level with your head.

 Hold the neck of the guitar at a 45-degree angle.

 The thumb never reaches over the fretboard.

Casual Position Classical Position

 Holding the Pick
Find, buy or borrow some guitar picks. You can experiment with different
shapes and brands, but most people use medium gauge picks to start. Hold a
pick in your dominant hand as shown in this photo. Be sure the pointed end of
the pick is pointing directly away from your fist, and is out about a half an inch.
I usually hold the pick closer to the end of my thumb. Hold the pick firmly.

When learning to hold your guitar pick, keep in mind these three things:

 Pay attention to your thumb. You want the pick to come out from the side of your
thumb, not the tip.
 Place your guitar pick well. A centimeter or so of the pick should be coming out from
your finger.
 Hold your pick as lightly as you can without it falling out of your fingers. The light
grip will help keep your arm relaxed.

Follow the two steps below to master your pick position:

Step 1 - Place the pick on finger 1. Its point should follow the direction of your
finger - the pick should point out the top of it.

Step 2 - Place your thumb on top so that the pick is coming out of the side of
your thumb.
 Tuning the Guitar
Standard Tuning

Before you begin playing, you must also know how the frets and strings are numbered (See Figure
Below). The strings are numbered from the lightest (thinnest) to the heaviest (thickest). So the
thinnest string is the 1st string and the thickest is the 6th string. A guitar in standard tuning is tuned to
E-A-D-G-B-

E. In other words, 6th string - Low E, 5th string -A , 4th -D, 3rd -G, 2nd -B, 1st - High E. Look at the
diagram to find out how the frets are numbered. The 0 fret is also the open note on each string.

To tune your guitar, you only need to have one string tuned to any note, as long as you know which
one it is. This is known as the reference point. Once you have this, tuning the rest of the strings is
easy. There are various ways to find the reference point. You can use any of the following methods to
tune one string or all your strings.

Piano/Keyboard: A keyboard is an excellent way to tune your guitar. Just tune the strings by matching
them with their respective keys. The piano diagram covers one octave while the guitar diagram covers
two octaves.

Electronic Tuner: Allows you to tune the guitar string by measuring the frequency of the string.
Some tuners have a switch for each string while others are chromatic. The chromatic tuner will
identify the note you are playing and will indicate whether you are below the pitch (flat) or above the
pitch (sharp).

What is the Correct Tuning for a Guitar?

Here are some quick tips on how to correctly tune a guitar step by step:

Start by tuning the low E String. Next, tune the A String. Tune the D String.
Do the G String. Tune the B String. Tune the High E String. Play a chord to
check that all of the strings are in tune. If any strings sound off, retune them.
 ACOUSTIC GUITAR STRINGS
A guitar string is a string made of a particular material, typically, gut, nylon or
steel, which is spanned over a wooden instrument or an instrument which has
magnetic or piezoelectric pickups. The purpose of the string is to vibrate and
produce a particular musical note.

E – ELEPHANT ( 6 STRING ) LOW ( BASS )

A – AND ( 5 STRING ) ( BASS )
D – DOG ( 4 STRING ) ( BASS )
G – GOD ( 3 STRING ) ( TREBLE )
B – BLESS ( 2 STRING ) (TREBLE )
E – EVERYTHING ( 1 STRING )HIGH ( TREBLE )
 GUITAR TABLATURE

Guitar tablature, usually referred to as “tab”, is a method of notating music that

empowers beginner guitarists to learn songs quickly and easily. Guitar tabs
share similarities with music staff notation by showing you what notes to play,
how long to play them, and what techniques to use.

T – TREBLE
A – AND
B – BASS

TREBLE STRINGS – E HIGH , B , G

BASS STRINGS – D , A , E LOW

0 – OPEN PLAY THAT STRING

X – DON’T PLAY THAT STRING
NUMBER – PUT AND PLAY ON THAT FRET ( NUMBER IS DESCRIBING FRET )
BAR ( MEASURE) & BARLINES
In musical notation, a bar (or measure) is a segment of music bounded by
vertical lines, known as bar lines (or barlines), usually indicating one of more
recurring beats. The length of the bar, measured by the number of note values it
contains, is normally indicated by the time signature.

A DOUBLE BAR LINE (OR DOUBLE BAR)

It’s a consists of two single bar lines drawn close together, separating
two sections within a piece, or a bar line followed by a thicker bar line,
indicating the end of a piece or movement.

A REPEAT SIGN (OR, REPEAT BAR LINE)

Its looks like the music end, but it has two dots, one above the other, indicating
that the section of music that is before is to be repeated.
 THE TIME SIGNATURE
The time signature indicates how many counts are in each
measure and which type of note will receive one count. The top
number is commonly 2, 3, 4, or 6. The bottom number is either
4 or 8. Simple time signatures divide music into groups of 2 and
compound divide music into groups of 3.

This time signature gives us three beats per measure, with the quarter note
getting one beat. It's the signature behind the graceful waltz and many folk and
pop songs. If you count a rhythmic one-two-three, one-two-three, you're feeling
the sway of the 3/4 time.
 NOTE VALUE

A note value indicates the relative duration of a note, using the texture or shape
of the notehead, the presence or absence of a stem, and the presence or absence
of flags/beams/hooks/tails. Unmodified note values are fractional powers of
two, for example one, one-half, one fourth, etc.

5 COMMON NOTE VALUE IN MUSIC

1. A whole note is a single note that covers the entirety of a four-beat measure in a bar
2. A half note is a single note that covers half of a four beat measure in a bar
3. A quarter note is a single note that covers one quarter of a four beat measure in a bar
4. An eighth note covers one-eighth of a four beat measure in a bar
5. An Sixteenth Note Cover one sixteenth of a four beat measure in a bar
 MUSIC RHYTHM
Rhythm is the pattern of sound, silence, and emphasis in a song.
 RHYTHM

Tempo - the pace or speed at which a section of music is played

Beat - the basic unit of time, the pulse (regularly repeating event), of the

mensural level (or beat level).

Phrasing - the method by which a musician shapes a sequence of notes in a

passage of music to allow expression

Ostinato - short melodic phrase repeated throughout a composition, sometimes

slightly varied or transposed to a different pitch.

Length of Note – its like a note value of a note that how long or short a note

sound or sustain.

Time Signature – Two Numbers at the beginning of the music that determine

the number and type of beats in a bar of music.

Accents – an emphasis, stress, or stronger attack placed on a particular note or

set of notes, or chord, either as a result of its context or specifically indicated by

an accent mark.
 Compared to surrounding notes:

 A dynamic accent or stress accent is an emphasis using louder sound or stronger

sound; typically most pronounced on the attack of the sound.

 A tonic accent is an emphasis on notes by virtue of them being higher in pitch, as

opposed to higher in volume.

 An agogic accent is an emphasis by virtue of notes being longer in duration

 METRONOME
Metronome is Device that help keep steady time when practicing music. A song generally
needs to keep a steady tempo (think speed), otherwise it will sound rushed, dragged, or
otherwise chaotic. The pulse is measured in BPM (beats-per-minute).

The metronome was invented by Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel in

Amsterdam in 1812. A man called Johann Maelzel copied Winkel's
ideas and improved them. He made a small, portable metronome
which was patented in 1816. The metronome made it possible for a
composer to show the performer what speed he wanted.

FRETBOARD NOTES READING

 Chromatic Scale
A chromatic scale includes all 12 notes in a standard octave. This may seem confusing at first
because the definition of an octave is an 8-note scale where the 1st note and the 8th note are
the same pitch. For example, in a standard “C” scale, the 1st note and the 8th note of that
scale would both be “C”.
However, a chromatic scale includes every half-note step in between the two “C’s”. A “#”
symbol means sharp and a “b” symbol means flat or ½ step above or below the whole tone
respectively, so the chromatic scale from “C” to “C” is:

C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C

A half-step above E is F and a half-step above B is C, so there is no E#/Fb or a B#/Cb. Below

the notes of the fretboard are diagramed. Notice that by the time you get to the 5th fret of
each string, you are overlapping the notes of the next string.

Major Scale
I mentioned the octave in the explanation of the chromatic scale. Now I will explain how the eight
notes of the major scale are chosen. The major scale can start with any note on the chromatic scale.
This note is known as the root note. In order to determine which notes are included in the scale we
follow this pattern: W-W-H-W-W-W-H (W - Whole Step, H - Half Step). This gives you an eight-
note scale of Root -2-3-4-5-6-7-Octave, where the octave is a higher pitch of the same note.

For example, in the “C” scale, we would choose the following notes from the chromatic scale:

Root 2 3 4 5 6 7 Octave
Root W W H W W W H
C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C

So, the “C” scale is C,D,E,F,G,A,B and C. This is the easiest key to remember because it has no
sharps or flats

G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G

Then we use our pattern to choose the notes of the G major scale:

Root 2 3 4 5 6 7 Octave
Root W W H W W W H
G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G

The key of G has one sharp expressed as F#, because we already have a G note represented in the scale.
 WHAT IS MUSIC THEORY?

Music theory is a practice musicians use to understand and communicate the language of music.
Musical theory examines the fundamentals of music. It also provides a system to interpret musical
compositions.

For example, basic music theory defines the elements that form harmony, melody, and rhythm. It
identifies compositional elements such as song form, tempo, notes, chords, key signatures, intervals,
scales, and more. It also recognizes musical qualities such as pitch, tone, timbre, texture, dynamics,
and others.

HOW TO LEARN MUSIC THEORY?

Music theory is a complex and extensive subject. There are several practices, disciplines, and
concepts.

Best to learn music fundamentals first before exploring advanced music theory. The building blocks
that form musical compositions include:

 Harmony
 Melody
 Rhythm
Solidly understanding these three core elements will help you learn basic music theory.

WHAT IS HARMONY IN MUSIC?

 Harmony is when multiple notes or voices play simultaneously to produce a new
sound. The combined sounds in harmonies complement one another and sound
pleasing.

 Chords and chord progressions are examples of harmony. A chord has three or more
notes that play at the same time. The chords and chord progressions in a piece of
music support or complement the melody.

 Combining vocal parts also creates harmony. The combined voices of a choir are a
perfect example. The multiple voices that make up a choir blend to make a
harmonious sound.

 However, not all harmonies are pleasing to our ear. There are two main types of
harmony: dissonant and consonant .

 Dissonant harmony adds notes that do not sound pleasant when played together. The
result adds tension and makes the chord sound unstable. This tension releases by
resolving to consonant chords. Dissonant interval examples are seconds, sevenths, and
ninths.

 Consonant harmony sounds stable and pleasing. All the notes in a consonant chord
have intervals that play nicely together. Constant chords also transition smoothly with
one another in a progression. Consonant interval examples are unison, thirds, fifths,
and octaves.

Musicians combine consonant and dissonant harmonies to make the music more exciting and intriguing.
 WHAT IS MELODY IN MUSIC?

 Melody is a succession of notes or voices arranged into a musical phrase. A song’s

melody is often the most memorable and recognizable part.
 Melodies can be created with instruments or vocals. They have two or more notes in a
sequence that sound musically pleasing. Most compositions consist of multiple
melodies that repeat.
 The two primary elements of a melody are pitch and rhythm :
 Pitch is the audio vibration produced by an instrument or voice. It’s how high or low a
note will sound. Arranging these pitches in a series creates a melody.
 Rhythm or duration is the length each pitch will sound. These durations are divided
into beat divisions like whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, triplets, etc.
 Melodies also have two types of melodic motion: conjunct or disjunct .
 Conjunct motion is when notes move by whole or half steps. Conjunct is also the most
natural and comfortable to play and sing. There are shorter leaps between notes.
 Disjunct motion has larger leaps between notes. Large interval leaps between notes
can make the melody difficult to play or sing. Disjunct motion is also less memorable
and smooth sounding.
 Musicians combine conjunct and disjunct motion to give melodies more variation and
interest.

WHAT IS RHYTHM IN MUSIC?

Rhythm is an essential element of music with more than one meaning. For example:
Rhythm is a recurring movement of notes and rests (silences) in time. It’s the human perception of
time.
Rhythm also describes a pattern of strong and weak notes or voices that repeat throughout a song.
These patterns can be created with drums, percussion, instruments, and vocals.

THE BASIC ELEMENTS THAT COMPRISE MUSICAL RHYTHM INCLUDE:

 Beat – A repeating pulse that underlies a musical pattern

 Meter – A specific pattern of strong and weak pulses
 Time Signature – The number of beats per measure
 Tempo (BPM) – Indicates how fast or slow a piece of music plays
 Strong and Weak Beats – Strong beats are the downbeats, and weak
beats are the offbeats between the downbeats
 Syncopation – Rhythms that accent or emphasize the offbeats
 Accents – Refers to the intensity or emphases placed on notes
 Understanding rhythm will help you create great harmonies and melodies.
 Also, the rhythm section or pulse propels a piece of music. It acts as the rhythmic
backbone for other musical elements
 THE BENEFITS OF MUSIC THEORY: WHY STUDY MUSIC THEORY?

Learning basic music theory is essential for enhancing creativity and developing musical awareness.
It’s a challenging but rewarding set of skills to learn.
Knowing how music works will make the music production process easier and help you become an
effective music producer.
Is learning music theory required? No. However, you can benefit from learning some aspects of music
theory.

For example, learning basic music theory will:

 Improve your musical development

 Help you understand how music works
 Help you break through creative blocks
 Make it easier to build chord progressions and melodies
 Help you make informed composition decisions
 Help you achieve expression and evoke emotion
 Improve your critical listening skills
 Speed up your workflow
 Improve your musical form skills
 Make it easy to communicate with other musicians
 Deepen your appreciation for music
 Improve your improvisation skills
 Improve your song arrangement skills
 Help you discover new creative possibilities

Note : Musical theory is not a set of rules or guidelines you must follow. It’s
only a tool to help you understand and explain how music works.

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC THEORY (MUSIC THEORY FOR DUMMIES)

This basic music theory for beginner’s guide examines the core music fundamentals. It also provides
insight into the basic building blocks of music that form harmony, melody, and rhythm.
 MUSICAL NOTES AND INTERVALS
Let’s start this music theory for beginner’s guide by going over harmony and melody. This section
describes all the available notes and the specific relationships between them.

THE MUSIC ALPHABET

Notes are the building blocks for all music. The musical alphabet consists of seven letters: A, B, C, D,
E, F, G . Each note has a unique pitch.

THE 12 KEYS OF MUSIC

There are 12 notes on the piano keyboard: A, A#/B♭, B, C, C#/D♭, D, D#/E♭, E, F, F#/G♭, G,
G#/A♭ .
The same 12 notes repeat upwards and downwards in octaves.

WHITE KEYS
The white keys on a piano play the “natural” notes in a scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, G .
Playing only white keys places you in either the key of C major or A minor.

BLACK KEYS
The black keys on a piano play the “flat” and “sharp” notes in a scale: A#/B♭, C#/D♭, D#/E♭,
F#/G♭, G#/A♭ .
Each note has a symbol: ♭ for flat and # for sharp. Playing a combination of white and black keys
allows you to write in all available key signatures.

INTERVALS
An interval is a distance between two notes. There are several intervals. Measure these intervals by
the number of half steps, whole steps, and their position in the scale.
 A half step interval is one semitone
 A whole step interval is two semitones
 Two half steps make a whole-step
 Intervals are also the foundation of both harmony and melody. Playing two or more
notes at the same time creates harmonic intervals (chords). Playing single notes in a
sequence makes melodic intervals (melodies).
 Furthermore, we describe intervals by number (distance) and prefix (quality). The
interval number represents the number of half-steps between two notes. These
numbers are 1st (unison), 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th (octave) .
 Lastly, intervals have using a prefix to describe their quality. The five interval
qualities are major (M), minor (m), perfect (P), augmented (A), and diminished (d) .
OCTAVES

Octaves are the next highest or lowest pitch of the same note. The interval between a note and a note
double its frequency is an octave. For example, an octave up from C1 on a piano is C2. An octave
down would be C0.
There are 12 semitones in the octave. These pitches repeat in the same order throughout the range of
human hearing.

KEY SIGNATURES

Key signatures tell you what notes in a scale are sharp (♯) or flat (♭). There are twelve key
signatures, each derived from the twelve available notes.
Key signatures also help identify the key of a song, which is the tonal center. For example, a song in
the key of A minor uses notes from the A minor scale.

MUSIC SCALES AND MODES

Musical scales form the building blocks of music. Understanding musical scales and their functions is
essential when learning basic music theory.

This section looks at the two most common scales, their scale degrees, and the seven music modes.
MUSIC SCALES

A music scale is a set of notes within an octave arranged by their pitch. The ascending or descending
interval relationships among the note pitches define each scale. Moreover, the notes from a scale form
melodies and harmonies.
There are several types of scales. However, the two main types are the major scale and the minor
scale. You can build both major and minor scales from any note. How you use them depends on the
pattern of intervals you use.

MAJOR SCALES

There are twelve possible natural major scales. Natural major scales are bright, uplifting, and happy
sounding.
The seven notes in all major scales follow the same interval pattern: W-W-H-W-W-W-H (whole-
whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half) .

MINOR SCALES

Natural minor scales are dark, sad, and emotional sounding. The seven notes in all minor scales
follow the same interval pattern: W-H-W-W-H-W-W (whole-half-whole-whole-half-whole-whole) .
There are twelve possible natural minor scales. In addition, there are three variations of the minor
scale: natural, harmonic, and melodic.

SCALE DEGREES

Each note of a scale has a specific name related to its function, called a scale degree. The name is the
function, and a number indicates its position on the scale.

There are seven scale degrees. These names apply to all major and minor scales. Learning more about
these functions takes us into advanced music theory. For now, it’s good to know the names:

 1st – Tonic

 2nd – Supertonic

 3rd – Mediant

 4th – Subdominant

 5th – Dominant

 6th – Submediant

 7th – Leading Tone

Music can create and release tension. The function of a scale degree relates to the amount of tension
created. It also helps you decide what note(s) should follow to resolve the tension.
Moreover, remembering the different pitches in major and minor scales is difficult. Referring to the
steps of the scale by numbers rather than notes makes it easier to remember.
MUSIC MODES

Musical modes are scales derived from a parent scale. There are seven music modes.

Each mode is a slight variation of a scale. They use all the same notes and interval patterns as the
parent scale.

The main difference is the root note used to build the scale. Starting a scale on a different note defines
the tonal center, giving it distinct melodic characteristics.

The seven musical modes are:

 I – Ionian (major scale)

 ii – Dorian (major scale starting on the 2nd degree)
 iii – Phrygian (major scale starting on the 3rd degree)
 IV – Lydian (major scale starting on the 4th degree)
 V – Mixolydian (major scale starting on the 5th degree)
 vi – Aeolian (natural minor scale or major scale starting on the 6th degree)
 vii – Locrian (major scale starting on the 7th degree)

Learning musical modes goes beyond basic music theory and is more advanced. However, getting
familiar with these terms and basic functions is helpful.

COUNTERPOINT
Counterpoint is the relationship between two or more melody lines played at the same time. These
melodies or voices work together to create pleasant-sounding harmonies.
The melodies that create counterpoint are dependent on each other to create harmony. However, they
are independent in rhythm and contour.

CHORDS AND CHORD EXTENSIONS

Chords are the harmonious building blocks of music. They evoke emotion and provide the foundation
for creating melodies.
Knowing how to build chords and how they interact with each other is essential when learning music
theory. This section looks at basic chord types, chord extensions, and inversions.
MUSICAL CHORDS

A chord is a combination of two or more notes played at the same time. They’re built off a single
starting note called the root.
You can create chords from all twelve notes. There are also four basic types of chords in music:

 Major – Has a major third and a perfect fifth above the root
 Minor – Has a minor third and a perfect fifth above the root
 Diminished – Has a minor third and a diminished fifth above the root
 Augmented – Has a major third and an augmented fifth above the root

The chords and chord progressions in a piece of music support or complement the melody.

TRIAD CHORDS
The most basic chords are triads. A triad is a chord made of three notes. Triads have a root note, a
third (four semitones above the root), and a perfect fifth (seven semitones above the root).
Triads are also the foundation for more complex chords. For example, you can create seventh and
ninth cords by adding notes above a tried.

SEVENTH CHORDS
A seventh chord adds a note above the basic triad. Seventh chords have a root note, a third, a perfect
fifth, and a seventh.
For example, a C major seventh has the notes: C–E–G-B. There are also five main types of seventh
chords: major, minor, dominant, diminished, and half-diminished.

MAJOR CHORDS

Major chords have a root note, a major third, and a perfect fifth. A chord with these three notes alone
is a major triad.
For example, a C major triad has the notes: C-E-G. You can also add notes to build more complex
chords.

MINOR CHORDS

Minor chords have a root note, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. A chord with these three notes alone
is a minor triad.
For example, a C minor triad has the notes C-E♭-G. You can also add notes to build more complex
chords.

DIMINISHED CHORDS

Diminished chords sound tense, dissonant, and dramatic. They have a root note, minor third, and a
diminished fifth (six semitones above the root).
For example, a C diminished triad has the notes: C-E♭-G♭.

AUGMENTED CHORDS
Augmented chords sound dissonant, unsettling, and mysterious. They have a root note, major third,
and an augmented fifth (eight semitones above the root).
For example, a C augmented triad has the notes: C–E–G#.
CHORD EXTENSIONS

Chord extension s are notes added to the basic triad beyond the seventh. These notes extend into the
next octave. There are four chord extensions: the 9th, 11th, and 13th .

Extended chords create a richer, more harmonically complex sound than basic major and minor triads.
They also provide additional voice leading possibilities, which makes chord progressions sound more
interesting.

CHORD INVERSIONS

Chord inversions are variations of the same chord. Transposing the bottom note in a chord to the next
octave creates an inversion.

There are two main chord inversions: first inversion and second inversion .
First Inversion – Transposes the root note up one octave. The third of the triad becomes the bass note.
Second Inversion – Transposes the inverted triad again. The fifth of the triad becomes the bass note.
Chord inversions add variation, excitement, and smoother transitions in chord progressions. The more
notes a chord has, the more possible inversions.

CHORD PROGRESSIONS

A chord progression or a harmonic progression is an ordered series of chords. Chord progressions

support both the melody and the rhythm. They also provide the foundation for creating harmony and
melody.
Moreover, the key determines the chords used in a progression. A progression can also consist of
major and minor chords.

ROMAN NUMERAL ANALYSIS

Roman numerals indicate the chords in a progression. They identify the musical key and the root note
for each chord. For example, “IV” means the chord is built on the fourth degree of a scale.
Uppercase Roman numerals represent major chords, while lowercase numerals represent minor
chords. For example, a chord progression in the key of C major would look like I-vi-IV-V (C-Am-F-
G).
Delving deeper into this topic goes beyond basic music theory. However, it helps to introduce this
numerical system.

VOICE LEADING

Voice leading is the linear movement between melodic lines or voices to create a single musical idea.
This technique focuses on the smooth movement of notes from one chord to the next using common
sounding tones.

Voice leading also minimizes the vertical and horizontal transitions between notes in a chord
progression or melody. These smaller moves sound more natural and pleasing.
When creating a chord progression, use harmonically related chords. They can share similar notes or
have inversions to make the stepwise motion smoother. For example, a C major chord and an A minor
chord both have the notes E and C.