Making Chords Without Using Chord Charts

A thread on the Acoustic Guitar newsgroup inspired this tutorial about learning to make guitar chords -- in any position on the neck -- without using chord charts.


First Impressions Are Lasting Impressions

One of the very first things I did when I was learning to play guitar, was to learn to know all the notes that comprised the chords I was playing ... and that was done by learning what each note was on the fretboard -- with each string, for the first 5 frets ... and then with the high-E string, all the way up to the 12th fret.   THAT helped me in more ways than perhaps anything else I did in those early stages!

A Quick Note About Basic Chord Notation :

When I reference chords, I notate them by the order of the strings (fat to skinny : 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1) and the fretted positions.   A typical C chord, in the "1st position" is noted this way : 3 - 3 - 2 - 0 - 1 - 0 ... this way, no matter what tuning I'm using, and no matter what stringed instrument I'm playing (or making reference to), I have my own very simple and recognizable system for remembering the true chord position involved -- if a chord is played way up the neck, my notation may read something like this : 0 - 0 - 0 - 12 - 12 - 10 ... thus, there's no mistaking the exact fingering used!   In the above example, the 6th, 5th and 4th strings are played open, the 3rd and 2nd strings are fretted at the 12th fret and the 1st string is fretted at the 10th fret.

Learning the Notes On the Fretboard

The way I went about learning the notes on the fretboard was two-fold :

1. - Pure & Simple Memorization :   Starting with the 6th (low-E) string, play it open and say "E" ... then, play the 1st fret and say "F" ... next, play the 2nd fret and say "F# or G-flat" ... then, play the 3rd fret and say "G" ... play the 4th fret and say "G# or A-flat" ... play the 5th fret and say "A" ... and then, move on to the 5th (A) string and continue in the same manner.

Low-E String :
Open = E
1st Fret = F
2nd Fret = F# or G-flat
3rd Fret = G
4th Fret = G# or A-flat
5th Fret = A

A String :
Open = A
1st Fret = A# or B-flat
2nd Fret = B
3rd Fret = C
4th Fret = C# or D-flat
5th Fret = D

D String :
Open = D
1st Fret = D# or E-flat
2nd Fret = E
3rd Fret = F
4th Fret = F# or G-flat
5th Fret = G

G String :
Open = G
1st Fret = G# or A-flat
2nd Fret = A
3rd Fret = A# or B-flat
4th Fret = B

B String :
Open = B
1st Fret = C
2nd Fret = C# or D-flat
3rd Fret = D
4th Fret = D# or E-flat
5th Fret = E

High-E String :
Open = E
1st Fret = F
2nd Fret = F# or G-flat
3rd Fret = G
4th Fret = G# or A-flat
5th Fret = A
6th Fret = A# or B-flat
7th Fret = B
8th Fret = C
9th Fret = C# or D-flat
10th Fret = D
11th Fret = D# or E-flat
12th Fret = E

2. - Making Mental Notes While Playing :

To add to the above exercise, whenever I played a chord, I would think about the notes that were being played.   For example, if I was playing a basic C chord in the first position -- 3-3-2-0-1-0 -- I would think .. "G - C - E - G - C - E."   Even now, after 30+ years of playing, I can't help recognizing the notes of any chord I play ... it's instinctive now ... effortless ... and it's priceless!

Building Chords On Your Own

You start learning how to build chords by applying what is called the "1 - 3 - 5" principle - a basic triad.   "1 - 3 - 5" is a reference to the basic notes necessary to any major chord ... "1" being the root (or name of the chord), "3" being the 3rd note up from that (harmony) and "5" being the 5th note up.   For example, if you want a C chord, "C" is the root or "1" ... counting upwards (C - D - E - F - G), the "3" is "E" and the "5" is "G" ... so now you know, to make a C chord you need C, G and E notes.   Knowing the notes on your fretboard takes care of the rest -- wherever you can get those three notes together (anywhere on the fretboard) you can make a C chord -- and there are MANY variations to be found!   NOTE :   You can arrange the notes on your fretboard in any order ... and if you have one, two or three "1s" or "3s" or "5s" it doesn't matter.

You also need to pay attention to the sharps and flats involved in the key or chord you want ... this is also known as "learning scales."

A has C#, F# and G# -- The A Scale : A - B - C# - D - E - F# - G# - A
B has C#, D#, F#, G# and A# -- The B Scale : B - C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A# - B
C has NO sharps and NO flats -- The C Scale : C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
D has F# and C# -- The D Scale : D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D
E has F#, G#, C# and D# -- The E Scale : E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E
F has A# -- The F Scale : F - G - A - A# - C - D - E - F
G has F# -- The G Scale : G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G

NOTE :   Sharps and flats can be interchanged : An A# is the same thing as a B-flat ... B# doesn't exist (it's a C note) ... C# is the same thing as a D-flat ... D# is the same thing as an E-flat ... E# doesn't exist (it's an F note) ... F# is the same thing as a G-flat ... and G# is the same thing as an A-flat.   It really depends on which way you're moving; up or down the fretboard.

So ... for an A chord, "A" is the root or "1" ... and counting upwards (A - B - C# - D - E), the "3" is "C#" and the "5" is "E" - to make an A chord you need A, C# and E notes ... to make a B chord, "B" is the root or "1" ... counting upwards (B - C# - D# - E - F#), the "3" is "D#" and the "5" is "F#" - to make an B chord you need B, D# and F# notes ... and so on.   If you want to make a B-flat chord, knowing what it takes to make a B chord, you simply flat each note -- B becomes A#, D# becomes D and F# becomes F ... got it?

Making Minor Chords, 7th Chords and Major 7th Chords

Minor -- If you want to build a minor chord, you simply flat the "3" ... the "3" in an A chord is C# ; flat that to C and an Am chord is comprised of A, C and E.

7th -- If you want to build a 7th chord, you add a flatted "7" ... for a G7 chord, first count up to 7 -- G - A - B - C - D - E - F# -- the "7" is F# ... then, flat the F# to get an F ... and a G7 chord is comprised of G, B, D and F.

Major 7th -- If you want to build a Major 7th chord, you add a "7" ... for a C Maj.7 chord, count up to 7 -- C - D - E - F - G - A - B -- the "7" is B ... and a C Maj.7 chord is comprised of C, E, G and B.

The coolest things about all this is, if you ever want to mess around with alternate tunings, or if you ever want to pick up another stringed instrument, like a banjo or a mandolin ... knowing the tuning involved ... you can find any chord you want at anytime!   Just locate the notes you need, compose a chord on the neck, and away you go!

Has This Information Been Helpful to You?
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And, finally, here are a couple of cool books for you to check out:

Guitar Fretboard Workbook
by Barrett Tagliarino
Navigate the guitar neck better than ever before with this easy-to-use book! Designed from Musicians Institute core curriculum programs, it covers essential concepts for players of every level, acoustic or electric. A hands-on guide to theory, it will help you learn to build any scale or chord on your own and unleash creativity. No music reading is required.

Music Theory for Guitarists: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask
by Tom Kolb
Guitarists of all levels will find a wealth of practical music knowledge in this special book and CD package. Veteran guitarist and author Tom Kolb dispels the mysteries of music theory using plain and simple terms and diagrams. The accompanying CD provides 94 tracks of music examples, scales, modes, chords, ear training, and much more!

More Books for Guitarists - [Click Here]

Books for Songwriters & Recording Artists - [Click Here]