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Easy Guitar Theory

Learn music theory the fun and easy way.

mattwarnockguitar.com Written By: Matt Warnock Published By: Guitar for Life LLC Matt Warnock Plays Koentopp Guitars © Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved mattwarnockguitar.com

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Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 6 How to Use This eBook .......................................................................................................... 7 Guitar Notation ........................................................................................................................ 8 Tablature ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Standard Notation ......................................................................................................................... 10 Combined Notation ........................................................................................................................ 13 Chord Symbols and Slashes ........................................................................................................ 13 Neck Diagrams ................................................................................................................................ 15 Accidentals ....................................................................................................................................... 20 Time Signatures .............................................................................................................................. 25 Key Signatures ................................................................................................................................ 29 Articulation ...................................................................................................................................... 34 Form Indicators .............................................................................................................................. 39 Chapter Exercises .......................................................................................................................... 44 Chapter Quiz .................................................................................................................................... 48 Chapter Quiz Answers .................................................................................................................. 49 Rhythms and Rhythmic Notation ..................................................................................... 50 Note Values ...................................................................................................................................... 50 Ties and Dots ................................................................................................................................... 55 Rest Values ....................................................................................................................................... 58 Odd Time Signatures .................................................................................................................... 59 Chapter Exercises .......................................................................................................................... 62 Chapter Exercise Answers .......................................................................................................... 62 Chapter Quiz .................................................................................................................................... 65 Chapter Quiz Answers .................................................................................................................. 66 Musical Intervals ................................................................................................................... 67 What is an interval? ...................................................................................................................... 67 Ascending Intervals ....................................................................................................................... 69 Descending Intervals .................................................................................................................... 79 Chapter Exercises (Use C as root) ............................................................................................. 84 Chapter Exercise Answers .......................................................................................................... 84 Chapter Quiz .................................................................................................................................... 87 Chapter Quiz Answers .................................................................................................................. 88

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Guitar Scales and Modes ..................................................................................................... 89 What is a Scale? ............................................................................................................................... 89 What is a Mode? .............................................................................................................................. 90 Scale Formulas ................................................................................................................................ 94 Pentatonic and Blues Scales ....................................................................................................... 96 Major Scale and Modes .............................................................................................................. 100 Melodic Minor Scale and Modes ............................................................................................. 106 Harmonic Minor Scale and Modes ......................................................................................... 114 Harmonic Major Scale and Modes ......................................................................................... 120 Symmetrical Scales ..................................................................................................................... 126 Chapter Exercises ....................................................................................................................... 132 Chapter Exercise Answers ....................................................................................................... 133 Chapter Quiz ................................................................................................................................. 134 Chapter Quiz Answers ............................................................................................................... 135 Guitar Chords ...................................................................................................................... 136 What is a Chord? .......................................................................................................................... 136 Root Position Chords and Inversions ................................................................................... 144 Triads .............................................................................................................................................. 146 4-Note Chords ............................................................................................................................... 150 Advanced Chord Fingerings .................................................................................................... 157 Chord Extensions ........................................................................................................................ 167 Suspended Chords ...................................................................................................................... 176 Guide Tones and Variations .................................................................................................... 180 4th Chords – Quartal Harmony ................................................................................................ 182 Chapter Exercise Answers ....................................................................................................... 187 Chapter Quiz ................................................................................................................................. 188 Chapter Quiz Answers ............................................................................................................... 189 Harmonic Analysis ............................................................................................................. 190 Roman Numeral Analysis ......................................................................................................... 190 Non-Diatonic Chords .................................................................................................................. 203 Other Progressions ..................................................................................................................... 212 Chapter Exercises ....................................................................................................................... 219 Chapter Exercise Answers ....................................................................................................... 220 Chapter Quiz ................................................................................................................................. 221 Chapter Quiz Answers ............................................................................................................... 222 Guitar Arpeggios ................................................................................................................. 223 What is an Arpeggio? ................................................................................................................. 223 Triad Arpeggios ........................................................................................................................... 225 4-Note Arpeggios ......................................................................................................................... 228 Extended Arpeggios ................................................................................................................... 234 3 to 9 Arpeggios ........................................................................................................................... 246 6th and 13th Arpeggios ................................................................................................................ 249 Chapter Exercises ....................................................................................................................... 252

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Chapter Exercise Answers ....................................................................................................... 253 Chapter Quiz ................................................................................................................................. 254 Chapter Quiz Answers ............................................................................................................... 255

Chromatic Notes ................................................................................................................. 256 Approach Notes ........................................................................................................................... 256 Passing Notes ................................................................................................................................ 258 Neighbor Notes ............................................................................................................................ 259 Enclosures ..................................................................................................................................... 260 Chapter Exercises ....................................................................................................................... 262 Chapter Exercise Answers ....................................................................................................... 263 Chapter Quiz ................................................................................................................................. 264 Chapter Quiz Answers ............................................................................................................... 265 About the Author ................................................................................................................ 266





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Introduction Welcome to Easy Guitar Theory, great to have you here! Learning about music theory is essential for any guitarist. From blues to rock to jazz and classical, music theory is everywhere on the fretboard. While you may know that understanding theory is important, you may not know where to start. Or, if you started learning theory, you might be confused about what applies to guitar, or why you should learn certain concepts. The material in this eBook gives you the easiest and quickest explanation of essential theory concepts for guitarists. Each chapter breaks down specific concepts in easy to understand fashion, and gives practical examples on the fretboard. For this reason, you don’t waste time learning theory that can’t immediately be applied to the guitar or to your playing/writing. Take your time with this eBook, use it as a reference or study it from start to finish, but stick with it. Music theory can be confusing at first, but with the right presentation and musical examples, it becomes a lot clearer. This eBook sets you on that pathway to understanding essential music theory and applying it directly to the guitar. Cheers, Matt

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How to Use This eBook As every reader comes to this eBook with different experience levels and musical tastes, there’s no one-way to get through this material. Though everyone is different, the approach to learning this material is the same. Step One: Read a theoretical concept and understand it from a conceptual standpoint, write it out in 1 or more keys to solidify. Step Two: Play the examples, in the given key and in other keys if appropriate. This is why no audio is provided, so you play each example. Step Three: Run the exercises at the end of each chapter to solidify the concepts in that chapter. Step Four: Do the theory quiz at the end of each chapter to see if you’re ready to move on to the next section. As well, because everyone comes to this eBook with different theory backgrounds, you don’t have to work the book in chapter order. If you’re struggling with a specific theory concept, skip to that chapter and dig right in to mastering that theory. If you’re starting from scratch, or haven’t studied theory in a while, start with Chapter 1 and work your way down from there. The goal is to be able to understand, recognize, and apply all of the theory in this eBook over time. So, take your time with this material, work on it a little everyday, or use this book as a reference to concepts when you encounter them. Either way, have fun with this eBook and enjoy your journey to mastering music theory.



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Guitar Notation When learning music theory on guitar, the best place to start is with guitar notation. Notation is used to write and read music for guitar, and is a mixture of notes, rhythms, and symbols. As well, there are three main ways to write and read music on the guitar - tab, notation, and diagrams. All three of those notation methods are covered in this chapter. Even if you can read one or more of these notation methods, take a minute to review these items. Everything in this eBook is written with either notation or tab, and so understanding how those work is essential.

Tablature The first method of writing guitar music is the oldest of the bunch, tablature, or tab for short. Tab has been used since the earliest written music for guitar and lute, though we often associate it with more modern writing styles. When reading tab, you see six strings, the bottom line is the low E string and the top line is the high E string. So the order, from lowest line to highest, is EADGBE, the open strings of the guitar. mattwarnockguitar.com

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From there, when you see a number, that’s the fret you play on that string. Here’s an example of a chord and single notes written in tab. For the first bar, you place fingers on the fretted notes, 3-2-1, and leave the others open, 0. In the next two bars, you play one note at a time, playing the 3rd fret on the A string, then the open D string, etc. for those measures.

To make tab more complete, some publications and composers add rhythms to the tab numbers. Here’s an example of tab with rhythms. It’s not as easy to read the rhythms as notation, but it’s better than no rhythms in the tab.







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Standard Notation The next way of writing and reading music for guitar you learn about is the second oldest, standard notation. Standard notation uses a staff, mostly treble clef for guitar, and bars to tell you where and when to play notes in a song. Here’s how standard notation is set up for guitar. For now, just learn the labels, and then as you proceed with this eBook, you unpack each of those labels in more detail.

Now that you know what standard notation is, you can learn about the names of the notes within, above, and below the staff. The notes within the staff on the lines spell the word FACE, which you can use to memorize those notes.





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Here are the notes within the staff on the lines. For notes on the staff lines, you use this saying to memorize the notes: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

You now learn the notes on the spaces above the staff. For above the staff spaces, you can use this saying to memorize the notes: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

The notes above the staff on the lines spell the word FACE, which you can use to memorize those notes.

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Here are the notes that fall below the staff. For below the staff spaces, you use this saying to memorize the notes: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

For the lines below, you use FACE to memorize those notes.









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Combined Notation One of the most popular ways to write guitar music is to combine staff notation and tab. This way you see the notes, get the exact rhythms for those notes, and know exactly where to play them on the guitar. When reading combined notation, look at both the staff and tab to get the full picture of the music you’re playing.





Chord Symbols and Slashes Outside of classical guitar, when a composer wants the performer to play a chord, they write a chord symbol. There are a number of ways to do this, just the chord symbol, chord symbol with tab/notes, and chord symbol with rhythmic notation. Different approaches are used for different musical situations, so knowing all three is helpful for any guitarist. Regardless of the method used, when you see a chord symbol you play that chord on the guitar. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Unless the tab indicates a certain fingering, the shape of the chord is up to the performer. Here’s an example of chord symbols written over four bars of music, with the exact chords in the notes and tab below.

Here you have chord symbols written over non-rhythmic slashes. Those slashes indicate where you play these chords, but the strumming or plucking pattern is left up to the performer to interpret. Non-rhythmic slashes are used when the composer wants to give the performer freedom in playing a section of chords. .



Here you have chord symbols written over rhythmic slashes in the staff. Those slashes tell you how to strum or pluck the chords written in the symbols above the staff. Rhythmic slashes are used when the composer wants a very specific strumming pattern over a section of music. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Neck Diagrams Neck diagrams are another popular way to transmit information between guitarists. These diagrams show a fretboard with the notes of any device in circles on that fretboard. The x means don’t play that string, the O means open string, and the red note is the root of the device you’re reading or writing. You can use the diagrams to show notes, intervals, or fingerings for any device written in this way, such as the chords below. Here’s a neck diagram that tells you what intervals are used to build the following chords. The number to the left of the diagram tells you the starting fret for that chord, or other device. Without a number, the starting fret is 1.

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Here’s a neck diagram that tells you what notes are being played in these chords.

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Here’s a neck diagram that tells you what fretting-hand finger to place on each note in the chord.

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You also use neck diagrams to write out scales, as you see in these examples. Again, you can use the diagrams to show notes, intervals, or fingerings for any scale written in this way. Here’s a neck diagram that tells you what intervals are used to build the following scale.

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Here’s a neck diagram that tells you what notes are being played as you ascend and descend the scale.







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Here’s a neck diagram that tells you what fretting-hand finger to place on each note in the scale.





Accidentals Accidentals are used to raise and lower notes when writing music notation. Because they’re so commonly used, knowing what accidentals are and how they function is essential for any guitarist. Even if you don’t read standard notation, you’ll come across #’s and b’s when building scales or writing chord symbols, for example. This means that understanding accidentals is essential learning for any guitarist.

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Sharps The first accidental you learn about is the sharp symbol, which looks like a hashtag, #. When you see a sharp symbol you play that note one half step, one fret, higher than it’s normal note. This means that if you see C#, you play it one fret higher than a normal C note, which you can see in the example here.

The exceptions to the sharp symbol are E# and B#. The reason for this is that if you raise E by a half step, you get F, and if you raise B by a half step you get C. Because of this, you write or read F and C rather than E# and B# in most instances. This just makes it easier to read and understand the notes in a sightreading situation.

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Double Sharps Though double sharps exist, which you can see below, they’re not very common in modern music. If you ever see a double sharp, which is next to the C in this example, you raise that note by two frets, a whole step. In this case, C double sharp is the same note as D, because D is two frets, a whole-step, higher than C. Because of this, most writers just use the sounded note, so they write D rather than Cx to make it easier to read. This isn’t always the case, so it’s important to know what a double sharp looks like and how to read it when you find it in a piece of music.



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Flats Flat symbols are used to tell you to play any note one half step, one fret, lower than that normal note. This means that if you have Eb, you play it one fret lower than a normal E, which you can see in this example.

The exceptions to the flat symbol are Fb and Cb. The reason for this is that if you lower F by a half step, you get E, and if you lower C by a half step you get B. Because of this, you write or read E and B rather than Fb and Cb in most instances. This just makes it easier to read and understand the notes in a reading situation.



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Double Flats Double flats are rare, but they exist. If you see a double flat sign, that means you play that note a whole step, two frets, lower than written. Here’s an example of D and a Dbb note side-by-side for comparison.





Natural Sign The natural sign is used to turn a flat or sharp back into a normal note, no sharp or flat. Here are examples of that with both flats and sharps being reset back to their normal notes with a natural sign



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Enharmonic Spelling The last note concept you need to understand is called enharmonic spelling. This is when this same note, as played on guitar, is spelled two different ways because of the key signature or if it’s a chromatic note. Here are two examples of enharmonic spellings, F# = Gb and Eb = D#. Both of those notes are the same on the fretboard, F# and Gb for example are the 4th fret on the D string. But, they’re spelled differently depending on the key you’re in, if you’re in Gb minor that note is Gb, in F# major that note is F#, for example.





Time Signatures Time signatures are important devices as they tell you how many notes and what kind of notes those are in each bar of music. Without this information, you wouldn’t know how long a measure of music was, making it impossible to play in time.

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Every time signature is built the same, the top number tells you how many notes are in a bar, and the bottom is the length of those notes. For example, if you see 6/8 as the time signature, that means you have six 8th-notes in each measure of music. Here are examples of the most popular time signatures to memorize and learn to recognize when you see them in music notation.

Common Time Here’s an example of common time, which is a short form for the 4/4 time signature. Notice that the first bar is written 4/4 and the second bar has the common time shorthand at the start of the measure. Common time bars contain 4 quarter notes in each measure.





Cut Time Here’s an example of cut time, which is a short form for the 2/2 time signature.

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Notice that the first bar is written 2/2 and the second bar has the cut time shorthand at the start of the measure. Cut time bars contain 2 half notes in each measure.





2/4 Time Here’s an example of 2/4 time, which means that you play 2 quarter notes in each bar of music.





Waltz Time Here’s an example of 3/4 time, also called waltz time, which means that you play 3 quarter-notes in each bar of music. mattwarnockguitar.com

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6/8 Time Here’s an example of 6/8 time, which means that you play six 8th-notes in each bar of music.





Odd Time Signatures You will also come across odd time signatures, so it’s important to understand how to read those signatures. Any odd time signature is the same as a normal signature. The top number tells you the number of notes and the bottom number tells you the length of those notes. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here’s an example of a 5/4 time signature, meaning you play 5 quarter notes in each bar.

Here’s an example of a 7/8 time signature, which means that you play 7 8th-notes in each bar.







Key Signatures While you see sharps and flats when reading music, sometimes if a section or song is mostly in one key you see a key signature. Key signatures tell you that every note in the key signature is sharp or flat in the music you’re playing. If you see a key signature with F#-C# in it, the key of D major, you play every F and C as F# and C# unless otherwise indicated. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Lastly, for every major key signature, which you see below, the relative minor has the same key signature. The relative minor is the key that starts on the 6th note of any major scale, the Aeolian or natural minor note. On guitar, you find the relative minor key by playing your pinky on the major key root, say D. Then, using one finger per fret, the relative minor falls under your index finger, in D the relative minor is Bm. That means that D major and B minor have the same key signature, F# and C#. Apart from reading music, key signatures help you know what notes are in any major or minor scale. If you need to know the notes in A major for example, and A major has 3 sharps in the key signature, then you can spell that scale easily. A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G# Now that you know how to use key signatures, here they are to learn and memorize in your studies.

Sharp Key Signatures Here are the sharp key signatures in order of least sharps to most sharps. There’s also a trick to knowing the amount of sharps in any key signature, you just have to use the order of sharps to get started. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here’s the order of sharps as they’re added to any key signature. F#-C#-G#-D#-A#-E#-B# There’s also a saying that you can memorize to know the order of sharps in any key signature. Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle To figure out the amount of sharps in any key signature you look for the key you’re in, say D, and the last sharp is a half step below that note. So you subtract a half step from D and you get C#, that’s the last sharp in the key signature. This means that D has two sharps, F# and C#. You can also use this formula to determine the key if you have the key signature. If you have a sharp key signature, just look at the last sharp and add a half step to find the key. So, if you have 3 sharps, F#-C#-G#, you add a half step to G# to get A, the key you’re in with this key signature.

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Flat Key Signatures Here are the flat key signatures in order of least flats to most flats. There’s also a trick to knowing the amount of flats in any key signature, you just have to use the order of flats to get started. Here’s the order of flats as they’re added to any key signature. Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Cb-Fb There’s also a saying that you can memorize to know the order of flats in any key signature, which is the reverse of the sharp saying. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’ Father To figure out the amount of flats in any key signature you look for the key you’re in, say Ab, and add one flat. So you find Ab in the above order, Bb-Eb-Ab, and add one flat. This means that Ab has four flats, Bb-Eb-Ab-Db. You can also use this formula to determine the key if you have the key signature. If you have a flat key signature, just look at the second last flat, that note is the key you’re in. So, if you have 3 flats, Bb-Eb-Ab, the second last flat is Eb, that’s the key you’re in with that key signature.



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Articulation Now that you learned about notes and other note related markings, here are markings that tell you how to play those notes. Because you don’t always play notes with the same volume and picking attack, there are markings to tell you exactly how to play each note. In this section you learn about slurs (hammers, slides, pull offs, etc.) as well as bends, picking, and other articulation markings.

Slides Slides are written with a line between the slid notes, and sometimes sl is written above that line. Here are examples of slides between two and three notes.





Hammers and Pull Offs Hammer-ons are written with a slur between two ascending notes and often, but not always, the letter H written over the slur.

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Pull-offs are the same, except they connect two descending notes and the letter P is sometimes written over the slur. For multiple hammers and pull-offs the slur marking is just extended over however many notes you want slurred.





Bends Here are examples of how bends are written in notes and tab. The first two bars show bends up from a given note, with 1/2 meaning a half-step bend and full equaling a whole-step bend. In the third bar you see a bend that goes up then back down all with one pick of the note. In the last bar, you start in the bend, and then release the bend down to the written note.

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Picking You will also see markings to tell you which direction to pick any note. There are two markings, up picking and down picking, and here is how they look so you can recognize them when reading music.





Fingerpicking If you play fingerstyle or any fingerpicked music, there are also markings to show you which finger to use on any note. These are: Ø P = Thumb Ø i = Index Ø m = Middle Ø a = Ring Ø c = Pinky Here’s an example of those markings under a line of music.

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Dynamics Dynamic symbols are used to indicate the volume for any note, chord, or section of music in a performance. There are four basic dynamic markings that you need to understand, written here over a C note. Ø f = Loud Ø mf = Medium Loud Ø mp = Medium Soft Ø p = Soft From there, you can have degrees of loud and soft, such as: Ø ff = Very loud Ø fff = Very, very loud Ø pp = Very soft Ø ppp = Very, very soft Ø etc. There are other volume markings that you might see when playing classical guitar, but for the most part these three are the most common. mattwarnockguitar.com

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The next example shows crescendo and decrescendo symbols being used to indicate volume in the performance. Crescendo means to get louder during that section of the song, and decrescendo means to get softer. Sometimes, as is the case here, you see exactly how loud to start and how loud to finish a crescendo or decrescendo. But that’s not always the case, sometimes you’re just told to get louder or to get softer, and the volume level is up to you or the performer.







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Form Indicators In this last section of the chapter you learn about symbols and markings used to indicate how you or the performer follows the form of a song. Because song forms can be complicated, or have a lot of repeated material that doesn’t need to be written twice, form markings are used. If you play classical guitar, then you’re used to seeing these symbols, and more, used to indicate how to read the form of a piece of music. But, if you play rock, jazz, pop, blues, or other modern genres, these symbols might be new to you. So, check these indicators out so that you never miss a repeat sign, a coda, or other important form marking when playing songs on guitar.

Repeat Signs The first form indicator is the one that you’re most likely to see in rock, pop, jazz, and other modern genres. The repeat sign tells you to repeat a section of music. In this example you see a two bar phrase. To play this phrase, you play bars 1-2, then you jump back to the start and repeat those two bars. From there, you play on to the next section of the piece. To write a multiple repeat, you simply put x’s 3, x’s 4, x’s 5, etc. above the “end repeat” sign.

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Multiple Endings If you want to write a repeat with a different ending for each repeat, you use the multiple endings lines along with repeat symbols. Here, you play bars 1-2, going to the 1st ending sign in bar 2 the first time through. Then, you go back to the beginning, repeat bar one and go to the 2nd ending the second time around. You can have 2, 3, 4, etc. endings, with the same line on top, just a different number under each different ending of the repeat.





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D.S. and D.S. al Fine The next two form markings both deal with the D.S. symbol with two different endings from there. In this first example, you play the four-bar phrase, then when it says D.S. al Fine, you jump back to the D.S. sign, the S looking thing over bar 1. From there, you play until you see “fine” then you end the song. D.S. symbols allow you to jump back to an earlier part of a section or song without using the repeat sign or 1st, 2nd, or 3rd ending signs.





Coda and D.S. al Coda In this example, you play the four-bar phrase, then when you see D.S. al Coda, you jump back to the D.S. symbol over bar 1 of the phrase. The D.S. symbol doesn’t have to be over bar 1 of a phrase, it can be located over any bar in a section or song. From there, you play until you see the coda symbol, the “target” like symbol over bar 3 of the first-four bars.

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When you see a coda symbol, you jump down in the song to where you see the next coda symbol; here it’s in the second line of music. From there you continue to play the song. Though here the coda symbol takes you to that last section right away, you often see “D.S. al Coda last time only” in modern music. This means that you loop the song for as long as you want, then the very last loop you use the coda marking to finish the song.





8va Symbol The last item you learn about in this section isn’t a form marking exactly, but it does show up a lot in modern guitar music. mattwarnockguitar.com

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The 8va symbol tells you that the line you’re reading is played one octave higher than the written notes. This is to make it easier to read really high notes on the staff. Rather than struggling to read multiple ledger lines above the staff, you read notes in the staff, but play them one octave higher. Here’s an example of that symbol in action, where the second two bars are the same as the first, but easier to read with the 8va symbol.





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Chapter Exercises 1. Write out the notes inside the staff, spaces and lines, until you can do it from memory. 2. Write out the notes above the staff until you can do it from memory. 3. Write out the notes below the staff until you can do it from memory. 4. Write out the first 3 exercises in notation first, then in the combined tab/notation format. 5. Write out the following # notes on the staff – F#, G#, A#, C#, D# 6. Write out the following b notes on the staff – Eb, Gb, Ab, Bb, Db, Eb (high) 7. Practice writing 10 common time symbols and 10 cut time symbols. 8. Write out the order of #’s when used in key signatures until you can do it from memory. 9. Write out the order of b’s when used in key signatures until you can do it from memory. 10. Write out these notes above the staff – A C D# E F – then write them in the staff with the 8va symbol on top of those notes.

Chapter Exercise Answers

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Chapter Quiz 1. What note is on the 3rd space of the treble clef? 2. What note is on the 2nd line of the treble clef? 3. What saying do you use to remember the lines within the staff? 4. What word do you use to remember the spaces within the staff? 5. When you add a # to a note, what does it do? 6. When you add a b to a note, what does it do? 7. When you add an x to a note what does it do? 8. When you add a “natural sign” to a note, what does it do? 9. When you add a bb to a note what does it do? 10. What does the 8va symbol mean?



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Chapter Quiz Answers 1.

The note C

2.

The note G

3.

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

4.

FACE

5.

Raises that note by one half step, one fret.

6.

Lowers that note by one half step, one fret.

7. 8.

Raises that note by a whole step, two frets.

9.

Lowers that note by a whole step, two frets.

10.

Tells you to play those notes one octave higher than written in the notation.

Resets that note back to its normal letter name.







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Rhythms and Rhythmic Notation Now that you know how to read and write notes and articulation on the staff, you learn how to write rhythms and rests. One of the biggest mistakes I see players make when learning to read is that they play the right notes, but ignore the rhythms. Often this isn’t a matter of ignoring rhythms on purpose, the player just doesn’t know how to read rhythms correctly. This chapter prevents you from making the same mistake when playing and writing music.

Note Values To begin your study of how to read and write rhythms, you look at common note values. Note values are used to indicate how long to play and hold any note when written in staff notation. As well, some tab notation uses rhythmic marking, therefore it’s important to understand note values even if you only read tab. When you see rhythms used in tab, you only see the stems, as there’s no note to attach it to, the stem attaches to the number in the tab. If you don’t see a stem then the note is either a whole note, one note per bar, or half note, two notes per bar.

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Whole Notes Whole notes are four-beats long, as long as four quarter notes, and fill one bar of 4/4 time. Here’s how whole notes are written over the note B, with the counting below each note in both bars. When using a metronome, whole notes are four clicks long when you set the metronome to quarter notes.





Half Notes Half notes are two-beats long, as long as two quarter notes, and two half notes fill one bar of 4/4 time. Here’s how half notes are written over the note B, with the counting below each note in both bars. When using a metronome, half notes are two clicks long when you set the metronome to quarter notes.

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Quarter Notes Quarter notes are one-beat long and four quarter-notes fill one bar of 4/4 time. Here’s how quarter notes are written over the note B, with the counting below each note in both bars. When using a metronome, quarter notes are one click long when you set the metronome to quarter notes.





Quarter Note Triplets Quarter note triplets are when you play 3 quarter-notes in the space of 2 counted quarter notes. mattwarnockguitar.com

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In traditional theory, this is referred to as playing 3 over 2, as you play 3 quarter-notes where normally 2 would fit. Here’s how quarter-note triplets are written over the note B, with the counting below each note in both bars. When you play two quarter-note triplets in a row you fill one bar of 4/4 time. If you don’t like this way of counting quarter note triplets, you can also count 1-2-3, 2-2-3, in each bar.





8th Notes 8th notes are half a beat long, two 8th notes equals one quarter-note, and 8 eighth-notes fills a bar of 4/4 time. Here’s how 8th notes are written over the note B, with the counting below each note in both bars. When using a metronome, two 8th-notes fill one click when you set the metronome to quarter notes.

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8th-Note Triplets 8th-note triplets are when you play 3 8th-notes in the space of 2 counted 8th-notes. Here’s how 8th-note triplets are written over the note B, with the counting below each note in both bars. When you play four 8th-note triplets in a row, you fill one bar of 4/4 time. If you don’t like this way of counting quarter note triplets, you can also count 1-2-3, 2-2-3, 3-2-3, 4-2-3 in each bar.





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16th Notes 16th notes are a quarter of a beat long, four 16th-notes equals one quarter-note, and sixteen 16th-notes fills a bar of 4/4 time. Here’s how 16th notes are written over the note B, with the counting below each note in both bars. When using a metronome, four 16th-notes fill one click when you set the metronome to quarter notes.





Ties and Dots In this section you learn about notational shortcuts that are used to help make reading and writing rhythms easier. When writing music for other musicians, the main goal is to make it as easy to read as possible. This is because you may not be in the room when those musicians read your music, and therefore you want them to be able to play it accurately. As well, when you’re reading music you want to be able to identify and properly play all notational devices, include ties and dots.

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Ties Ties are used in two distinct situations to make longer notes easier to read on guitar. The first instance is when you have a long note that covers up the 3rd beat in a bar of 4/4 time. When writing music, it’s easier for performers to read your notes if the bar is divided into two equal parts, such as 2+2 beats in a bar of 4/4. This is where ties come into play. In the first bar below, you see a half note on beat two and three of the bar, but it covers up the 3rd beat. In the second bar, you have the same notes, same time values, but the tie allows you to see the 3rd beat, making it easier to read. Ties are used in this way when the note falls mostly on beat 2 of a bar, and is held over from there. When writing a note on beat one that lasts past the halfway point of any bar, you can use dots, which you learn about below.

The second instance where you use and see ties is when a note stretches over a barline. mattwarnockguitar.com

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In this example you can see the last note in the first bar starts on the 4th beat and stretches to the 1st beat of the next bar. In order to have the note written correctly and easy to play, a tie is used in place of a half note, which would cause bar 1 to have too many beats.





Dots Dots are also used to make music easier to write and read, but they function differently than ties. In the first bar, you see a tie used to show the 3rd beat of that bar. But, because the note start on beat one of the bar, you can use a dot instead of a tie, even though the 3rd beat isn’t shown. When you place a dot after a note, it causes that note to be 1.5 times the length of the written note. So, a dotted half note, like bar two below, is a half note plus a quarter note, 1.5 times the length of a half note. In bar three, you see a tie used between a quarter note and 8th note, and then in bar 4 a dot replaces that tie. A dotted quarter note is equal to a quarter note plus an 8th note, equaling 1.5 times the length of a quarter note. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Rest Values Each note value that you just learned about in the previous section also has a rest that is equal to the length of that note. Rests are just as important as notes, as they mark the space/silence between notes that creates musical phrasing and articulation. As you already know about the rhythmic values of each note, you can dive right in and learn how to read and write rests for each note value.

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Odd Time Signatures The last section of this chapter is a quick introduction to odd time signatures, those that fall outside 4/4, 2/4, 2/2, and 3/4. When you encounter an odd time signature, the key is to break it down into an easier counting method than the given signature.

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An example of this can be seen here over two bars of 7/4 time, where you might be tempted to count 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 each bar. When doing so, a common mistake people make is to count 1-2-3-4-5-6sev-en, creating a bar of 4/4 instead. To avoid these counting issues, players divide the bar into 3+4, in bar one, or 3+2+2, bar two. This makes it easier to count, and to write/read when playing music written in an odd time signature.

Here’s another example of how to break up odd time signatures with a few bars of 5/4 time. Here, instead of counting 1-2-3-4-5, you can count 1-2-3-1-2 or 1-2-1-23, breaking down 5/4 into two easier groups to count.







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If you ever encounter odd time signatures, break them down into smaller chunks. Not only will this help with the counting, it makes it easier to phrase and play in an unfamiliar time signature.



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Chapter Exercises 1. Write out a page of whole notes and whole-note rests. 2. Write out a page of half notes and half-note rests. 3. Write out a page of quarter notes and quarter-note rests. 4. Write out a page of quarter note triplets. 5. Write out a page of 8th notes and 8th-note rests. 6. Write out a page of 8th-note triplets. 7. Write out a page of 16th notes and 16th-note rests. 8. Write out a page of common-time signatures. 9. Write out a page of cut-time signatures. 10. Write out a page of 7/8 time and 5/4 time signatures.



Chapter Exercise Answers

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Chapter Quiz 1. How many quarter notes fit into a whole note? 2. How many 8th notes are there in an 8th-note triplet? 3. How many 16th notes are in a bar of 4/4 time? 4. A half note equals how many quarter notes? 5. A half note equals how many 8th notes? 6. A whole note equals how many 16th notes? 7. How many quarter notes are in a bar of 5/4 time? 8. How many 8th notes are in a bar of 7/8 time? 9. How many quarter-note rests are in a bar of 4/4 time? 10. How many 8th note rests are in a bar of 4/4 time?

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Chapter Quiz Answers 1. How many quarter notes fit into a whole note? A. 4 2. How many 8th notes are there in an 8th-note triplet? A. 3 3. How many 16th notes are in a bar of 4/4 time? A. 16 4. A half note equals how many quarter notes? A. 2 5. A half note equals how many 8th notes? A. 4 6. A whole note equals how many 16th notes? A. 16 7. How many quarter notes are in a bar of 5/4 time? A. 5 8. How many 8th notes are in a bar of 7/8 time? A. 7 9. How many quarter-note rests are in a bar of 4/4 time? A. 4 10. How many 8th-note rests are in a bar of 4/4 time? A. 8

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Musical Intervals In this section you cover the most important musical theory element you can wrap your brain, ears, and fingers around, intervals. Because intervals are used to build all scales, chords, and arpeggios, this is the most important musical concept you can learn. Without an understanding of intervals, learning how to build scales, chords, and arpeggios is very difficult. In this section you are given the most direct and easy to understand way of learning intervals, as well as examples to sing and play on guitar.

What is an interval? An interval is the distance between any two notes when they’re played together or back-to-back, as you can see in this example. The first bar is a solid interval, two notes played together, and the second bar is a broken interval, two notes back-to-back.

The intervals 1357 only have one version of those intervals, while the interval 246 have “compound” counterparts. mattwarnockguitar.com



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Compound intervals are intervals that are above the octave, and in modern music are often called extensions. When figuring out any compound interval, you take the original interval and add 7. So, if you have a 2nd that’s above the octave, that’s a 9th (2+7=9). If you have a 4th above the octave, that’s an 11th (4+7=11). Then, if you have a 6th above the octave, that’s a 13th (6+7=13). In some instances you will see the 357 as compound intervals, but again that’s rare. In those cases, you use the same formula, 3+7 = 10, so a compound 3rd interval is a 10th. The last thing to know is that intervals can be written two different ways, with words and with symbols. Here’s a quick reference chart to translate the word and symbol version of each interval going forward. Ø Unison = U or 1 Ø Minor 2nd = m2 or b2 Ø Major 2nd = M2 or 2 Ø Minor 3rd = m3 or b3 Ø Major 3rd = M3 or 3 Ø Perfect 4th = P4 or 4 Ø Augmented 4th = A4 or #4 Ø Diminished 5th = D5 or b5 Ø Perfect 5th = P5 or 5 Ø Minor 6th = m6 or b6 Ø Major 6th = M6 or 6 Ø Minor 7th = m7 or b7 Ø Octave = O or 8 Ø Minor 9th = m9 or b9 Ø Major 9th = M9 or 9 mattwarnockguitar.com

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Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø

Augmented 9th = A9 or #9 Perfect 11th = P11 or 11 Augmented 11th = A11 or #11 Minor 13th = m13 or b13 Major 13th = M13 or 13



Ascending Intervals Now that you know what an interval is, you learn each of the commonly used intervals in modern music. Some intervals have been left out, as they are more theoretical than practical. An example of this is the diminished 4th. Yes that interval exists, but a diminished 4th is the same note as a major 3rd. In classical music, you would write the note as Fb above C as an example of a diminished 4th. But, in other genres, you would write and see that note as E over C, an easier note to read and quickly play on guitar. That’s not to say that you won’t see diminished 6th intervals, or augmented 3rds, but they’re very rare. Each interval in this section gives you an explanation of how to build that interval and provides examples on the staff and tab to play. You can also sing these intervals to get them into your head, ears, and hands all at the same time.

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Unison and the Octave The first interval you look at is the smallest distance between any notes on the staff, which is moving from one note to that same note. The unison and octave are the same notes in a different range on the staff and fretboard. The unison note is the same note, so C-C, on the same part of the staff, as you can see below.

The octave is the same note, C-C for example, but spread out across the staff so you move from one C to the next highest C on the staff.







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Minor and Major 2nds/9ths You now move on to minor and major 2nds, and their octave counterparts, minor and major 9ths. Whenever you have an interval like a second, you have what’s called a “compound” interval, which is the same interval plus one octave. So, a second plus an octave is a 9th. Throughout this section you can find any compound interval by taking the original interval and adding the number 7. So, a 3rd plus 7 equals a 10th, the compound interval for a 3rd for example. Here are minor 2nd intervals and their minor 9th counterparts in solid and broken form. A minor 2nd interval is one half step above the root note, one fret higher, while a minor 9th is an octave plus one half step, one fret, above the root.

Here are major 2nd intervals and their major 9th counterparts in solid and broken form. A major 2nd interval is one step above the root note, two frets higher, while a major 9th is an octave plus one step, two frets, above the root. mattwarnockguitar.com



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Though you don’t often see the augmented 2nd interval, #2, you do see the compound version quite often, the augmented 9, #9. A good example of this is found within the construction of the “Hendrix Chord”, 7#9, where there’s a #9 interval found in that chord. An augmented 9th is 1.5 steps above the octave, 3 frets, and is the same note as a minor 3rd interval up an octave, just spelled differently.







Minor and Major 3rds Here are minor 3rd intervals in solid and broken form. Because 3rds are part of the 1357 note group, they don’t have commonly used compound counterparts. A minor 3rd interval is 1.5 steps above the root note, three frets higher. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here are major 3rd intervals in solid and broken form. Because 3rds are part of the 1357 note group, they don’t have commonly used compound counterparts. But, if you do see a 3rd in compound form, it’s a 10th. A major 3rd interval is two steps above the root.







Perfect and Augmented 4ths/11ths Here are perfect 4th intervals in solid and broken form. A perfect 4th interval is 2.5 steps above the root.

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Here are augmented 4th intervals in solid and broken form, otherwise referred to as the tritone. An augmented 4th interval is 3 steps above the root, which is why it’s called a tritone.

Here are perfect 11th intervals in solid and broken form, the compound version of the perfect 4th interval. A perfect 11th interval is 2.5 steps above the octave, or you can think of it as a perfect 4th up an octave.





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Here are augmented 11th intervals in solid and broken form, the compound version of the augmented 4th interval. An augmented 11th interval is 3 steps above the octave, or you can think of it as an augmented 4th up an octave.





Perfect, Diminished, and Augmented 5ths Here are perfect 5th intervals in solid and broken form, which are often referred to as power chords in solid form on guitar. Because 5ths are part of the 1357 note group, they don’t have commonly used compound intervals. But, if you do see them in compound form you use the number 12, as 5+7 = a 12th. A perfect 5th interval is 3.5 steps above the root note.

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Here are diminished 5th intervals in solid and broken form, which are also referred to as a tritone, as b5 and #4 are the same notes. A diminished 5th interval is 3 steps above the root note.

Here are augmented 5th intervals in solid and broken form. An augmented 5th interval is 4 steps above the root note.









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Minor and Major 6ths/13ths Here are minor 6th intervals in solid and broken form. Minor 6ths and augmented 5ths are the same note on guitar but different notes on paper, Ab vs. G# over C for example. A minor 6th interval is 4 steps above the root note and the minor 13th is a minor 6th up the octave.

Here are major 6th intervals in solid and broken form. A major 6th interval is 4.5 steps above the root note and the major 13th is a major 6th up an octave.







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Minor and Major 7ths Here are minor 7th intervals in solid and broken form. Any 7th is rarely seen in compound form, but when you do it’s a 14th, as 7+7 = 14. A minor 7th interval is 5 steps above the root note.

Here are major 7th intervals in solid and broken form. A major 7th interval is 5.5 steps above the root note.







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Descending Intervals You now learn how to build descending intervals, intervals that are lower than the root, by inverting ascending intervals. This is the easiest way to think about descending intervals as you use previous knowledge to create these new intervals. Because of this, having a solid understanding of ascending intervals is essential when building descending intervals. So, if you’re still having trouble memorizing ascending intervals, go back and refresh those before checking out descending intervals.

Descending 2nds To figure out descending 2nds, you raise the root note in major and minor 7ths. When you raise the lowest note of an ascending major 7th interval, you create a descending minor 2nd. When you raise the lowest note of a minor 7th interval, you create a descending major 2nd. Here are those relationships from the note C.

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Descending 3rds To figure out descending 3rds, you raise the root note in major and minor 6ths. When you raise the lowest note of an ascending major 6th interval, you create a descending minor 3rd. When you raise the lowest note of a minor 6th interval, you create a descending major 3rd. Here are those relationships from the note C.





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Descending 4th To figure out a descending 4th, you raise the root note in a perfect 5th. When you raise the lowest note of an ascending perfect 5th interval, you create a descending perfect 4th. Because the tritone, augmented 4th or diminished 5th, divides the octave in half, the descending interval is the same as the ascending interval. This means that C-F# is the ascending tritone and F#-C is the descending tritone. Here are those relationships between the perfect 4th and perfect 5th from the note C.





Descending 5th To figure out a descending 5th, you raise the root note in a perfect 4th. When you raise the lowest note of an ascending perfect 4th interval, you create a descending perfect 5th. Here are those relationships between the perfect 4th and perfect 5th from the note C. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Descending 6ths To figure out descending 6ths, you raise the root note in major and minor 3rds. When you raise the lowest note of an ascending major 3rd interval, you create a descending minor 6th. When you raise the lowest note of a minor 3rd interval, you create a descending major 6th. Here are those relationships from the note C.





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Descending 7ths To figure out descending 7ths, you raise the root note in major and minor 2nds. When you raise the lowest note of an ascending major 2nd interval, you create a descending minor 7th. When you raise the lowest note of a minor 2nd interval, you create a descending major 7th. Here are those relationships from the note C.







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Chapter Exercises (Use C as root) 1. Write out a page of unison and octaves. 2. Write out a page of ascending and descending major and minor 2nds. 3. Write out a page of ascending and descending major and minor 3rds. 4. Write out a page of ascending and descending perfect and augmented 4ths. 5. Write out a page of ascending and descending perfect and diminished 5ths. 6. Write out a page of ascending and descending major and minor 6ths. 7. Write out a page of ascending and descending major and minor 7ths.

Chapter Exercise Answers

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Chapter Quiz 1. What note is a major 2nd above D? 2. What note is a minor 3rd above E? 3. What note is a major 7th below C? 4. What note is a perfect 5th above A? 5. What note is a minor 6th above Bb? 6. What note is a minor 7th below G? 7. What note is a perfect 4th above B? 8. What note is a minor 2nd below Ab? 9. What note is a major 3rd above Db? 10. What note is a major 3rd below Db?



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Chapter Quiz Answers 1. What note is a major 2nd above D? A. E 2. What note is a minor 3rd above E? A. G 3. What note is a major 7th below C? A. Db 4. What note is a perfect 5th above A? A. E 5. What note is a minor 6th above Bb? A. Gb 6. What note is a minor 7th below G? A. A 7. What note is a perfect 4th above B? A. E 8. What note is a minor 2nd below Ab? A. G 9. What note is a major 3rd above Db? A. F 10. What note is a minor 3rd above Db? A. Fb (E)



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Guitar Scales and Modes Now that you know about musical intervals, you use those intervals to build one of the most important musical concepts on guitar, scales. Scales are used to create riffs, to write melodies, and to solo over chords and chord progressions. As well, you can use scales and modes to create chords and arpeggios, which you learn about later in this eBook. Because scales are so important, you learn about them first, before chords and arpeggios. Lastly, take your time with this chapter, and feel free to skip over items that are above your head at this time. Then, come back to those items as you progress in your studies of theory and guitar performance. Have fun with these scales, they’re cool sounding, add to your playing, and build a solid foundation to move forward in your theory studies.

What is a Scale? A scale is a collection of notes that outlines a particular sound and interval collection. Though not always the case, as you see with some scales below, scales are mostly built with major and minor 2nd intervals. Scales can have five notes, pentatonic scales, up to 8 notes, diminished scales, and everything in between. Here’s an example of a chord, arpeggio, and scale next to each other. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Notice that the chord is a group of notes played at once. Then, the arpeggio uses the same notes as the chord, but is played as single notes compared to a solid chunk with the chord. Lastly, the scale is in the last two bars, it has more notes than the chord or arpeggio, and the notes are closer together, 2nds not 3rds. The last thing to understand about scales is that scales are also known as “parent” scales. Parent scales produce modes, which are built from the notes of the parent scale starting on each note of that scale. You get into that more in the next section, but for now know that scales produce modes, but modes don’t produce scales.





What is a Mode? A mode, in its basic form, is the notes of any parent scale played from any note in the scale, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. This means that if you have a C major scale, and you play those notes from D to D, you produce a D Dorian scale, as you can see below. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Every mode contains the same notes as its parent scale, but the intervals are different because the starting note is different. This also means that every mode produces a sound, and chord, that is different compared to the parent scale and other modes in that system. Note: Most people use the term scale for any parent scale or mode these days, so it’s not uncommon to hear someone say “Dorian scale.” Just know that there are only 4 parent scales, major-melodic minorharmonic minor-harmonic major, and the rest are modes. This ensures that no matter what term you hear, scale or mode, you understand the difference between scales and modes in your studies. I even use the term Mixolydian scale etc. in this eBook as it’s become such a part of musical language in modern times.

Vertical Modes vs. Horizontal Modes One of the most confusing concepts with modes on guitar is the use of vertical modes vs. horizontal modes. Let’s look at horizontal modes first, which aren’t modes at all but a fingering system on the guitar.

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Horizontal modes are when you’re soloing over one chord, say Cmaj7, and you play different modes in that key. Here’s an example of that, over Cmaj7 you see C Ionian, D Dorian, and G Mixolydian being used in the notes. But, the notes themselves haven’t changed, so neither have the intervals. This means that if you solo over Cmaj7 and use C Ionian, D Dorian, and G Mixolydian, you’re just playing the same notes in different positions. This is where modes act as a fingering system; they allow you to play the notes of a scale or mode around the whole fretboard. Because the modes in a parent scale system all have the same notes, they allow you to play those notes around the entire fretboard.

Now let’s look at vertical modes, which are modes used in a more traditional sense, outlining specific chords. Here, you have the same three modes, in a different order, but the chords have changed. For Dm7 you play D Dorian, making that bar sound like a Dorian line. Then, you play G Mixolydian over G7, making that bar sound like a Mixolydian line. mattwarnockguitar.com



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Lastly, you have C Ionian over Cmaj7, making that bar sound like Ionian. If you play a specific mode over a specific chord, you color that chord with that mode, which is the purpose of a vertical mode.



The easiest way to think about these two mode functions is: Vertical Modes – Outline specific chords and have a specific sound over the chord you apply it to. Horizontal Modes – Allow you to play one scale over the entire fretboard without changing the sound of the mode/scale you’re in. This is a tricky item to grasp for many people, as other instruments don’t deal with it as much as guitarists do. For now, just know that each mode has a sound all to itself, but only when applied to a specific chord. Otherwise, mode fingerings are used to spread one scale/mode out around the fretboard without changing the sound of your lines.

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Scale Formulas There are two common ways to build scales on paper and on the fretboard, by intervals or by steps. Each of these methods is valid, and so learning both is essential for any guitarist studying music theory. Over time you might find that one is easier for you to think about than the other, so try both and see how they fit for you. Memorizing either the intervals or steps for any scale or mode gives you a quick method to build any scale or mode in any key. This is invaluable information when writing, analyzing, arranging, or improvising music.

Interval Formulas The first way to figure out the notes in any scale or mode is to memorize the interval pattern. This compares each note in the mode or scale to the root note, as the distance between the root and each note gives you the scale/mode. As an example, here’s the interval formula for D Dorian, 1-2-b3-4-5-6b7-1. Using that formula, you can build any Dorian mode; you just need to apply that formula to any root note. An example of this is A Dorian.

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Starting on A, you write out the intervals 1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7 above A to produce the A Dorian scale. A(1) B(2) C(b3) D(4) E(5) F#(6) G(b7) Every scale covered in this chapter shows you the interval formula that you can use to build that scale in any key on paper and on the guitar.





Steps Formulas You can also think of any scale or mode as a series of whole and half steps between the notes. This way of thinking focuses on the distance between each note, rather than the distance between the notes and the root as you just learned. Here’s an example of that same D Dorian scale with the whole and half steps listed between each note. To build any Dorian scale, you apply this formula to the new root and the notes will work out from there.

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As an example, if you have the root G, you apply the formula to produce the notes in G Dorian. G (W) A (H) Bb (W) C (W) D (W) E (H) F (W) G Try this formula out for a few more root notes to get used to it, and each scale in this chapter has the W-H formula written out as well.





Pentatonic and Blues Scales You begin your study with the two most popular scales in modern music, pentatonic and blues scales. There are major and minor versions of these scales, and both are applied differently in musical situations. Even if you’ve played these scales for years, take a minute and review the information below. It will clear up any questions you have about these common scales, and open new doors to applying them to your playing.

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Minor Pentatonic One of the most common guitar scales in modern music; therefore it’s essential to learn how to build and use the minor pentatonic scale. The minor pentatonic scale is built with the interval pattern 1-b3-4-5b7, and is used in countless ways when riffing or soloing. As well, you can build this scale with the W-H formula WH-W-W-WH-W, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole step plus a half step. This scale can be used to solo over blues songs, songs in a key, and over just about every possible chord in modern music. Because of this, when working with the minor pentatonic scale, assume you can use it in any situation unless it sounds bad to your ears. Here’s a C minor pentatonic scale to play and hear how this important scale sounds on the fretboard.





Minor Blues The minor blues scale is built by adding a #4(b5) to the minor pentatonic scale. Because of this, you can use it in the same way, with the only difference being that this scale has more of a blues feel. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here’s a C minor blues scale to play and hear how it sounds on guitar.





Major Pentatonic The major pentatonic scale is built with the interval pattern 1-2-3-5-6, and can be used over two distinct chords. As well, you can build this scale with the W-H formula W-W-WH-W-WH, with WH being 1.5 steps. When writing riffs or soloing, you can use the major pentatonic scale over major, maj7, and dominant 7th chords and their variations. Because this scale doesn’t have a 7 or b7 it fits over both maj7 and 7th chords and their variations. Major pentatonic isn’t as versatile as the minor pentatonic scale, but it does fit over more chords and situations than 7-note modes.

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Major Blues The major blues scale is built by adding a b3 to the major pentatonic scale. Because of this, you can use it in the same way, with the only difference being that this scale has more of a blues feel. Here’s a C major blues scale to play and hear how it sounds on guitar.





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Major Scale and Modes The next set of scales is the first parent scale and modes you learn about in this chapter, based on the major parent scale. These 7 modes are the most common in modern music, and if you play guitar for even a few years, you come across every one of these modes. Because of this, these are the most important modes to learn how to build, how to use, and how to play on guitar. Go slow with this section and build a solid foundation with these scales. If you do so, that solid foundation will make it much easier to learn the other scales and modes in this chapter.

Major Scale/Ionian Mode The major scale is a parent scale, and therefore builds 7 modes from the 7 notes in this scale. One of these modes is the major scale itself, which is also called the Ionian mode. The Ionian mode and major scale is the same thing, it just has two names, and so knowing both prevents confusion down the road. The Ionian mode is built with the interval structure 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 and is based off the first note of the major scale. As well, you can build this scale with the formula W-W-H-W-W-W-H. The characteristic note of Ionian is the natural 4, which is the note that separates it from the Lydian mode, which is very similar. mattwarnockguitar.com

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When soloing, you use the Ionian mode to solo over major and maj7 chords and their variations. Here’s a C Ionian mode so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Dorian Mode The Dorian mode is the second mode of the major scale, which means that D Dorian is the same as C Ionian played from D to D. The Dorian mode is built with the interval structure 1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7 and the characteristic note of this mode is the major 6th. As well, you can build Dorian with the formula W-H-W-W-W-H-W. This means that the major 6th interval is the one note that makes this scale stand out against other minor modes in the major scale system. When soloing, you use the Dorian mode to solo over m7 and m6 chords. Here’s a D Dorian mode so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Phrygian Mode The Phrygian mode is the third mode of the major scale, which means that E Phrygian is the same as C Ionian played from E to E. The Phrygian mode is built with the interval structure 1-b2-b3-4-5-b6b7 and the characteristic note of this mode is the b2. As well, you can build Phrygian with the formula H-W-W-W-H-W-W. This means that the b2 interval is the one note that makes this scale stand out against other minor modes in the major scale system. When soloing, you use the Phrygian mode to solo over m7 chords when you want to create a m7b9 sound. Here’s an E Phrygian mode so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Lydian Mode The Lydian mode is the fourth mode of the major scale, which means that F Lydian is the same as C Ionian played from F to F. The Lydian mode is built with the interval structure 1-2-3-#4-5-6-7 and the characteristic note of this mode is the #4. As well, you can build Lydian with the formula W-W-W-H-W-W-H. This means that the augmented 4th interval is the one note that makes this scale stand out against the major scale. When soloing, you use the Lydian mode to solo over major, Maj7 and Maj7#11 chords. Here’s an F Lydian mode so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Mixolydian Mode The Mixolydian mode is the fifth mode of the major scale, which means that G Mixolydian is the same as C Ionian played from G to G. The Mixolydian mode is built with the interval structure 1-2-3-4-5-6-b7 and the characteristic note of this mode is the b7. mattwarnockguitar.com

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As well, you can build Mixolydian with the formula W-W-H-W-W-H-W. This means that the b7 interval is the one note that makes this scale stand out against the other major based modes. When soloing, you use the Mixolydian mode to solo over major and 7th chords and their variations. Here’s a G Mixolydian mode so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Aeolian Mode The Aeolian mode is the sixth mode of the major scale, which means that A Aeolian is the same as C Ionian played from A to A. The Aeolian mode is built with the interval structure 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 and the characteristic note of this mode is the b6. As well, you can build Aeolian with the formula W-H-W-W-H-W-W. This means that the b6 interval is the one note that makes this scale stand out against other minor based modes. When soloing, you use the Aeolian mode to solo over minor and m7th chords and their variations. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here’s an A Aeolian mode so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Locrian Mode The Locrian mode is the seventh mode of the major scale, which means that B Locrian is the same as C Ionian played from B to B. The Locrian mode is built with the interval structure 1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6b7 and the characteristic note of this mode is the b5. As well, you can build Locrian with the formula H-W-W-H-W-W-W. This means that the b5 interval is the one note that makes this scale stand out against the other minor based modes. When soloing, you use the Locrian mode to solo over m7b5 chords and their variations. Here’s a B Locrian mode so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Melodic Minor Scale and Modes The next set of modes you learn are built from the parent melodic minor scale, which is commonly used in jazz and fusion, among other genres. These seven modes can be seen on the fretboard as one note different from the seven major modes, but they produce very unique sounds. Because of this, some players have a harder time learning, hearing, and using these melodic minor modes in their playing. Because of this, learn the theory for these modes, how they’re built and how to use them, as well as spending time playing them. If you got this far in the book, you understand the theory behind these modes, but playing them is another matter all together. Take your time with playing these modes, sing them to get a better understanding of them, and stick with them in your studies. It might take some time to get them under your fingers and in your ears, but the musical payoff is worth it.

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Melodic Minor Mode 1 The melodic minor scale is a parent scale, and therefore builds 7 modes from the 7 notes in this scale. One of these modes is the melodic minor scale itself, which is simply called melodic minor. Melodic minor is built with the interval structure 1-2-b3-4-5-6-7 and is based off the first note of the melodic minor scale. As well, you can build melodic minor 1 with the formula W-H-W-W-WW-H. In non-classical music, you only play one scale for melodic minor. In classical music, you play up melodic minor and down Aeolian, but this practice isn’t used outside classical composition. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of melodic minor as Ionian with the 3rd note lowered by 1 fret. This makes it easy to learn melodic minor, you take any Ionian fingering you know and lower the 3rd note by a fret and you have this new scale. When soloing, you use the melodic minor to solo over minor, mMaj7 and m6 chords. Here’s a C melodic minor scale so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Melodic Minor Mode 2 The second mode of melodic minor has the interval structure 1-b2-b34-5-6-b7 and is built from the second note of the melodic minor scale. As well, you can build melodic minor 2 with the formula H-W-W-W-WH-W. This means this mode is the same notes as C melodic minor played from D to D. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of melodic minor mode 2 as Dorian with the 2nd note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the 2nd mode melodic minor to solo over 7th chords, which produces a 13susb9 sound. Here’s a D melodic minor mode 2 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Melodic Minor Mode 3 The third mode of melodic minor has the interval structure 1-2-3-#4#5-6-7 and is built from the third note of the melodic minor scale. As well, you can build melodic minor 3 with the formula W-W-W-W-HW-H. This means this mode is the same notes as C melodic minor played from Eb to Eb. This mode is also called the Lydian Augmented scale. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of melodic minor mode 3 as Phrygian with the 1st note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the 3rd mode melodic minor to solo over major and maj7 chords, which produces a maj7(#11,#5) sound. Here’s an Eb melodic minor mode 3 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Melodic Minor Mode 4 The fourth mode of melodic minor has the interval structure 1-2-3-#45-6-b7 and is built from the fourth note of the melodic minor scale. As well, you can build melodic minor 4 with the formula W-W-W-H-WH-W. This means this mode is the same notes as C melodic minor played from F to F. This mode is also called the Lydian Dominant scale. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of melodic minor mode 4 as Lydian with the 7th note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the 4th mode melodic minor to solo over 7th chords, which produces a 7#11 sound. Here’s an F melodic minor mode 4 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Melodic Minor Mode 5 The fifth mode of melodic minor has the interval structure 1-2-3-4-5b6-b7 and is built from the fifth note of the melodic minor scale. As well, you can build melodic minor 5 with the formula W-W-H-W-HW-W. This means this mode is the same notes as C melodic minor played from G to G. This mode is also called the Mixolydian b13 scale. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of melodic minor mode 5 as Mixolydian with the 6th note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the 5th mode melodic minor to solo over 7th chords, which produces a 7b13 sound. Here’s a G melodic minor mode 5 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Melodic Minor Mode 6 The sixth mode of melodic minor has the interval structure 1-2-b3-4-b5b6-b7 and is built from the sixth note of the melodic minor scale. As well, you can build melodic minor 6 with the formula W-H-W-H-WW-W. This means this mode is the same notes as C melodic minor played from A to A. This mode is also called the Locrian Natural 2 scale. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of melodic minor mode 6 as Aeolian with the 5th note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the 6th mode melodic minor to solo over m7b5 chords, which produces a m9b5 sound. Here’s an A melodic minor mode 6 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Melodic Minor Mode 7 The seventh mode of melodic minor has the intervals 1-b2-b3-b4(3)-b5b6-b7 and is built from the 7th note of the melodic minor scale. As well, you can build melodic minor 7 with the formula H-W-H-W-WW-W. This means this mode is the same notes as C melodic minor played from B to B. This mode is also called the Altered scale. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of melodic minor mode 7 as Locrian with the 4th note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the 7th mode melodic minor to solo over 7th chords, which produces a 7(b9,#9,b5,#5) sound. Here’s a B melodic minor mode 7 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Harmonic Minor Scale and Modes The next set of scales/modes covers the third most popular group of modes in modern music, built from the harmonic minor scale. Though you won’t use most of these vertical modes as they’re pretty rare, you’ll use them in a horizontal fashion, so they’re worth learning. As a side note, the first and fifth modes are the most commonly, so if you only learn to use two vertical HM modes, those are it.

Harmonic Minor Mode 1 The harmonic minor scale is a parent scale, and therefore builds 7 modes from the 7 notes in this scale. One of these modes is the harmonic minor scale itself, which is simply called harmonic minor. Harmonic minor is built with the interval structure 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-7 and is based off the first note of the harmonic minor scale.

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As well, you can build Harmonic Minor 1 with the formula W-H-W-W-HWH-H, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic minor as Aeolian with the 7th note raised by 1 fret. This makes it easy to learn harmonic minor, you take any Aeolian fingering and raise the 7th note by a fret to build this new scale. When soloing, you use the harmonic minor to solo over minor and mMaj7 chords and their variations. Here’s a C harmonic minor scale so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Harmonic Minor Mode 2 Harmonic minor mode 2 is built with the interval structure 1-b2-b3-4b5-6-b7 and is based off the second note of the harmonic minor scale. As well, you can build harmonic minor 2 with the formula H-W-W-HWH-H-W, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic minor mode 2 as Locrian with the 6th note raised by 1 fret.

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When soloing, you use the harmonic minor mode 2 to solo over m7b5 chords to produce a m13b5 sound. Here’s a D harmonic minor mode 2 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Harmonic Minor Mode 3 Harmonic minor mode 3 is built with the interval structure 1-2-3-4-#56-7 and is based off the third note of the harmonic minor scale. As well, you can build harmonic minor 3 with the formula W-W-H-WHH-W-H, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic minor mode 3 as Ionian with the 5th note raised by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic minor mode 3 to solo over major and Maj7 chords and their variations to produce a Maj7#5 sound. Here’s an Eb harmonic minor mode 3 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.

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Harmonic Minor Mode 4 Harmonic minor mode 4 is built with the interval structure 1-2-b3-#45-6-b7 and is based off the fourth note of the harmonic minor scale. As well, you can build harmonic minor 4 with the formula W-H-WH-HW-H-W, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic minor mode 4 as Dorian with the 4th note raised by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic minor mode 4 to solo over minor and m7 chords to produce a m7#11 sound. Here’s an F harmonic minor mode 4 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





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Harmonic Minor Mode 5 Harmonic minor mode 5 is built with the interval structure 1-b2-3-4-5b6-b7 and is based off the fifth note of the harmonic minor scale. As well, you can build harmonic minor 5 with the formula H-WH-H-WH-W-W, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. This mode is also called the Phrygian Dominant scale. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic minor mode 5 as Phrygian with the 3rd note raised by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic minor mode 5 to solo over 7th chords to produce a 7b9,b13 sound. Here’s a G harmonic minor mode 5 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Harmonic Minor Mode 6 Harmonic minor mode 6 is built with the interval structure 1-#2-3-#45-6-7 and is based off the sixth note of the harmonic minor scale. As well, you can build harmonic minor 6 with the formula WH-H-W-HW-W-H, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. mattwarnockguitar.com

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From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic minor mode 6 as Lydian with the 2nd note raised by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic minor mode 6 to solo over major and maj7th chords to produce a maj7#11,#9 sound. Here’s an Ab harmonic minor mode 6 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Harmonic Minor Mode 7 Harmonic minor mode 7 is built with the interval structure 1-b2-b3-b4b5-b6-bb7 and is based off the 7th note of the harmonic minor scale. As well, you can build harmonic minor 7 with the formula H-W-H-W-WH-WH, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic minor mode 7 as Mixolydian with the 1st note raised by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic minor mode 7 to solo over dim7 chords. Here’s a B harmonic minor mode 7 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Harmonic Major Scale and Modes The last set of scales/modes covers the least most popular group of modes in modern music, built from the harmonic major scale. Though you won’t use most of these modes as they’re pretty rare, you will use them in a horizontal fashion, so they’re worth learning. As a side note, the first and fifth modes are the most common, so if you only learn to use two vertical harmonic major modes, those are it. Lastly, the name harmonic major comes from the two halves of the parent scale. The first half contains the intervals of the major scale and the second half contains the intervals of harmonic minor.

Harmonic Major Mode 1 The harmonic major scale is a parent scale, and therefore builds 7 modes from the 7 notes in this scale. One of these modes is the harmonic major scale itself, which is simply called harmonic major. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Harmonic major is built with the interval structure 1-2-3-4-5-b6-7 and is based off the first note of the harmonic major scale. As well, you can build harmonic major 1 with the formula W-W-H-W-HWH-H, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic major as Ionian with the 6th note lowered by 1 fret. This makes it easy to learn harmonic major, you take any Ionian fingering and lower the 6th note by a fret to build this new scale. When soloing, you use the harmonic major to solo over major and Maj7 chords, giving it a Maj7b6 sound. Here’s a C harmonic major scale so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Harmonic Major Mode 2 Harmonic major mode 2 is built with the interval structure 1-2-b3-4-b56-b7 and is based off the second note of the harmonic major scale. As well, you can build harmonic major 2 with the formula W-H-W-HWH-H-W, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. mattwarnockguitar.com

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From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic major mode 2 as Dorian with the 5th note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic major mode 2 to solo over m7b5 chords, giving them a m13b5 sound. Here’s a D harmonic major mode 2 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Harmonic Major Mode 3 Harmonic major mode 3 is built with the interval structure 1-b2-b3b4(3)-5-b6-b7 and is based off the 3rd note of the harmonic major scale. As well, you can build harmonic major 3 with the formula H-W-H-WHH-W-W, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic major mode 3 as Phrygian with the 4th note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic major mode 3 to solo over 7th chords, giving them a 7(b9,#9,b13) sound. Here’s an E harmonic major mode 3 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Harmonic Major Mode 4 Harmonic major mode 4 is built with the interval structure 1-2-b3-#4-56-7 and is based off the 4th note of the harmonic major scale. As well, you can build harmonic major 4 with the formula W-H-WH-HW-W-H, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic major mode 4 as Lydian with the 3rd note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic major mode 4 to solo over mMaj7th chords, giving them a mMaj7#11 sound. Here’s an F harmonic major mode 4 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





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Harmonic Major Mode 5 Harmonic major mode 5 is built with the interval structure 1-b2-3-4-56-b7 and is based off the 5th note of the harmonic major scale. As well, you can build harmonic major 5 with the formula H-WH-H-WW-H-W, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic major mode 5 as Mixolydian with the 2nd note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic major mode 5 to solo over 7th chords, giving them a 7b9 sound. Here’s a G harmonic major mode 5 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Harmonic Major Mode 6 Harmonic major mode 6 is built with the interval structure 1-#2-3-#4#5-6-7 and is based off the 6th note of the harmonic major scale. As well, you can build harmonic major 6 with the formula WH-H-W-WH-W-H, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half.

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From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic major mode 6 as Aeolian with the 1st note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic major mode 6 to solo over major and Maj7th chords, giving them a Maj7(#9,#5,#11) sound. Here’s an Ab harmonic major mode 6 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung.





Harmonic Major Mode 7 Harmonic major mode 7 is built with the interval structure 1-b2-b3-4b5-b6-bb7 and is based off the 7th note of the harmonic major scale. As well, you can build harmonic major 7 with the formula H-W-W-H-WH-WH, with WH being 1.5 steps, a whole plus a half. From a fingering standpoint, you can think of harmonic major mode 7 as Locrian with the 7th note lowered by 1 fret. When soloing, you use the harmonic major mode 7 to solo over dim7 chords. Here’s a B harmonic major mode 7 so you can see how it sits on the guitar and how it sounds when played or sung. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Symmetrical Scales The last section of this chapter looks at symmetrical scales. Symmetrical scales use symmetrical intervals in their construction and do not produce modes. This means that if you play the notes of any symmetrical from the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. notes of that scale, it’s always the same sound. This separates symmetrical scales from parent scales, and gives symmetrical scales a sound all their own. Here are the commonly used symmetrical scales in modern music to learn how to build, use, and play these interested melodic devices.

Chromatic Scale The chromatic scale is built with half steps and contains 12 notes, every possible note in the western musical system. This scale is used more for technique and fretboard workouts than it is for making music, but it’s still worth learning.

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When ascending the chromatic scale you normally write the notes as sharps, then descending you use flats. This is the same for any chromatic note when writing notation. If you add a chromatic note going up, you use sharps, and if you write a chromatic note going down, you use flats. An example of this is writing G-G#-A, then A-Ab-G, with G#/Ab being the chromatic note in both directions. As with any rule, this can be broken, but it’s a good rule of thumb when writing chromatic scales and chromatic notes on the staff. Here’s a C chromatic scale ascending and descending to learn, play, sing, and see how it sits on the staff.





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Whole Tone Scale The whole-tone scale is built with whole steps, or whole tones, and contains six notes. The interval structure of the whole-tone scale is 1-2-3-#4-#5-b7, and the steps formula is W-W-W-W-W-W. When soloing, the whole-tone scale is used over 7th chords when you want to bring a 7(#11,#5) sound into your lines. Here’s a C whole-tone scale to play and hear how this symmetrical scale sounds on the guitar.





Half-Whole Diminished Scale The half-whole diminished scale is built with alternating half and wholesteps, and contains 8 notes. The interval structure of the half-whole diminished scale is 1-b2-b3-3#4-5-6-b7, and the steps formula is H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W. When soloing, the half-whole diminished scale is used over 7th chords when you want to bring a 7(b9, #9, #11) sound into your lines. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Because it’s used over 7th chords, this scale is often called the “dominant diminished” scale. Here’s a C half-whole diminished scale to play and hear how this symmetrical scale sounds on the guitar.





Whole-Half Diminished Scale The whole-half diminished scale is built with alternating whole and halfsteps, and contains 8 notes. The interval structure of the half-whole diminished scale is 1-2-b3-4-b5#5-6-7, and the steps formula is W-H-W-H-W-H-W-H. When soloing, the whole-half diminished scale is used over dim7th chords when you want to bring a dimMaj7 sound into your lines. Because it’s used over dim7th chords, this scale is often called the diminished scale. Here’s a C whole-half diminished scale to play and hear how this symmetrical scale sounds on the guitar.

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Augmented Scale The augmented scale is built by mixing two augmented triads a m3rd apart, and contains six notes. The interval structure of the augmented scale is 1-#2-3-5-b6-7, and the steps formula is WH-H-WH-H-WH-H, with WH being 1.5 steps. When soloing, the augmented scale is used over maj7th chords when you want to bring a maj7(#9,b13) sound into your lines. Here’s a C augmented scale to play and hear how this symmetrical scale sounds on the guitar.





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Tritone Scale The tritone scale is built by mixing two major triads a tritone apart, and contains six notes. The interval structure of the augmented scale is 1-b2-3-#4-5-b7, and the steps formula is H-WH-W-H-WH-W, with WH being 1.5 steps. When soloing, the augmented scale is used over 7th chords when you want to bring a 7(b9,#11) sound into your lines. Here’s a C tritone scale to play and hear how this symmetrical scale sounds on the guitar.



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Chapter Exercises Note: Because the major scale system is the basis for learning the other parent scales and modes, most of the exercises and quiz in this chapter focus on that scale system. 1. Write out the major scale in F. 2. Write out the Dorian mode in Bb. 3. Write out the Phrygian mode in D#. 4. Write out the Lydian mode in Ab. 5. Write out the Mixolydian mode in C#. 6. Write out the Aeolian mode in F#. 7. Write out the Locrian mode in B. 8. Write out the melodic minor scale in E. 9. Write out the harmonic minor scale in A. 10. Write the harmonic major scale in D.

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Chapter Exercise Answers Exercise 1 Answer = F G A Bb C D E Exercise 2 Answer = Bb C Db Eb F G Ab Exercise 3 Answer = D# E F# G# A# B C# Exercise 4 Answer = Ab Bb C D Eb F G Exercise 5 Answer = C# D# E# F# G# A# B Exercise 6 Answer = F# G# A B C# D E Exercise 7 Answer = B C D E F G A Exercise 8 Answer = E F# G A B C# D# Exercise 9 Answer = A B C D E F G# Exercise 10 Answer = D E F# G A Bb C#



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Chapter Quiz 1. What is the step formula for the major scale? 2. What is the interval formula for the melodic minor scale? 3. What is the step formula for the harmonic minor scale? 4. What is the interval formula for the harmonic major scale? 5. What is the step formula for the whole tone scale? 6. What is the interval formula for the dominant diminished scale? 7. What is the 4th mode of melodic minor called? 8. What symmetrical scale uses only half steps? 9. What symmetrical scale uses the alternating intervals W H? 10. What major mode has the characteristic note b2?



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Chapter Quiz Answers 1. What is the step formula for the major scale? A. W W H W W W H 2. What is the interval formula for the melodic minor scale? A. 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 3. What is the step formula for the harmonic minor scale? A. W H W W H WH H 4. What is the interval formula for the harmonic major scale? A. 1 2 3 4 5 b6 7 5. What is the step formula for the whole tone scale? A. W W W W W W 6. What is the interval formula for the dominant diminished scale? A. 1 b2 b3 3 #4 5 6 b7 7. What is the 4th mode of melodic minor called? A. Lydian Dominant 8. What symmetrical scale uses only half steps? A. Chromatic Scale 9. What symmetrical scale uses the alternating intervals W H? A. Whole Half Diminished 10. What major mode has the characteristic note b2? A. Phrygian





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Guitar Chords You now learn about the second main concept in guitar theory application, chords. Alongside scales and arpeggios, chords are part of the holy trinity of theory application on the fretboard. Chords are used to back up singers, play rhythm behind a soloist, or create cool-sounding chord solos and chord melodies. In this chapter you learn how to build chords from two notes up to 7 notes, and how to apply those shapes to the guitar. To fully understand chord theory, you need a solid foundation with musical intervals. So, if you’re still shaky on intervals, or scales for that matter, go back and review before tackling this chapter. Chords are easy to understand if you have a strong grasp of intervals, but they’re difficult to get if you don’t quite have intervals down yet. Take your time with this chapter, play all the examples, and take them to other keys and chord qualities as you dig deep into chord theory.

What is a Chord? A chord is two or more notes played on the guitar that sounds a specific chord symbol, such as C, E5, Amaj7, or D7b9,b13. Chords can contain 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 notes, and are related to the scales and modes you learned earlier. mattwarnockguitar.com

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This means that every scale and mode creates a chord shape on the guitar. As well, chords can be built by applying interval formulas to root notes, creating chord shapes in the process. Both of those methods are covered in the theory explanations below, as the goal of this chapter is to teach you how to build common chords. As well, fingerings are included for every chord covered in this chapter so you can play these shapes as well as understand the theory. To begin, learn how to build chords from scales and interval patterns.

Chords From Scales The first way to build a chord shape is to stack every second note from scales and modes to create chords. Here’s an example of this approach with a C chord, which is built by stacking every 2nd note of the C major scale up to the 5th. This concept can be applied to any scale or mode you know to create chords on paper. The only drawback to this approach is that you have to know your scales inside and out to form chords with this method. Because of this, it’s also important to learn about chord interval formulas, which you will in the next section below. For now, take any scale you know, write it out on paper, then stack every second note to see what chords you produce. Do this with major scales, minor scales, Dorian modes, melodic minor scales, etc. to get a full idea of this approach in action. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here’s an example of a Cmaj7 chord, four-note chord, built by stacking every second note of the major scale up to the 7th. When doing so, you create the intervals 1-3-5-7, the notes that make up a maj7 chord shape. Again, this theory can be applied to any scale or mode to build any chord related to any scale or mode you know.







Chord Built From Intervals The second way to build chords is to memorize the interval formula for each chord shape. mattwarnockguitar.com

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In this section you find a quick reference to commonly used chords in modern music. Each formula will be explained again when you get to these chords in the sections below, but this is a nice and easy reference to have at hand. Lastly, there are more chords covered here than in the sections below, because they’re just variations of chords you learn about in this eBook. Here are the formulas for three-note chords, called triads, to memorize or use as a reference. Ø Major Chords = 1-3-5 Ø Minor Chords = 1-b3-5 Ø Diminished Chords = 1-b3-b5 Ø Augmented Chords = 1-3-#5 Here are the formulas for four-note chords to memorize or use as a reference. Ø Maj7 = 1-3-5-7 Ø Maj7#11 = 1-3-#11-7 Ø Maj7#5 = 1-3-#5-7 Ø 7 = 1-3-5-b7 Ø 7#11 = 1-3-#11-b7 Ø m7 = 1-b3-5-b7 Ø m7b5 = 1-b3-b5-b7 Ø Dim7 = 1-b3-b5-bb7 Ø mMaj7 = 1-b3-5-7

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Here are the formulas for five-note chords to memorize or use as a reference. Ø Maj9 = 1-3-5-7-9 Ø Maj9#11 = 1-3-#11-7-9 Ø Maj9#5 = 1-3-#5-7-9 Ø 9 = 1-3-5-b7-9 Ø 7b9 = 1-3-5-b7-b9 Ø 7#9 = 1-3-5-b7-#9 Ø 9#11 = 1-3-#11-b7-9 Ø m9 = 1-b3-5-b7-9 Ø m9b5 = 1-b3-b5-b7-9 Ø mMaj9 = 1-b3-5-7-9 Here are the formulas for six-note chords to memorize or use as a reference. Ø Maj7#11 = 1-3-5-7-9-#11 Ø 7#11 = 1-3-5-b7-9-#11 Ø m11 = 1-b3-5-b7-9-11 Ø m11b5 = 1-b3-b5-b7-9(or b9)-11 Ø mMaj11 = 1-b3-5-7-9-11 Here are the formulas for seven-note chords, as well as 6 chords, to memorize or use as a reference. Ø 6 = 1-3-5-6 Ø 13 = 1-3-5-b7-9-#11(or 11)-13 Ø m6 = 1-b3-5-6

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Chord Shapes on Guitar Though basic chords are built by stacking 3rds from root notes, or playing every 2nd note in a scale, that’s not the end of building chords. Because the guitar has frets and strings, there are countless variations of shapes you can explore for each chord. By taking the intervals of any chord, 1-3-5-7 for maj7 as an example, and mixing them up, you create new shapes for the same chord. This will be covered in more detail later in this chapter, but for now, here are four common Cmaj7 chord shapes as an example. Every one of these shapes uses the same notes, C-E-G-B, and the same intervals, 1-3-5-7, but in different order to create new fingerings. Can you label the notes and intervals for each fingering to find the order of notes and intervals in these examples?

Three of the most common chord shapes on guitar are open-position chords, barre chords, and power chords. Here are quick examples of those chords to understand those labels and how they’re applied to shapes on the guitar.

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More advanced chord shapes will be covered later in this chapter as you explore drop chord shapes on the fretboard.

Open Position Chords Open-position chords, also called “cowboy” chords or “campfire” chords, are chord shapes that use open strings in their construction. As well, they’re found in “open position” on the guitar, within the first three frets. These are normally the first chords any guitarists learn, and are found in most musical genres. Here are examples of open chords to check out on the guitar.





Power Chords Power chords are built with the two notes, the root and perfect 5th above that root. This is why power chords use the chord symbol 5, such as G5, A5, etc., as they’re built with only the root and 5th. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here are examples of four power chords on the fretboard to play and hear how they sound. Because there’s no 3rd in these shapes, power chords have a thick, powerful sound that’s neither major nor minor. As a result, power chords are favorite shapes for rock and metal guitarists.





Barre Chords Barre chords are used to take open-position chords and move them around the fretboard. Barre chords have roots on the 6th, 5th, and sometimes 4th strings of the guitar. The advantage of barre chords is that you can easily take any chord type and move it to different root notes without thinking. You simply find the root note on the 6th or 5th strings, mostly, and play the barre shape for the chord quality you want on that note. Barre chords are mostly used for three and four-note chords, 135 and 1357, but some shapes can use extensions as well. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here are examples of common barre chord shapes to get a feel for how they sit on the guitar.





Root Position Chords and Inversions The last item you have to understand about how chords are built and played on the guitar is the concept of inversions. In their simplest form, inversions are shapes that all have the same notes, in different order, so you can play them in different positions. This means that the inversions of Cmaj7 all have the same notes, C-E-GB, but are played in different order to move them around the fretboard. As a quick reference here’s a table of each inversion and it’s lowest note. Ø Root Position = Root is lowest note Ø 1st Inversion = 3rd is lowest note Ø 2nd Inversion = 5th is lowest note Ø 3rd Inversion = 7th is lowest note

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Here’s an example of a Cmaj7 chord, drop 2 shape, in all four inversions on the guitar. When building inversions, you start with the root position shape; in this case it’s R-5-7-3 in bars 1 and 2. From there, you move each interval to the next interval in the chord to form the next inversion. This means that to move from root position to 1st inversion in the chords below you follow these steps. Ø Root moves to 3rd Ø 5th moves to 7th Ø 7th moves to Root Ø 3rd moves to 5th When you follow that movement you change the root position chord to a 1st inversion, as you see in the first four bars below. The concept of inversions will be covered in more detail in the chord fingerings section later in this chapter. For now, play through these shapes and build a basic understanding of inversions to set you up for further learning in this chapter.

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Triads The first set of chords that you learn about are called triads. Triads get their name because they only use 3 notes, the root, 3rd, and 5th of any chord. There are four main triads that you need to know about on paper and the fretboard, major-minor-diminished-augmented. All four of these shapes are covered in this section so take some time to understand how to build and play these essential guitar chords.

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Major Triads Major chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5, and come from the major scale stacked in 3rds up to the 5th. Major chords are found in major key progressions, I, IV, and V chords, as well as minor key progressions, bIII, bVI, and bVII. Here’s a C chord in solid and broken (plucked) positions in all three inversions, with the root position up an octave in the last 2 bars.





Minor Triads Minor chords are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-5, and come from the natural minor scale stacked in 3rds up to the 5th. mattwarnockguitar.com

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You can also think of minor chords as the major chord with a b3. Minor chords are found in major key progressions, ii, iii, and vi chords, as well as minor key progressions, i, iv, and v. Here’s a Cm chord in solid and broken (plucked) positions in all three inversions, with the root position up an octave in the last 2 bars.





Diminished Triads Diminished chords are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-b5, and come from the diminished scale stacked in 3rds up to the 5th. You can also think of minor chords as the minor chord with a b5. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Diminished chords are found in major key progressions, vii chords, as well as minor key progressions, ii chords. Here’s a Cdim chord in solid and broken (plucked) positions in all three inversions, with the root position up an octave in the last 2 bars.





Augmented Triads Augmented chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-#5. You can also think of augmented chords as the major chord with a #5. Augmented chords are found in minor keys, bIII augmented chords. Here’s a Caug chord in solid and broken (plucked) positions in all three inversions, with the root position up an octave in the last 2 bars. mattwarnockguitar.com

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4-Note Chords You know move on to learning how to build and play four-note chords on the guitar, chords that add a 7th to any triad you just learned. These chords are most commonly used in jazz and fusion music, but are also found in pop, rock, blues, and other popular genres. Because of this, it’s important to understand how these chords are built, how they’re used, and how to play them on guitar.

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Maj7 Chords Maj7 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5-7, and come from the major scale stacked in 3rds up to the 7th. Maj7 chords are found in major key progressions, Imaj7 and IVmaj7 chords, as well as minor key progressions, bIIImaj7 and bVImaj7. Here is a Cmaj7 chord in solid and broken (plucked) positions, as well as four examples of common Cmaj7 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.





Maj7#11 Chords Maj7#11 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-#4(#11)-7, and come from the stacked Lydian scale, with the #11 replacing the 5th. Maj7#11 chords are found in major key progressions, IVmaj7 chords, as well as minor key progressions, bVImaj7. Here is a Cmaj7#11 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cmaj7#11 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.

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7 Chords 7th chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5-b7, and come from the Mixolydian scale stacked in 3rds up to the 7th. 7th chords are found in major key progressions, V7 chords, as well as minor key progressions, bVII7. Here’s a C7 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common C7 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.





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7#11 Chords 7#11 chords are built with the intervals 1-3-#4(#11)-b7, and come from the stacked Lydian Dominant scale, with #11 replacing the 5th. 7#11 chords are often used as secondary dominant chords, which you learn about in the next section. They can also be used to add tension to any V7 chord in your playing, such as G7#11 in the key of C major, or F7#11 in an F blues. Here’s a C7#11 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common C7#11 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.





m7 Chords m7 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-5-b7, and come from the Dorian and Aeolian scale stacked in 3rds up to the 7th. m7 chords are found in major key progressions, iim7, iiim7, and vim7 chords, as well as minor key progressions, im7, ivm7, vm7. Here’s a Cm7 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cm7 fingerings to explore on the fretboard. mattwarnockguitar.com

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m7b5 Chords m7b5 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-b5-b7, and come from the Locrian scale stacked in 3rds up to the 7th. m7b5 chords are found in major key progressions, viim7b5 chords, as well as minor key progressions, iim7b5 and vim7b5. Here’s a Cm7b5 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cm7b5 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.





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dim7 Chords dim7 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-b5-bb7, and come from the whole half diminished scale stacked in 3rds up to the 7th. dim7 chords are used in 3 different ways in modern music. The first is as a passing chord, so if you have Dm7-Em7, you see Dm7D#dim7-Em7, as D#dim7 is a passing chord here. The second is as a dominant diminished sound, where you play Abdim7 in place of G7 to form a rootless G7b9 chord. Lastly, it’s used as a tonic diminished chord, playing Cdim7 in the key of C major for example. Because the intervals are symmetrical, the distance between any interval in a dim7 chord is a m3, there are no inversions of dim7 chords. This means that there is only one fingering per string set that you have to learn, then all “inversions” of dim7 chords use that same fingering. For example, if you have Cdim7 on the middle four strings, as you see below, that shape is the same for all four inversions of the chord. You play that shape with C, Eb, Gb, then A as the bottom note, and it’s all the same notes on different frets. Here’s a Cdim7 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cdim7 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.

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mMaj7 Chords mMaj7 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-5-7, and come from the melodic minor scale stacked in 3rds up to the 7th. mMaj7 chords are found in minor key progressions, ImMaj7 chords. Here’s a CmMaj7 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common CmMaj7 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.





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Advanced Chord Fingerings Now that you know how to build four-note chords, it’s time to learn how guitarists translate those chords onto the guitar. Because guitarists only have 4 fingers to play chords, compared to a pianist who has 10, you have to adapt chords to fit onto the fretboard. To do this, guitarists over the years have borrowed chord shapes from composers and pianists and translated them to the fretboard. In this chapter, you look at four different chord-fingering systems that are used with 4-note shapes on the fretboard. These four systems are used to go beyond open-position chords, chords with open strings, and barre chords. Check out the theory behind each of those chord systems, and play the examples below to get a feel for how they sit on the guitar. From there, take them to other chord qualities and keys as you expand these fingerings in your studies.

Closed Position Chords The first fingering system is called closed position chords. These chords get their name because they all fit into the span of one octave. This means that the interval between the lowest and highest notes in any inversion of a closed position chord is one octave or less. The formula for each closed position inversion is as follows. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Ø Ø Ø Ø

Root Position = 1357 1st Inversion = 3571 2nd Inversion = 5713 3rd Inversion = 7135

Here are examples of the four inversions for Cmaj7 in closed position. To take these shapes to other chord qualities, simply adjust the intervals in each shape as needed. For example, to make all of these shapes 7th chords, you find the 7th in each shape and make it a b7. If you want to make these shapes m7 chords, find the 7 and lower it to b7, and then find the 3rd and lower it to a b3, etc.

As you can see, the first and maybe 3rd shapes in the above example are playable; the others are too spread out to be practical. Because of this, you mostly see closed position chords in root position and 2nd inversion, the easiest shapes to play on guitar. This means that to play four-note chords on guitar, players had to develop other fingerings that were easier to play.

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This is where drop chords come into play, as you’ll see in the next 3 sections.

Drop 2 Chords The second fingering system is called drop 2 chords. The name drop 2 is used because you take a closed position shape and “drop” or lower the 2nd highest note by an octave to build these chords. This means that if you have a Cmaj7 chord in closed position, you lower the second highest note, G, and you’re left with a drop 2 2nd inversion. From there, players used inversion theory to figure out the four inversions of drop 2 chords on the fretboard. Here’s an example of how to build a drop 2 chord, using Cmaj7 in root position as the starting chord.

Now that you know how to build a drop 2 chord from a closed position shape you can learn about each drop 2 inversion. mattwarnockguitar.com



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The formula for each drop 2 inversion is as follows. Ø Root Position = 1573 Ø 1st Inversion = 3715 Ø 2nd Inversion = 5137 Ø 3rd Inversion = 7351 Here are examples of the four inversions for a Cmaj7 drop 2 chord. To take these shapes to other chord qualities, simply adjust the intervals in each shape as needed. For example, to make all of these shapes 7th chords, you find the 7th in each shape and make it a b7. If you want to make these shapes m7 chords, find the 7 and lower it to b7, and then find the 3rd and lower it to a b3, etc.

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Drop 2 chords can be played on the 6543, 5432, and 4321 string sets, but are rarely used on the 6543 string set. This is because the lower strings cause the chords to sound muddy and will get in the way of a bass line if you have a bassist in your group. As well, because they are played on consecutive strings, you can pluck or strum these chords. Lastly, drop 2 chords are often found in chord solos and chord melody arrangements because they’re easier to use than other drop chords.

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Drop 3 Chords The third fingering system is called drop 3 chords. The name drop 3 is used because you take a closed position shape and “drop” or lower the 3rd highest note by an octave to build these chords. This means that if you have a Cmaj7 chord in closed position, you lower the third highest note, E, and you’re left with a drop 3 1st inversion. From there, players used inversion theory to figure out the four inversions of drop 3 chords on the fretboard. Here’s an example of how to build a drop 3 chord, using Cmaj7 in root position as the starting chord.

Now that you know how to build a drop 3 chord from a closed position shape you can learn about each drop 3 inversion. The formula for each drop 3 inversion is as follows. Ø Root Position = 1735 Ø 1st Inversion = 3157 Ø 2nd Inversion = 5371 Ø 3rd Inversion = 7513 mattwarnockguitar.com



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Here are examples of the four inversions for a Cmaj7 drop 3 chord. To take these shapes to other chord qualities, simply adjust the intervals in each shape as needed. For example, to make all of these shapes 7th chords, you find the 7th in each shape and make it a b7. If you want to make these shapes m7 chords, find the 7 and lower it to b7, and then find the 3rd and lower it to a b3, etc.

Drop 3 chords can be played on the 6432 and 5321 string sets. Because drop 3 chords have a string skip, they’re most often plucked or played with hybrid picking.

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You can strum drop 3 chords, but you have to be careful not to hit the open string found in each inversion. Lastly, drop 3 chords are often used in situations where you’re the only harmony instrument, such as duo or solo guitar. This is because of the low bass note being separate from the top of the chord, allowing you to create bass lines and comp at the same time.

Drop 2 & 4 Chords The last fingering system is called drop 2 & 4 chords. The name drop 2 & 4 is used because you “drop” the 2nd and 4th highest notes of a close position chord by an octave to build these shapes. This means that if you have a Cmaj7 chord in closed position, you lower the second highest note, G, and 4th highest note, C, to form these shapes. From there, players used inversion theory to figure out the four inversions of drop 2 & 4 chords on the fretboard. Here’s an example of how to build a drop 2 & 4 chord, using Cmaj7 in root position as the starting chord.



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Now that you know how to build a drop 2 & 4 chord from a closed position shape you can learn about each drop 2 & 4 inversion. The formula for each drop 2 & 4 inversion is as follows. Ø Root Position = 1573 Ø 1st Inversion = 3715 Ø 2nd Inversion = 5137 Ø 3rd Inversion = 7351 As you can see, each of these inversions has the same interval structure as the drop 2 chords you learned earlier. The only difference is that drop 2 and 4 chords are more spread out on the guitar compared to drop 2 shapes. There’s also a string skip in the middle of each drop 2 & 4 shape because they’re more spread out compared to drop 2 chords. Here are examples of the four inversions for a Cmaj7 drop 2 & 4 chord. To take these shapes to other chord qualities, simply adjust the intervals in each shape as needed. For example, to make all of these shapes 7th chords, you find the 7th in each shape and make it a b7. If you want to make these shapes m7 chords, find the 7 and lower it to b7, and then find the 3rd and lower it to a b3, etc.

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Drop 2 & 4 chords can be played on the 6532 and 5421 string sets. Because drop 2 & 4 chords have a string skip, they’re most often plucked or played with hybrid picking. You can strum drop 2 & 4 chords, but you have to be careful not to hit the open string found in each inversion. Lastly, these chords are often used in situations where you’re the only harmony instrument, such as duo or solo guitar. Though because the string skip is in the middle of the chord you can use these shapes in a group situation as well. You just might have to adjust your tone so as not to step on the bass player’s toes when adding these shapes to your rhythm guitar work.

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Chord Extensions In this section you explore chords that use 5, 6, and even 7 notes. Because many of these chords use more notes than you can play on the guitar, you see many unplayable shapes in the first bar of each chord. The first two bars are used to illustrate the full chord, playable or not, but then playable shapes are given in the 3rd and 4th bars. As well, because you can’t play 7 notes on a guitar, or often 5 or 6 notes comfortably, some notes are left out of each shape. There’s no set rule for which notes to leave out when taking extended chords onto the fretboard. But, a good rule of thumb is to leave out the root or 5th first, keeping the 3rd, 7th, and extension(s) from there. This is because in a group situation, the bassist covers the root, and the 5th is the least colorful note in any chord besides the root. Play through each sample shape below to hear how each chord sounds and to see which notes are left out. I didn’t label the intervals for the chord shapes, so write out the intervals and see if you can find the notes left out of each fingering.

9th Chords and Variations In this section you learn how to build 5-note chords, up to the 9th, what scales those chords are related to, and how to play them on guitar.

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Maj9 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5-7-9, and come from the major scale stacked in 3rds up to the 9th. Maj9 chords are found in major key progressions, Imaj7 and IVmaj9 chords, as well as minor key progressions, bIIImaj9 and bVImaj9. Here’s a Cmaj9 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cmaj9 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.

9th chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5-b7-9, and come from the Mixolydian scale stacked in 3rds up to the 9th. 9th chords are found in major key progressions, V9 chords, as well as minor key progressions, bVII9. Here’s a C9 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common C9 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.

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7b9 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5-b7-b9, and come from the Phrygian Dominant scale stacked in 3rds up to the 9th. 7b9 chords are used to create tension over V7 chords in major and minor progressions. Therefore, you find them replacing V7 chords in both major and minor keys, mostly minor, when you want more tension on that chord. Here’s a C7b9 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common C7b9 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.



7#9 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5-b7-#9, and are built by adding a #9 to a dominant 7th chord. They are also called the “Hendrix Chord,” as Jimi used a 7#9 chord in his song Purple Haze. 7#9 chords are used to create tension over V7 chords in major, minor and blues progressions. Therefore, you find them replacing 7th chords in both major and minor keys, mostly minor, when you want more tension on that chord. Here’s a C7#9 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common C7#9 fingerings to explore on the fretboard. mattwarnockguitar.com

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m9 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-5-b7-9, and come from the Dorian and Aeolian scales stacked in 3rds up to the 9th. m9 chords are found in major key progressions, iim9 and vim9 chords, as well as minor key progressions, im9 and ivm9. Here’s a Cm9 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cm9 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.

mMaj9 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-5-7-9, and come from the melodic minor scale stacked in 3rds up to the 9th. mMaj9 chords are found in minor keys, ImMaj9. Here’s a CmMaj9 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common CmMaj9 fingerings to explore on the fretboard. mattwarnockguitar.com





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11th Chords and Variations You now move on to learning how to build, play, and identify 6-note chords, chords that go up to 11. The first chord is one you saw earlier, though there you altered a fournote chord to produce the #11 sound. Here, you stack the intervals all the way up to the #11 to create the maj7#11 sound. Both chords sound the same and are used the same, but are built differently, so it’s good to know both to be solid with these chords. Maj7#11 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5-7-9-#11, and come from the Lydian scale stacked in 3rds up to the 11th. Because the natural 11 note is a half-step away from the major 3rd interval, when adding 11ths to maj7 chords, you use the #11. You can use the natural 11, so explore that option too, but it’s very rare to see a Maj11 chord used, and much more common to see Maj7#11. Maj7#11 chords are found in major key progressions, IVmaj7#11 chords, as well as minor key progressions, bVImaj7#11. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here’s a Cmaj7#11 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cmaj7#11 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.

The next chord is also one you saw earlier, though there you altered a four-note chord to produce the #11 sound. Here, you stack the intervals all the way up to the #11 to create the 7#11 sound. Both chords sound the same and are used the same, but are built differently, so it’s good to know both to be solid with these chords. 7#11 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5-b7-9-#11, and come from the Lydian Dominant scale stacked in 3rds up to the 11th. Because the natural 11 note is a half-step away from the major 3rd interval, when adding 11ths to 7th chords, you use the #11. You can use the natural 11, so explore that option too, but it’s very rare to see an 11th chord use, and much more common to see 7#11. 7#11 chords are used to create tension over 7th chords, so you see them used in place of any 7th chord in major and minor keys. Here’s a C7#11 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common C7#11 fingerings to explore on the fretboard. mattwarnockguitar.com



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m11 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-5-b7-9-11, and come from the Dorian or Aeolian scale stacked in 3rds up to the 11th. m11 chords are found in major keys, iim11 and vim11, as well as in minor keys, im11 and ivm11. Here’s a Cm11 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cm11 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.







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6th and 13th Chords In this section you learn how to build and play 6th and 13th chords. 6th chords, both 6 and m6, are built by replacing one note in the maj7 and m7 chords you learned earlier. 13th chords, on the other hand, are built by stacking notes up the 13th, then leaving some out when playing those shapes on the fretboard. 6 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5-6, and come from replacing the 7th of a maj7 chord with a 6. 6 chords are found in major keys, I6 and IV6, as well as in minor keys, bIII6 and bVI6. Here’s a C6 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common C6 fingerings to explore on the fretboard. The final chord is a common variation of the 6 chord, the 6/9.

m6 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-5-6, and come from replacing the b7th of a m7 chord with a 6. m6 chords are found in major keys, iim6, as well as in minor keys, ivm6 and Im6. mattwarnockguitar.com



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Here’s a Cm6 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cm6 fingerings to explore on the fretboard. The final chord is a common variation of the m6 sound, a m6/9 chord.



13 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5-b7-9-#11-13, and come from the Lydian Dominant scale stacked in 3rds up to the 13th. You can also have the natural 11 in a 13th chord, but it’s very rare, which is why the #11 is included here. 13th chords are found in major keys, V13, minor keys, bVII13, and in the blues, I13, IV13, and V13. Here’s a C13 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cm13 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.



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Suspended Chords In this section you explore a very popular chord shape that hasn’t been covered so far in this chapter, suspended chords. Known as “sus” chords for short, these chords are built by “suspending” a note over the 3rd in any major-based chord you’re playing. This means that if you have a C chord, you can suspend the 4th over the 3rd, or the 2nd over the 3rd, to produce a sus4 or sus2 chord. Because there’s no 3rd in sus chords, these shapes have a more “open” sound compared to chords with a 3rd. As well, many guitarists will mix sus chords and normal chords to create movement over one chord shape. An example of this is playing C-Csus4-Csus2-C over four bars of C.

Sus2 Sus2 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-2-5, and come from replacing the 3rd of a major chord with the 2nd. Sus2 chords are found in major keys, Isus2 and IVsus2, as well as in minor keys, bIIIsus2 and bVIsus2. Here’s a Csus2 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Csus2 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.

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Sus4 Sus4 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-4-5, and come from replacing the 3rd of a major chord with the 4th. Sus4 chords are found in major keys, Isus4, as well as in minor keys, bIIIsus4. Here’s a Csus4 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Csus4 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.





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Maj7sus4 Maj7sus4 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-4-5-7, and come from replacing the 3rd of a maj7 chord with the 4th. Maj7sus4 chords are found in major keys, Imaj7sus4, as well as in minor keys, bIIImaj7sus4. Here’s a Cmaj7sus4 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common Cmaj7sus4 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.





7sus4 7sus4 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-4-5-b7, and come from replacing the 3rd of a 7th chord with the 4th. 7sus4 chords are found in major keys, V7sus4, as well as in minor keys, bVII7sus4. Here’s a C7sus4 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common C7sus4 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.

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9sus4 9sus4 chords are built with the interval pattern 1-4-5-b7-9, and come from replacing the 3rd of a 9th chord with the 4th. 9sus4 chords are found in major keys, V9sus4, as well as in minor keys, bVII9sus4. Here’s a C9sus4 chord in solid and broken positions, as well as four examples of common C9sus4 fingerings to explore on the fretboard.





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Guide Tones and Variations In this section you look at to important chord concepts and shapes that use only 2 or 3 notes to sound 4-note chords. Guide tones and shell voicings use the minimal amount of information needed to sound any four-note chord on the guitar. These shapes work well in a situation where there are 2 or more rhythm players, such as 3 guitars or guitar and piano. As well, they’re often used in between soloing lines or melody riffs to add harmony into your playing without using big shapes in the process. Check out these smaller chord shapes as they come in handy when playing in a jazz, fusion, pit band, or other modern musical situation.

Guide Tones Guide Tones are built with the 3rd and 7th of any chord. The 3rd tells you whether the chord is major or minor, and the 7th tells you if the chord is m7, 7, maj7, or mMaj7. This is why guide tones are so effective, they’re the smallest chords you can play that provide the necessary information for any chord. The only exception m7b5, as m7 and m7b5 chords have the same 3rds and 7ths, so you can’t tell which is which unless you add the b5. But, because m7b5 chords are most often the iim7b5 chord in a minor key, the context of those guide tones often takes care of that issue.

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Here are examples of guide tones in two positions for common fournote chords. After you can play guide tones on the 4th and 3rd strings, take them to the 5th and 4th, and finally the 6th and 5th strings as an exercise.





Shell Voicings Shell voicings are built with the Root, 3rd, and 7th of any chord. This means that any shell chord is built by adding the root to the guide tones you learned in the previous section. . Shell voicings were famously used by jazz guitarist Freddie Green when he played in the Count Basie band. mattwarnockguitar.com

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He did so because they gave him a fat sound, outlined the chords, and added a percussive feel to his chord work. Though Freddie used these shapes in a jazz setting, specifically in a big band, these chords find their way into all styles and musical situations. Here are examples of shell voicings in two positions for common fournote chords.





4th Chords – Quartal Harmony The last chords in this chapter are modern shapes that are found mostly in jazz, fusion, and classical guitar.

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But, they are used in other genres as well, so are worth learning about no matter what style of music you play. 4th chords get their name because they’re built by stacking 4th intervals compared to the 3rds you used in traditional chords. Because they’re built in 4ths, these shapes have a more ambiguous sound compared to chords built in 3rds. This means that you use them in different ways from traditional chords when applied to your rhythm guitar work. Rather than seeing a chord, such as C, and playing one 4th chord, you often play any 4th chord from the key of C major over that C chord. The goal of 4th chords is to create an “open” sound compared to chords built in 3rds, and playing any chord in a key amplifies that concept. To begin, here’s an example of a traditional C chord built by stacking 3rds in bar 1, then a 4th chord in bar two from the note C. When stacking 4th intervals to build these chords, you use only notes from the key you’re in. This means that to build any 4th chord in C, you stack 4th intervals from any note in the C major scale, using only notes from that scale. If you wanted to build 4th chords in G major, you stack 4th intervals from any note in G major using only notes from the G major scale.

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Now that you know how to build a 4th chord, you can apply that theory to all the notes in a C major scale. Here are three-note 4th chords in the key of C major, built by stacking two 4th intervals on top of each note in a C major scale. After you can play these shapes, write out 4th chords in other major keys, or minor keys, to take this idea further. From there, play through three-note 4th chords in various keys to expand on this concept in your studies.

Here are examples of four-note chords built in 4ths. Play through each of these shapes to hear how they sound and feel how they sit on the guitar. This example is from the C major scale; so after you can play these shapes, write them out in other keys to practice them further. From there, play through 4th chords in different keys as you expand on this modern sound in your playing.

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Chapter Exercises



1. Write out the interval formula for each triad type. 2. Write out the interval formula for maj7 chords.

3. Write out the interval formula for 7th chords. 4. Write out the interval formula for m7 chords. 5. Write out the interval formula for m7b5 chords. 6. Write out the interval formula for dim7 chords. 7. Write out a 3 and 4-note 4th chord built from the note C in C major. 8. Write out a G7sus4 chord in notes. 9. Write out a Gsus2 chord in notes. 10. Write out the guide tones for Cmaj7, G7, Dm7, and A7b9.



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Chapter Exercise Answers 1. Major = 135, Minor = 1b35, Diminished = 1b3b5, Augmented = 13#5 2. 1357 3. 135b7 4. 1b35b7 5. 1b3b5b7 6. 1b3b5bb7 7. CFB and CFBE 8. G C D F 9. G A D 10. Cmaj7 = EB, G7 = BF, Dm7 = FC, A7b9 = C#G



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Chapter Quiz 1. What is the shell voicing for G7? 2. What are the guide tones for Bbmaj7? 3. What is the formula for a maj7#11 chord? 4. What is the formula for a D9 chord? 5. What is the formula for a B6 chord? 6. What is the interval formula for each inversion of a major triad? 7. What is the interval formula for each inversion of a drop 2 chord? 8. What are the notes in a Cmaj7 drop 3 root position chord? 9. What are the notes in an Ebmaj9 chord? 10. What are the notes in an Fmaj7sus4 chord?



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Chapter Quiz Answers



1. What is the shell voicing for G7? A. GBF or GFB 2. What are the guide tones for Bbmaj7? A. DA

3. What is the interval formula for a maj7#11 chord? A. 1 3 #11 7 or 1 3 4 7 9 #11 4. What is the interval formula for a D9 chord? A. 1 3 5 b7 9 5. What is the interval formula for a B6 chord? A. 1 3 5 6 6. What is the interval formula for each inversion of a major triad? A. 135, 351, 513 7. What is the interval formula for each inversion of a drop 2 chord? A. 1573, 3715, 5137, 7351 8. What are the notes in a Cmaj7 drop 3 root position chord? A. C B E G 9. What are the notes in an Ebmaj9 chord? A. Eb G Bb D F 10. What are the notes in an Fmaj7sus4 chord? A. F Bb C E



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Harmonic Analysis Now that you can build chords, this chapter teaches you how to identify chords in progressions using harmonic analysis. This chapter also explores common chord progressions and harmonic concepts that you can use in analysis or in composition. Understanding how chords come together to form progressions, and how those progressions are developed over songs, is essential. Without this knowledge, songs seem like a random group of chords. But, when you understand how to analyze chords, and how those chords and progressions function, everything makes a lot more sense. Take your time with this chapter as you dig into analyzing any progression you come across, as well as build your own progressions.

Roman Numeral Analysis When analyzing chord progressions, you use Roman numerals to label each chord in relation to its function in a given key. This is done to separate single-note analysis from chord analysis, as single notes use Arabic numerals instead of Roman numerals. If you’re talking about scale degrees, for example, you use the numbers 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, etc. When you’re talking about chord progressions, you use the numbers Iii-iii-IV-V-vi-vii, etc.

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In this chapter you learn about different chord progressions, both diatonic and non-diatonic, and how to analyze those chords. Because you’re learning about chords in this chapter, all chords will be analyzed with Roman numerals. Capital Roman numerals, such as I, IVmaj7, V7, etc., are used to identify major-based chords, chords with a major 3rd. Small cap Roman numerals, such as ii, iiim7, viim7b5, etc., are used to identify minor or diminished based chords, chords with a minor 3rds. The exception to this is the tonic minor chord, which should be im or im7, but is often written as Im or Im7 to indicate it’s the tonic chord. Now that you know what numerals will be used to analyze chords and chord progressions, you’re ready to learn about diatonic progressions.

Diatonic Major Key Chords As you have 7 notes in a major scale, you have 7 chords in any major scale, one chord for each note in the scale. Those 7 chords are used to create chord progressions in major keys, such as the famous I-IV-V or ii-V-I progressions. When you build triads from every note in the major scale, you get the following chords, seen here in the key of C major. As a shortcut, here’s the formula for triads in any major key. Major-minor-minor-Major-Major-minor-diminished

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Memorize this order so you can quickly figure out the chords in any major key as long as you know the notes in that scale.

There are also four-note chords for each note in the major scale, and the formula for those chords is: Maj7-m7-m7-Maj7-7-m7-m7b5 Here are those chords in the key of C major as an example. Again, memorize the order of four-note chords in the major system so you can quickly find any chord in any major key.



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You now take a look at a few common progressions built from the major scale system, starting with a triad progression in C major. Here, the chord symbols are written at the top of the music, and the Roman numeral analysis is between the notes and tab. If you only had the chord symbols, you use your knowledge of major scale chords to determine the Roman numerals for each chord. First you find the key, then you label the Roman numerals for each chord in that key. As well, if you only know the Roman numerals, you could build this chord progression with that information. Again, you find the key, and then build the progression based on the Roman numerals given to you below.

Moving on to four-note chords, here’s a sample progression in the key of C major to see how those chords work in a progression. The system is the same; you analyze the chords based on the Roman numerals in the key of C major. Or, if you only had the Roman numerals, you then build the progression using the chords in the key of C major. mattwarnockguitar.com

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To take this concept further, pick a few keys today and write out the Ivi-IV-V and ii-V-I-IV chords in those keys.



Diatonic Minor Key Chords Just as you have chords built from every note in the major scale, you can do the same for each note in the minor scale. The cool thing about the minor scale chords is that they’re the same as major scale chords, but starting on the relative minor note, the vi. For every major key you have, there’s a minor key with the same chords. To figure this out, put your pinky on the major key root, such as C. Then, using one finger per fret, your index finger falls on the relative minor root note, in this case A. That means that C major and A minor have the exact same chords, only one set starts on C and the other on A. Here are the chords built from each note in the natural minor scale. mattwarnockguitar.com

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The formula for the minor scale chords is: minor-diminished-Major-minor-minor-Major-Major Memorize this formula so you can quickly apply it to any key when building or analyzing minor key progressions.

You can also build four-note chords from any note in the minor scale. The formula for those chords is: m7-m7b5-maj7-m7-m7-maj7-7-m7 And here’s how those chords look in the key of C minor.

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Because there are three minor scales, natural-melodic-harmonic, you often find a few chords from those other scales in minor progressions. You often see the V7 chord being borrowed from harmonic minor, the G7 chord in the example below. As well, you find the vim7b5 chord from melodic minor in many minor key progressions, such as the Am7b5 chord in this example. When you combine those chords, from all three minor scales, you get these 8 chords, which are commonly used in minor progressions.

Here’s an example of a chord progression built using only triads from the natural minor scale.

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Write and play these chords in a few keys to expand on this progression in your studies.

Here you have a progression that brings in the V chord, taken from C harmonic minor in this key, at the end of the four-bar phrase. Notice the tension-resolution sound that the G-Cm creates when you loop the progression. This is why the V and V7 chords are brought into minor keys, to create a tension-resolution sound that is essential to tonal music.

In this progression, you see four-note chords being used in the key of C minor, including the V7 chord from C harmonic minor. mattwarnockguitar.com



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Write out and play these chords in a few different keys to take them further in your studies.

The last example in this section features the vim7b5 chord, Am7b5, which comes from the C melodic minor scale. Take this progression to other keys on paper and on the fretboard to expand it in your studies.







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Modulation to New Keys Now that you can identify and build progressions in major and minor keys, you look at progressions that feature 2 or more keys. If you ever analyze a progression and can’t identify one key for all of the chords, chances are there was a key change at some point in the tune. Knowing this allows you to analyze the progression properly, in the different keys used in the progression. When you have multiple keys in a progression, there will be a transition chord, or chords, that make that change possible. It’s rare to “jump” from one key to another without a setup to that modulation. There are two types of transitions that you commonly see, the first is a transition chord, and the second is a pivot chord. In this example, you see a transition chord used to connect the keys of C major and F major. The progression starts in the key of C major, then in bar 4 it transitions through a C7 chord to the key of F major, in the last 4 bars. Because transition chords set up a new key center, they’re usually but not always, some type of 7th chord. In this case, C7 is V7/IV, or V7 of F, the key that you’re modulating to. Transition chords are always related to the new key, the key you move to, and sometimes to the key you were in. In this case, C7 is the V7 of F, but it also shares a root note with the key of C major, connecting it to both keys in the process. mattwarnockguitar.com

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The second common way to change keys is to use a pivot chord, a chord that is found in both of the keys in the progression. In this example, you move from the key of A minor to C major by way of the G pivot chord. G is found in both of those keys, bVII in Am and V in C, therefore it can be used as a pivot chord to transition between those two keys. Pivot chords are harder to identify compared to transition chords, as transition chords are not in the orginal key of the progression. Because of this, transition chords stand out more so than pivot chords. If you are analyzing a progression and notice you’re now in a new key but don’t know how you got there, look for a pivot chord.

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Here’s an example of multiple transition chords in a jazzy progression that modulates from C major to F major. The transition chords are a ii V progression to the F major chord, the tonic chord of the new key. Again, if you see any chords that aren’t in the current key, look and see if they’re part of the next key in the progression. If so, those first non-original key chords are the transition between the first and second keys of the progression.

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The last example in this section features a pivot chord using four-note chords in a jazzy progression. The Am7 chord in bar 4 is the pivot chord between those two keys, as it’s the vim7 chord in C and the iim7 chord in G. Again, if you find yourself in a new key but don’t know how you got there, go back and look for a pivot chord that fits both keys. Once you find it, you’ll know exactly the point at which the first key modulated to the second in the chord progression.

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Non-Diatonic Chords Apart from using diatonic chords to create chord progressions, you also find non-diatonic chords in songs from time to time. In this section you learn about essential non-diatonic chords so that you can recognize them, and use them in your playing, within progressions. Though they step outside the key you’re in momentarily, non-diatonic chords don’t leave the key entirely. Think of these chords not as modulations, but as temporary movements to non-key chords without fully leaving the key you’re in. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Secondary Dominant Chords The first non-diatonic chord is called a secondary dominant chord. The easiest way to identify and think of secondary dominant chords is they’re 7th chords that aren’t V7. This means that if you’re in a key, say C major, and you see E7, a 7th that’s not V7 (G7), it’s a secondary dominant. The other side of secondary dominants is that they’re always a V7 of a diatonic chord, just not the tonic chord. So, E7 in the key of C major is the V7 of vim7, as E7 is the V7 of Am7. Because they’re the V7 chord of diatonic chords other than the tonic, secondary dominant chords emphasize those diatonic chords. So, if you see V7/vi moving to a vim7 chord, as you do below, that’s not a modulation. It’s just the composer telling the listener that Am7 is an important chord, and the secondary dominant emphasizes that importance. Here’s an example of that progression to play in the key of C, with a secondary dominant chord falling in the second bar.



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Here’s another example of a secondary dominant chord, D7, but one that doesn’t immediately resolve to G, as D7 is the V7 of G. In this case, the D7 leads to a Dm7-G7 progression in the 3rd bar, V7/V goes to iim7-V7. In jazz, this is a common way to use secondary dominant chords without being so obvious. The D7 keeps the same root, but the chord moves from D7 to Dm7, then finally resolves to the G7 chord. You hear this in songs such as Girl From Ipanema and Take the A Train, and it’s a popular way to move from Imaj7 to a iim7 V7 progression. Because this particular chord, V7/V, is so popular in jazz, you often see it referred to as simply II7.





Secondary ii V Chords Just as you can have secondary V7 chords, you can have secondary ii-V chords, such as you see in this C major example.

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Here, you have a secondary ii V in bar 2, where the Bm7b5-E7 are the iim7b5 and V7 of vi, Am7. Again, secondary ii V’s don’t leave the original key of C major, they just emphasize the Am7 chord in bar 3. They also create movement between the Imaj7 chord and vim7 chord, so you don’t jump from one chord to the other.

Here’s another example of a secondary ii V, where you use Gm7-C7 as a ii V to get to the IVmaj7 chord, Fmaj7, in bar 3 of the progression. Again, secondary ii V’s can move to any diatonic chord, as long as it’s not the tonic as that has a built in ii V in the key. If you ever see a ii V to a diatonic chord other than the tonic, it’s a secondary ii V used to emphasize that chord, as Fmaj7 is here.

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Tritone Subs The next non-diatonic chord is one of the most popular, the tritone sub. Tritone subs are built by replacing a V7 chord with a 7th chord at tritone away from that original chord. This means that if you have G7, you replace it with Db7, as Db7 is a tritone away from G7. You can do this when writing a progression, or as a substitution when soloing over a chord progression. Tritone subs works because both chords share the same guide tones, the 3rd and 7ths. Here’s how that works, where you see the G7 has F-B as the b7 and 3rd, and Db7 has the F-B as the 3rd and b7. When you remove the root and 5th of each chord, you’re left with the same notes, the 3rd and 7th of G7 and the 7th and 3rd of Db7.

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To see the tritone sub in action, here’s a common progression in the key of C major that uses a V7 chord, G7, in bar 2.

To apply the tritone sub, you replace that V7 chord, G7, with a 7th chord a tritone away from that root note, Db7. When doing so, you label the new chord, Db7, as bII7, which is its function in the key of C major. Notice how the progression now moves chromatically from the iim7 to bII7 to Imaj7, which is a side effect of using a tritone sub in a ii V I.

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Passing Chords Just like their single-note counterpart, passing chords connect two diatonic chords a tone apart. You can see an ascending passing chord in this example, where C#dim7 is used to connect Cmaj7 and Dm7. When the diatonic chords are different qualities, such as maj7 and m7 here, you often see and use a dim7 chord to pass between them. When doing so, you label that chord as a “passing diminished chord,” and use the Roman numeral for the key you’re in at that point. Here, C#dim7 is the #idim7, as C# is the #i, and it’s a dim7 chord.



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Here’s an example of a descending passing chord used to connect Em and Dm, the v and iv in the key of A minor. Here, because the two diatonic chords are the same quality, both minor, you use the same quality for the passing chord, Ebm in this case.





Approach Chords The last non-diatonic chord is the approach chord, which function as approach notes do, which you learn about later in this eBook. Approach notes lead into any diatonic chord from a half-step above or below that target chord. Here, you’re targeting the Dm7 chord in the third bar by adding an approach chord right before it on beat 4 of bar 2. When using approach chords, it’s best to use the same quality as the target chord, which is why you use Ebm7 to Dm7 here. Lastly, you can use approach chords in your writing as well as performing when spicing up diatonic progressions.

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The next progression uses an approach chord from below the target chord, C#m to Dm7 in the second and third bars. Here, the C# isn’t a m7, it’s a plain minor chord, so not the exact same chord quality as Dm7. But, because m7 chords are built from minor chords, they’re close enough to use when applying approach chords to progressions.







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Other Progressions In this last section, you look at two progressions built with concepts that you haven’t seen up to this point, modal borrowing and blues. These two progressions are commonly found in modern music, but they don’t follow the same rules as the progressions you’ve seen so far. Check out these concepts, learn how they’re used and how to identify them, and then keep your eyes out for them when learning new songs. Lastly, it’s always a good idea to write out any musical example in a number of keys to get the most out of that concept in your studies.

Modal Borrowing Modal borrowing is a term used to describe a chord or chords “borrowed” from a parallel mode. This means that if you’re in the key of C major, you can borrow any chord from any mode starting on C. For example, you could take chords from C Aeolian, C Mixolydian, C Dorian, etc., and use them in your C major progression. Because you’re borrowing a chord from a parallel key, you’re not modulating with borrowed chords. Instead, you’re creating an interesting progression without stepping beyond the original key center. Now, you might be thinking, “That’s a ton of chords, how will I know which ones to use or look out for?” mattwarnockguitar.com

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Though there are a lot of possible chords to use when modal borrowing, in practice only a few really occur. Here’s an example of a typical modal borrowing progression, one that you find in both jazz and in Beatles songs. In this example, the Fm, ivm, is borrowed from the C Aeolian mode, which as you learned earlier contains a ivm chord. Moving from IV to iv to iii is very common, and is used to create interest in an otherwise predictable progression.

Here’s another example that uses two borrowed chords from C Aeolian added to a progression in C major. The Fm7 and Bb7 are both borrowed from C Aeolian, as C Aeolian has a ivm7 and bVII7 chord in its construction. mattwarnockguitar.com



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Not all borrowed chords are from Aeolian, but these ones are and are very commonly used in modern music.

If you ever see a chord that isn’t diatonic, and isn’t a common nondiatonic chord or modulating chord, then look at modal borrowing. Chances are that chord you can’t identify will make sense in the context of another tonic mode such as Aeolian, Mixolydian, or Lydian, etc.

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The Blues Progression The final set of progressions is collectively called the blues. While you may have seen and played blues progressions, there’s often blind spots in our understanding of this progression. These three blues variations help clear up those misunderstandings and give you a complete look at how blues progressions are built. The first blues progression is often referred to as I-IV-V or 12-bar blues, as it only uses those three chords and has 12 bars. Notice that the tonic chord is I7, not a major, minor, m7 or maj7 chord as you saw in earlier progressions. This is because blues is not written in major or minor keys, but instead is written in the key of blues. An A blues progression is in the key of A blues, and therefore has to be thought of differently than other major or minor progressions. In blues keys, you have a I7, IV7, and V7 chord as the anchor points in that progression, which is mostly written with 12 bars but not always. That means that the tonic chord of a blues progression is a 7th chord, giving it that classic blues sound we all know and love. Check out this 12-bar version of the blues as it sets you up for understanding the variations below.

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Here’s a common variation of the blues progression, often called a “quick change” blues, as there’s a quick chord change in the first 3 bars. Notice that there’s also an added V7 chord, E7 in this key, in bar 12 that brings you back to the top. This quick-change blues is often used in place of the I-IV-V blues, or as a variation during a song if you want to change things up with the chords. mattwarnockguitar.com

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The last variation of the blues you look at is called a “jazz blues,” as it brings a couple of jazzy chords to the mix. The first is in bar 8, where you have a secondary dominant chord that leads to the iim7 chord in bar 9. From there, you have a ii V progression in bars 9-10 and in bar 12, which replaces the V-IV and V chords you saw there earlier.

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You don’t have to be a jazz musician to use this progression in your playing, think of it as a variation to the normal 12-bar progression.





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Chapter Exercises 1. Write out the triad formula for major keys. 2. Write out the four-note chord formula for major keys. 3. Write out the triad formula for minor keys. 4. Write out the four-note chord formula for minor keys. 5. Write out the following secondary dominant chords in A major – V7/ii, V7/vi, V7/IV and V7/V. 6. Write out the ivm7 chord in A, D, G, and B major. 7. Write out a I-vi-IV-V progression in G, A, B, E, and D. 8. Write out a iim7 V7 Imaj7 vim7 progression in B, E, A, D, and G. 9. Write out a i bVII bVI V progression in Am, Dm, Gm, and Em. 10. Write out the chords in a I-IV-V blues in D, G, C, F, and Bb.



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Chapter Exercise Answers 1. Major-minor-minor-Major-Major-minor-diminished 2. Maj7-m7-m7-Maj7-7-m7-m7b5 3. minor-diminished-major-minor-minor-major-major 4. m7-m7b5-Maj7-m7-m7-maj7-7 5. F#7, C#7, A7, B7 6. Dm7, Gm7, Cm7, Em7 7. G-Em-C-D, A-F#m-D-E, B-G#m-E-F#, E-C#m-A-B, D-Bm-G-A 8. C#m7-F#7-Bmaj7-G#m7, F#m7-B7-Emaj7-C#m7, Bm7-E7Amaj7-F#m7, Em7-A7-Dmaj7-Bm7, Am7-D7-Gmaj7-Em7 9. Am-G-F-E, Dm-C-Bb-A, Gm-F-Eb-D, Em-D-C-B 10. D7-G7-A7, G7-C7-D7, C7-F7-G7, F7-Bb7-C7, Bb7-Eb7-F7



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Chapter Quiz 1. What is the IV chord in Ab major? 2. What is the vim7b5 chord in Dm? 3. What are the iim7b5 V7 Im7 chords in Em? 4. What are the diatonic triads in Eb major? 5. What are the diatonic triads in Am? 6. What is a pivot chord? 7. What is a transition chord? 8. What is a secondary dominant chord? 9. What is modal borrowing? 10. What Roman numeral do you find in bar 8 of a jazz blues?



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Chapter Quiz Answers 1. What is the IV chord in Ab major? A. Db 2. What is the vim7b5 chord in Dm? A. Bm7b5 3. What are the iim7b5 V7 Im7 chords in Em? A. F#m7b5 B7 Em7 4. What are the diatonic triads in Eb major? A. Eb Fm Gm Ab Bb Cm Ddim 5. What are the diatonic triads in Am? A. Am Bdim C Dm Em F G 6. What is a pivot chord? A. A chord that connects two keys and is in both keys. 7. What is a transition chord? A. A chord that moves to a new key and is not in the previous key. 8. What is a secondary dominant chord? A. A 7th chord that is not V7. 9. What is modal borrowing? A. Using a chord from another tonic mode to spice up a progression. 10. What Roman numeral do you find in bar 8 of a jazz blues? A. VI7 or V7/iim7



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Guitar Arpeggios In this chapter you finish your study of the guitar trinity, chords-scalesarpeggios, as you dig into arpeggios on paper and on the fretboard. Arpeggios, as you’ll learn, are the most direct way to outline any chord in your solos or when writing a melody. They have fewer notes, mostly, than scales, and act as a contrasting sound when mixed with scales and chromatic notes. If you’re new to arpeggios, start with the definitions below. If you’re already familiar with arpeggios, jump down to the next section where you learn how to build and play 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7-note arpeggios. For the more advanced readers, there are sections at the end on rootless arpeggios to explore.

What is an Arpeggio? In it’s simplest form, an arpeggio is a chord played as a single-note device. This means that the notes of a Cmaj7 chord and Cmaj7 arpeggio are the same, but played in different configurations. For example, a Cmaj7 chord can be played as C-G-B-E, 1-5-7-3, but the Cmaj7 arpeggio is always in note order, C-E-G-B, or 1-3-5-7. Before you learn about the various arpeggios, how they’re built, and how they sit on the guitar, learn about classical vs. modern arpeggios. mattwarnockguitar.com

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If you come from a classical background, you’ll be familiar with the first set, but the modern approach to arpeggios will be new territory.

Classical Arpeggios In the classical guitar tradition, arpeggios are chord shapes played one note at a time, sounding the chord tones in the process. Here’s an example of a G7 chord, and the arpeggiated version next to it, where each string is plucked one at a time. This approach brings the chord tones into your playing, but the downside is that you’re tied to chord shapes in the process. After you play through this example, move on to the modern arpeggio example below, which is the focus of this chapter’s examples.





Modern Arpeggios Modern arpeggios are similar to classical arpeggios, except that the chord tones are arranged in note order. mattwarnockguitar.com

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This means that for a C arpeggio, you play C-E-G, all notes in order, 1-35, from root on up. Or, as in the example below, for G7 you play G-B-D-F, the 1-3-5-b7 in note order from root on up. This is done to enable you the performer or composer to write melodic lines with arpeggios without being tied to chord shapes. Here’s an example of a G7 modern arpeggio, where the notes of the chord have been rearranged to be in order from root up to 7.





Triad Arpeggios The first group of arpeggios you study are built with three notes, and are often referred to as triads or triad arpeggios. Because they have three notes, there are only four different triad arpeggios, major-minor-diminished-augmented. For each one below, you learn the interval pattern for each arpeggio, as well as check out an example on the fretboard. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Play through each example in one or more keys so that you learn how to build these arpeggios, and see how they sit on the fretboard. As well, playing each example gets the sound of these arpeggios into your ears. This can also be done by singing the examples below if you prefer that method of internalizing a new theory concept.

Major Arpeggios Major arpeggios are built with the interval pattern 1-3-5. Here’s an example of a C arpeggio, which is the notes of a C chord played in note order on the guitar.





Minor Arpeggios Minor arpeggios are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-5. You can also think of minor arpeggios as major arpeggios with the 3rd lowered by a half step, one fret. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here’s an example of a Cm arpeggio.





Diminished Arpeggios Diminished arpeggios are built with the interval pattern 1-b3-b5. You can also think of diminished arpeggios as minor arpeggios with the 5th lowered by a half step, one fret. Here’s an example of a C diminished arpeggio, with the Co shorthand chord symbol on top of the music.



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Augmented Arpeggios Augmented arpeggios are built with the interval pattern 1-3-#5, and each interval is separated by a major 3rd. This means if you play a root, then up a major third, then up a major third, then up one more major 3rd, you create an augmented arpeggio. You can also think of an augmented arpeggio as a major arpeggio with the 5th raised by half step, one fret. Here’s an example of an augmented arpeggio, with the C+ chord symbol above that shape, a common shorthand for C augmented.





4-Note Arpeggios Now that you looked at three-note arpeggios, you’re ready to explore four-note arpeggios. For each arpeggio below, you learn what scale is used to build that arpeggio shape, as well as the interval pattern for each arpeggio. It’s good to know both, so you can relate any arpeggio to it’s given scale and understand the interval makeup of any extended arpeggio.

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There’s also an example on the fretboard so you can play each extended arpeggio, getting it into your ears and under your fingers in the process.

Maj7 Arpeggios The maj7 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of the major scale in 3rds from the root up to the 7th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 7. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cmaj7 arpeggio.





Maj7#11 Arpeggios The maj7#11 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Lydian in 3rds from the root up to the 7th, then replacing the 5 with the #11. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 #11 7. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cmaj7#11 arpeggio.

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7 Arpeggios The 7th arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Mixolydian in 3rds from the root up to the 7th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 b7. Here’s how that looks when applied to a C7 arpeggio.





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7#11 Arpeggios The 7#11 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Lydian Dominant in 3rds from the root up to the 7th, then replacing the 5 with the #11. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 #11 b7. Here’s how that looks when applied to a C7#11 arpeggio.





m7 Arpeggios The m7 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Dorian or Aeolian in 3rds from the root up to the 7th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 5 b7. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cm7 arpeggio.

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m7b5 Arpeggios The m7b5 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Locrian in 3rds from the root up to the 7th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 b5 b7. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cm7b5 arpeggio.





dim7 Arpeggios The dim7 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of the diminished scale in 3rds from the root up to the 7th. mattwarnockguitar.com

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This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 b5 bb7. Here’s how that looks when applied to a dim7 arpeggio.





mMaj7 Arpeggios The mMaj7 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of melodic minor in 3rds from the root up to the 7th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 5 7. Here’s how that looks when applied to a CmMaj7 arpeggio.



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Extended Arpeggios Now that you’ve looked at three-note and four-note arpeggios, you move beyond the octave as you explore extended arpeggios. For each arpeggio below, you learn what scale is used to build that arpeggio shape, as well as the interval pattern for each arpeggio. You can think of any extended arpeggio shape as a stacked scale with 5, 6, or 7 notes, or as an interval pattern. It’s good to know both, so you can relate any arpeggio to it’s given scale and understand the interval makeup of any extended arpeggio. There’s also an example on the fretboard so you can play each extended arpeggio, getting it into your ears and under your fingers in the process.

Maj9 Arpeggios The maj9 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of the major scale in 3rds from the root up to the 9th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 7 9. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cmaj9 arpeggio.

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9th Arpeggios The 9th arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Mixolydian in 3rds from the root up to the 9th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 b7 9. Here’s how that looks when applied to a C9 arpeggio.





7b9 Arpeggios The 7b9 arpeggio is built by adding a b9 to any 7th arpeggio shape. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 b7 b9. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here’s how that looks when applied to a C7b9 arpeggio.





7#9 Arpeggios The 7#9 arpeggio is built by adding a #9 to any 7th arpeggio shape. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 b7 #9. Here’s how that looks when applied to a C7#9 arpeggio.





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m9 Arpeggios The m9 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Dorian or Aeolian in 3rds from the root up to the 9th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 5 b7 9. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cm9 arpeggio.





mMaj9 Arpeggios The mMaj9 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of melodic minor in 3rds from the root up to the 9th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 5 7 9. Here’s how that looks when applied to a CmMaj9 arpeggio.

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Maj7#11 Arpeggios The maj7#11 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Lydian in 3rds from the root up to the 11th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 7 9 #11. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cmaj7#11 arpeggio.





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7#11 Arpeggios The 7#11 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Lydian Dominant in 3rds from the root up to the 11th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 b7 9 #11. Here’s how that looks when applied to a C7#11 arpeggio.





m11 Arpeggios The m11 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Dorian in 3rds from the root up to the 11th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 5 b7 9 11. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cm11 arpeggio.

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m11b5 Arpeggios The m11b5 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Locrian in 3rds from the root up to the 11th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 b5 b7 b9 11. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cm11b5 arpeggio.





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mMaj11 Arpeggios The mMaj11 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of melodic minor in 3rds from the root up to the 11th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 5 7 9 11. Here’s how that looks when applied to a CmMaj11 arpeggio.





Maj13 Arpeggios The maj13 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Lydian in 3rds from the root up to the 13th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 7 9 #11 13. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cmaj13 arpeggio.

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If you prefer the natural 11th sound in your maj13th arpeggios, you can also build it by stacking the notes of Ionian up to the 13th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 7 9 11 13. Here’s that version of the maj13th arpeggio over a Cmaj13 chord.







13 Arpeggios The 13 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Lydian Dominant in 3rds from the root up to the 13th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 b7 9 #11 13. Here’s how that looks when applied to a C13 arpeggio. mattwarnockguitar.com

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If you prefer the natural 11th sound in your 13th arpeggios, you can also build it by stacking the notes of Mixolydian up to the 13th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3 5 b7 9 11 13. Here’s that version of the 13th arpeggio over a C13 chord.







7alt Arpeggios The 7alt arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of the Altered Scale in 3rds from the root up to the 13th. This produces the interval pattern 1 3b 5 b7 b9 #9 b13. Here’s how that looks when applied to a C7alt arpeggio. mattwarnockguitar.com

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m13 Arpeggios The m13 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Dorian in 3rds from the root up to the 13th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 5 b7 9 11 13. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cm13 arpeggio.





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m7b13 Arpeggios The m7b13 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of Aeolian in 3rds from the root up to the 13th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 5 b7 9 11 b13. Here’s how that looks when applied to a Cm7b13 arpeggio.





mMaj13 Arpeggios The mMaj13 arpeggio is built by stacking the notes of melodic minor in 3rds from the root up to the 13th. This produces the interval pattern 1 b3 5 7 9 11 13. Here’s how that looks when applied to a CmMaj13 arpeggio.

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3 to 9 Arpeggios You now take a look at a more advanced concept when building arpeggios, called the 3 to 9 concept. Here, you use four-note arpeggio played from the 3rd of an underlying chord to create a rootless 9th arpeggio. When doing so, you outline the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th of the original chord, hence the name. This concept can be applied to maj7, 7, m7, and mMaj7 chords to create rootless maj9, 9, m9, and mMaj9 chords. The reason that guitarists use 3 to 9 arpeggios is that you use shapes you already know to create new sounds over extended chords. Here are formulas and examples of 3 to 9 arpeggios that you can learn and add to your writing and improvising over these chords. To create a 3 to 9 maj9th arpeggio, you play a m7 arpeggio from the 3 of that underlying chord.

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For example, you play Em7 over Cmaj7 to create a rootless Cmaj9 arpeggio. Here’s how that looks on the fretboard.

To create a 3 to 9 9th arpeggio, you play a m7b5 arpeggio from the 3 of that underlying chord. For example, you play Em7b5 over C7 to create a rootless C9 arpeggio. Here’s how that looks on the fretboard.





To create a 3 to 9 7b9 arpeggio, you play a dim7 arpeggio from the 3 of that underlying chord. For example, you play Edim7 over C7 to create a rootless C7b9 arpeggio. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here’s how that looks on the fretboard.

To create a 3 to 9 m9 arpeggio, you play a maj7 arpeggio from the b3 of that underlying chord. For example, you play Ebmaj7 over Cm7 to create a rootless Cm9 arpeggio. Here’s how that looks on the fretboard.



To create a 3 to 9 mMaj9 arpeggio, you play a maj7#5 arpeggio from the b3 of that underlying chord. For example, you play Ebmaj7#5 over CmMaj7 to create a rootless CmMaj9 arpeggio. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Here’s how that looks on the fretboard.





6th and 13th Arpeggios The last set of arpeggios outline 6th and 13th sounds on the guitar. These arpeggios are treated a bit differently than the others, as you can use previously learned arpeggios to create these new sounds. When learning any 6th arpeggio on the guitar, you can use previous knowledge to create these new sounds. You just have to play an arpeggio you already know in a new situation to create these 6th and 13th sounds. The first example shows an Am7 arpeggio being used to sound the notes of a C6 chord. When doing so, the Am7 sounds the intervals 6-1-3-5 of the C6 chord, all the notes that make up that chord. So, when you have any 6 chord, play the relative minor arpeggio to create that 6 sound on guitar. mattwarnockguitar.com

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For example, if you have C6, play Am7 to create a C6 arpeggio without having to learn anything new.

You can also apply this concept to m6 chords, as you see in the example below. Here, Am7b5 is used to create a Cm6 sound, as it contains the notes of Cm6, just starting on the note A, the 6th of the chord. To play any m6 arpeggio, play a m7b5 arpeggio from the 6th of that underlying chord. For example, if you have Cm6, you play Am7b5 to create a Cm6 sound without having to learn a new arpeggio shape.

Here’s an example of this concept used to outline a C13 chord, where you have a Bbmaj7#11 arpeggio in place of a full C13 arpeggio. mattwarnockguitar.com





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When doing so, the notes of Bbmaj7#11 create the intervals b7-9-3-13 over the C bass note. This allows you to sound a C13 without having to play the full 7-note arpeggio. This comes in handy when soloing or writing passages over fast-moving chords, where larger arpeggios are too bulky to be practical. So, the rule for 13th arpeggios is to play a maj7#11 arpeggio two frets below the root of the 7th chord you’re on. For example, if you have C7, play Bbmaj7#11 to create a C13 sound.







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Chapter Exercises 1. Write out the intervals for each triad arpeggio – major, minor, diminished, augmented. 2. Write out the intervals for each four-note arpeggio – maj7, maj7#11, 7, 7#11, m7, m7b5, mMaj7, and dim7. 3. Write out the interval pattern for Maj9, 9, 7b9, 7#9, m9, and mMaj7 arpeggios. 4. Write out the interval pattern for m11, m11b5, and mMaj11 arpeggios. 5. Write out the 3 to 9 arpeggio formulas for Maj9, 9, 7b9, m9, and mMaj9 arpeggios. 6. Write out the formulas for 6, m6, and 13th arpeggios. 7. Write out the notes for Dm7, G9, Cmaj7, and A7b9 arpeggios. 8. Write out the notes for Em7b5, A7#9, DmMaj11, and Bm11b5 arpeggios. 9. Write out the notes for every triad in the key of A major. 10. Write out the notes for every triad in the key of B minor.



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Chapter Exercise Answers 1. Major = 1-3-5, Minor = 1-b3-5, Diminished = 1-b3-b5, and Augmented = 1-3-#5 2. Maj7 = 1-3-5-7, Maj7#11 = 1-3-#11-7, 7 = 1-3-5-b7, 7#11 = 1-3#11-b7, m7 = 1-b3-5-b7, m7b5 = 1-b3-b5-b7, mMaj7 = 1-b3-5-7, and dim7 = 1-b3-b5-bb7. 3. Maj9 = 1-3-5-7-9, 9 = 1-3-5-b7-9, 7b9 = 1-3-5-b7-b9, 7#9 = 1-3-5b7-#9, m9 = 1-b3-5-b7-9, and mMaj7 = 1-b3-5-7-9. 4. m11 = 1-b3-5-b7-9-11, m11b5 = 1-b3-b5-b7-b9-11, and mMaj11 = 1-b3-5-7-9-11. 5. Maj9 = m7 from 3rd, 9 = m7b5 from 3rd, 7b9 = dim7 from 3rd, m9 = maj7 from b3, and mMaj9 = Maj7#5 from b3. 6. 6 = m7 from 6, m6 = m7b5 from 6, and 13th = Maj7#11 from b7. 7. Dm7 = DFAC, G9 = GBDFA, Cmaj7 = CEGB, and A7b9 = AC#EGBb. 8. Em7b5 = EGBbD, A7#9 = AC#EGB#(C), DmMaj11 = D F A C# E G, and Bm11b5 = B D F A C E. 9. AC#E, BDF#, C#EG#, DF#A, EG#B, F#AC#, G#BD 10. BDF#, C#EG, DF#A, EGB, F#AC#, GBD, AC#E



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Chapter Quiz 1. What is the interval formula for a Maj13 arpeggio? 2. What scale does the mMaj9 arpeggio come from? 3. What are the notes in an Ebmaj9 arpeggio? 4. What is the 3 to 9 arpeggio for Cm7b5? 5. What are the notes in a G13 arpeggio? 6. What is the interval formula for a dim7 arpeggio? 7. What notes are in a Dm11 arpeggio? 8. What is the 3 to 9 arpeggio for DmMaj9? 9. What is the interval formula for a 7b9 arpeggio? 10. What notes are in a D augmented arpeggio?



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Chapter Quiz Answers 1. What is the interval formula for a Maj13 arpeggio? A. 1-3-5-7-9-#11-13 or 1-3-5-7-9-11-13 2. What scale does the mMaj9 arpeggio come from? A. Melodic minor 3. What are the notes in an Ebmaj9 arpeggio? A. Eb Gb Bb D F 4. What is the 3 to 9 arpeggio for Cm7? A. Ebmaj7 5. What are the notes in a G13 arpeggio? A. G B D F A C# E or G B D F A C E 6. What is the interval formula for a dim7 arpeggio? A. 1 b3 b5 bb7 7. What notes are in a Dm11 arpeggio? A. D F A C E G 8. What is the 3 to 9 arpeggio for DmMaj9? A. Fmaj7#5 9. What is the interval formula for a 7b9 arpeggio? A. 1 3 5 b7 b9 10. What notes are in a D augmented arpeggio? A. D F# A#



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Chromatic Notes You now explore common chromatic notes that are used in melodies and solos on guitar. Chromatic notes come in a number of variations, but they all serve the same purpose, to create tension that’s resolved into a diatonic note. This sense of tension and resolution is found in jazz, fusion, classical, and even blues and rock music. When analyzing a lick, riff, or solo, you often get stuck looking at notes that don’t make sense in the key you’re analyzing. These are usually chromatic notes, notes outside the key added to create interest in a melodic line or phrase. Below are examples of common chromatic notes so that you understand what these notes are when you encounter them in melodies and solos. They’re also useful to understand if you are an improvising musician, as you will use these concepts to create interest in your own guitar solos.

Approach Notes The first chromatic note you look at is called an approach note. There are two versions of approach notes, lower and upper, and both approach diatonic notes by a half step away from that target note. Here are two examples of both lower and upper approach notes to play, sing, and visualize how approach notes occur on the guitar. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Lower Approach Note The first two examples show lower approach notes, which are played a half step below any target note. On the guitar, you play the lower approach notes one fret below any diatonic note you’re targeting. Then, you play the target note to resolve the tension created by the lower approach note.





Upper Approach Note Here are two examples of upper approach notes, which approach any diatonic notes by a half step above that note. On the guitar, upper approach notes are played one fret above your target note, followed by the target note. Approach notes create tension, as do all chromatic notes, and so resolving this tension is the important part of the equation. Because of this, it’s important to visualize your target note as you play any approach note so you resolve that tension properly in your playing. mattwarnockguitar.com

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Passing Notes With passing notes, you use a chromatic note to connection two different diatonic notes. Passing notes are added to your playing or writing whenever you have tow diatonic notes a whole-step apart. In the first example you see a chromatic passing note connecting the notes C and D, an ascending passing note. In the second bar, you see the note Db connection D and C, a descending passing note. Think of passing notes as filling in the gap when you have two diatonic notes a whole step, two frets, apart.



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Neighbor Notes The next set of chromatic notes is called neighbor tones, and they’re always played between the same note on the guitar. In the first bar you see a lower neighbor tone, which is built by playing: 1. Diatonic note 2. Half step below diatonic note 3. Diatonic note Then, in the second bar you see an example of an upper neighbor, which is built by playing: 1. Diatonic note 2. Half step above diatonic note 3. Diatonic note Similar to approach notes, neighbor tones are different because they start on a diatonic note, then chromatic, then return to that first note. With approach notes, you just play the chromatic note followed by the diatonic note in a two-note pattern.



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Enclosures Chromatic enclosures are built by applying two chromatic notes surrounding one diatonic note. There are two ways to build chromatic enclosures, both of which you can see in the example below. The first bar features a chromatic note above, then a chromatic note below, followed by the target note, in this case C. The second bar is the reverse of the first measure. There you have a chromatic note below, then a chromatic note above, before you land on the target note, here it’s Eb.

The easiest way to think about an enclosure on the guitar is this: 1. Fret above 2. Fret below 3. Target note Or: 1. Fret below 2. Fret above 3. Target note mattwarnockguitar.com



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This thinking allows you to quickly see and apply enclosures to any target note in your soloing on the fretboard.



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Chapter Exercises 1. What is an approach note? 2. What is a neighbor note? 3. What is an enclosure? 4. What is a passing note? 5. Write out upper and lower approach notes for C. 6. Write out upper and lower neighbor notes for D. 7. Write out enclosures for the note B. 8. Write out passing notes, up and down, for the notes F-G and G-F. 9. What is a chromatic note?



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Chapter Exercise Answers 1. An approach note is a chromatic note that leads into a diatonic note from one fret below or above that target note. 2. A neighbor note is a note that sits between two diatonic notes, the same note, either above or below the diatonic note. Diatonic note – upper neighbor – diatonic note, for example. 3. An enclosure is playing fret above-fret below-target note, or fret below-fret above-target note. 4. A passing note is a chromatic note that connects two diatonic notes a tone apart, moving up or down. 5. Db-C and B-C. 6. D-Eb-D and D-C#-D. 7. C-A#-B and A#-C-B. 8. F-F#-G and G-Gb-F 9. A chromatic note is a note not found in the diatonic key of a passage or section of any song.



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Chapter Quiz 1. What is a passing note between B-C#? 2. What is an upper-lower enclosure for Db? 3. What is a lower neighbor for E? 4. What is an upper neighbor for F? 5. What is a lower-upper enclosure for Eb? 6. What is a passing note between A-G? 7. What is a target note? 8. What is the lower approach note for Ab? 9. What is the upper approach note for G?

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Chapter Quiz Answers



1. What is a passing note between B-C#? A. C

2. What is an upper-lower enclosure for Db? A. D-C-Db 3. What is a lower neighbor for E? A. E-D#-E 4. What is an upper neighbor for F? A. F-Gb-F 5. What is a lower-upper enclosure for Eb? A. D-E-Eb 6. What is a passing note between A-G? A. Ab 7. What is a target note? A. Diatonic note you resolve to after playing a chromatic note or notes. 8. What is the lower approach note for Ab? A. G 9. What is the upper approach note for G? A. Ab



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About the Author Like many guitarists, I grew up listening to classic Rock and Blues, and I still love those styles of music. But it’s the improvisation I really love, and that’s what drew me to Jazz. My love of Jazz has taken me from small town Canada around the globe. I was able to study at three of the top Jazz programs in the world. Starting with McGill University, then Western Michigan, and finishing with a Doctorate in Jazz from the University of Illinois (UIUC). It’s also allowed me to teach over 5000 private Jazz guitar lessons. My students have ranged from complete beginners, all the way to Professors of Jazz at NYU, and everything in between. I’ve also taught Jazz guitar, popular music, and music business at: Ø Western Illinois University Ø Western Michigan University Ø University of Illinois Ø Carleton University (Canada) Ø Concordia University (Canada) Ø The Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory Ø University of Ouro Preto (Brazil) Ø University of Sao Joao Del Rei (Brazil) Ø University of Juiz de Fora (Brazil) Ø Leeds College of Music (UK) Ø University of Chester (UK) My love of Jazz has also enabled me to play over 2000 gigs in 8 countries.

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These gigs run from mostly empty coffee shops, to sell out concerts. I’ve even shared the stage with Jazz legends such as Randy Brecker, Stefon Harris, and Slide Hampton. Some of my favorite gigs include shows at: Ø Lincoln Center Ø International Association for Jazz Education Conference Ø NuJazz Festival (Brazil) Ø Savassi Jazz Festival (Brazil) Ø International Jazz Day Festival (Nepal) Jazz has been in my life for 20 years, and every day I’m glad I found this great music. Because of this, I want to share this love of Jazz and guitar with you. You never know where it’ll lead you.

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