Chords
A chord is three or more notes played together. Most are built by stacking 3rds: root, 3rd and 5th make a triad; add a 7th for a seventh chord.
Every place the chord's notes are on the neck (not a fingering). High E string on top.
Chord types
Tap a row to hear it on the root picked above.
| Chord | Symbol | Formula | On C |
|---|
Reading chords
- Major = major 3rd + minor 3rd. Minor = minor 3rd + major 3rd. Diminished = two minor 3rds. Augmented = two major 3rds.
- Suspended chords replace the 3rd with a 2nd or 4th, so they sound open, neither major nor minor.
- The dominant 7th (major triad + minor 7th) is the V7 chord of a major key and wants to resolve to I.
- Inversions put a note other than the root in the bass: 1st inversion has the 3rd at the bottom, 2nd the 5th, 3rd the 7th. Same chord, different colour.