Esus4 (Guitar, Beginner)

This is the E suspended-4th chord:

1. Start with the Em chord;
2. Place your ring finger on the G string, 2nd fret;
3. Play the Esus4 chord.

Alternatively:
1. Start with the E major chord;
2. Place your pinky finger on the G string, 2nd fret;
3. Play the Esus4 chord.

Additionally:
1. Use your index (or similar) finger to fret the A, D, and G strings at the 2nd fret;
2. Play the Esus4 chord.

Em (Guitar, Beginner)

Here's the E minor chord:

1. Leave the Low E string open;
2. Place your index finger on the A string, 2nd fret;
3. Place your middle finger on the D string, 2nd fret;
4. Leave the G, B, and High E strings open;
5. Strum all six strings for the Em chord!

Asus2 (Guitar, Beginner)

To play this A suspended-2nd fingering, start with the A minor chord. Then raise your index finger to make the B string open.


To play this A suspended-2nd fingering, start with the A major chord. Then raise your ring finger to make the B string open.

Amaj7 (Guitar, Beginner)

Here's the A major-7th chord:

1. Keep the A string open;
2. Place your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the D string;
3. Place your index finger on the 1st fret of the G string;
4. Place your ring finger on the 2nd fret of the B string;
5. Keep the High E string open;
6. Avoiding the Low E string, strum the Amaj7 chord!

Adim (Guitar, Intermediate)

Here's the A diminished chord:

A string: A (root)
D string: Eb (diminshed 5th)
G string: A (octave of root)
B string: C (minor 3rd)

A+ (Guitar, Intermediate)

This is A augmented:

A string: A (root)
D string: F (augmented 5th - E# if you want to be fancy about it)
G string: A (octave of root)
B string: C# (major 3rd)
High E string: F (augmented 5th)

Am6 (Guitar, Intermediate)

The Am6 chord is built on the following notes:

A string: A (root)
D string: E (5th)
G string: A (octave of root)
B string: C (minor 3rd)
High E string: F# (6th)

Am7 (Guitar, Beginner)

To play the A minor 7th chord shown above: (1) start with the Am chord, and (2) place your pinky finger on the High E string, 3rd fret.

Alternatively, starting from the Am chord, raise your ring finger to make an open G string to play the Am7!

Am (Guitar, Beginner)

This blog is over a year old, and we've neglected to do an entry on the basic A minor chord!

1. Place your index finger on the B string, 1st fret.
2. Place your middle finger on the D string, 2nd fret.
3. Place your ring finger on the G string, 2nd fret.
4. Strum from the A string to the High E string - that's the Am chord!

Dm/maj7 (Guitar, Intermediate)

The D natural minor scale is as follows: D E F G A Bb C D.

The D harmonic minor scale is as follows: D E F G A Bb C# D.

The D-minor major-7th chord shown above is built on the following notes:

D string: D (root note);
G string: A (perfect 5th);
B string: C# (major 7th);
High E string: F (minor 3rd).

Dmaj7 (Guitar, Beginner)

To play D major-7th, fret your index finger over the G, B, and High E strings at the 2nd fret. Avoiding the Low E and A strings, strum the Dmaj7 chord!

Dsus4 (Guitar, Beginner)

To play the D suspended-4th chord, start with the D major chord. Place your pinky finger on the High E string, third fret. Now play the Dsus4 chord.

Also try to fret the chord from the D minor chord position!

Dsus2 (Guitar, Beginner)

To play this D suspended-2nd chord, fret the D major chord. Lift your middle finger to make the High E string open. Play the Dsus2 chord.


To play this Dsus2 chord, fret the D minor chord. Lift your index finger to make the High E string open. Play the Dsus2 chord.

Dm7 (Guitar, Beginner)

To play D-minor 7th:

1. Do not play the Low E string;
2. Do not play the A string;
3. Leave the D string open;
4. Fret the G string at the 2nd fret, with your middle finger;
5. Barre the B and High E strings at the 1st fret with your index finger;
6. Play the Dm7 chord from the D string to the High E string.

Open D Tuning (Guitar, Intermediate)

From E A D G B E standard tuning:

1. Tune the Low E string down to D;
2. Leave the A string at A;
3. Leave the D string at D;
4. Tune the G string down to F#;
5. Tune the B string down to A;
6. Tune the High E string down to D;

7. Strum all the open strings: You are playing a D major chord;
8. Fret all the strings at the 5th fret: You are playing a G major chord;
9. Fret all the strings at the 7th fret: You are playing an A major chord.

D Chord Progressions: Basic Triads

If you remember from previous entries, the D major scale consists of the D, E, F#, G, A, B and C# notes. This scale will relate directly to the simple triads (that is, three-note chords made of the root, major/minor third, and diminished/perfect fifth notes) in the key of D major (please refer to this website or elsewhere for more information):

I. D major (made of the D, F#, and A notes);
ii. E minor (E, G, and B notes);
iii. F# minor (F#, A, and C# notes);
IV. G major (G, B, and D notes);
V. A major (A, C#, and E notes);
vi. B minor (B, D, and F# notes); and
vii(b5). C# diminished (C#, E, and G notes).

As we'll see later, the capitalization or lack of capitalization for the above Roman numerals provides an additional visual aid when substituting chords in different keys.

G Chord Progressions: IV and iv Substitutions

Remember from last time:

I. G major
ii. Am
iii. Bm
IV. C major
V. D major
vi. Em
vii(b5). F#dim

Remember that the G major diatonic scale is as follows: G A B C D E F# G

Remember that the relative minor of G major (the chord and the scale) is E minor.

The E natural minor scale is as follows: E F# G A B C D E (compare with G major).

The E harmonic minor scale is as follows: E F# G A B C D# E (note the singular difference between the natural and harmonic minor scales).

Now we have those ground rules established, it might help in the songwriting process to punctuate the IV chord with a iv chord, which makes things a bit Beatlesque (for lack of a better word). Going back to the simple relative minor substitutions from last time, let's try the following progression:

I-V-IV-IV: G D C C

Let's replace the V chord with its relative minor, the iii chord.

I-iii-IV-IV: G Bm C C

Let's try the III chord instead.

I-III-IV-IV: G B C C

Let's replace the second IV chord with a iv chord (which is a minor chord).

I-III-IV-iv: G B C Cm

Cool, right? Check out "Creep" by Radiohead, and play along while you're at it.

Anyway, to connect with the natural minor and harmonic minor scales mentioned above, let's look at the IV and iv chords.

IV. C major chord (C E G notes)

iv. C minor chord (C D# G notes)

Experiment with different chord progressions, and the best of luck to you in the songwriting process.

G Chord Progressions: iii and III Substitutions

Remember from last time:

I. G major
ii. Am
iii. Bm
IV. C major
V. D major
vi. Em
vii(b5). F#dim

Remember that the G major diatonic scale is as follows: G A B C D E F# G

Remember that the relative minor of G major (the chord and the scale) is E minor.

The E natural minor scale is as follows: E F# G A B C D E (compare with G major).

The E harmonic minor scale is as follows: E F# G A B C D# E (note the singular difference between the natural and harmonic minor scales).

Now we have those ground rules established, it might help in the songwriting process to substitute the mellow iii chord with a more confident III chord. Going back to the simple relative minor substitutions from last time, let's try the following progression:

I-V-I-V-IV-V-I (I-V): G D G D C D G (play G D quickly)

Let's replace some I and V chords with their relative minors, vi and iii respectively.

I-V-vi-iii-IV-V-I (vi-V): G D Em Bm C D G (Em D)

Let's replace the iii chord with a III chord (that is a major chord).

I-V-vi-III-IV-V-I (vi-V): G D Em B C D G (Em D)

It sounds a bit more adventurous, but still familiar, does it not?

Anyway, to connect with the natural minor and harmonic minor scales mentioned above, let's look at the iii and III chords.

iii. B minor chord (B D F# notes)

III. B major chord (B D# F# notes)

Experiment with different chord progressions, and the best of luck to you in the songwriting process.

G Chord Progressions: Relative Minor Substitutions

Remember from last time:

I. G major
ii. Am
iii. Bm
IV. C major
V. D major
vi. Em
vii(b5). F#dim

Each major chord in the key of G has a relative minor that might sound great instead of playing the major chord, and vice versa. What? In other words...

I/vi: G major could possibly be substituted with Em
IV/ii: C major could possibly be substituted with Am
V/iii: D major could possibly be substituted with Bm

Instead of playing I-V-IV-I, for instance, try the following permutations (not an exhaustive list), but we'll start with the original progression:

I-V-IV-I: G D C G
I-iii-IV-vi: G Bm C Em
I-V-ii-I: G D Am G
vi-V-IV-I: Em D C G
vi-iii-ii-vi: Em Bm Am Em
etc.

Substituting a major chord with its relative minor (and vice versa) might liven up a boring progression with a less boring progression (albeit still widely used).

G Chord Progressions: I IV V vi

Remember from last time:

I. G major
ii. Am
iii. Bm
IV. C major
V. D major
vi. Em
vii(b5). F#dim

Now that you already know about I-IV-V (look above or refer to yesterday's entry), we'll bring in the vi chord in G major: E minor. Several popular chord progressions include some sort of combination of the I, IV, V, and vi chords.

As I-vi-IV-V: G Em C D

As I-vi-V-IV: G Em D C

As IV-I-V-vi: C G D Em (Alternatively, I-V-II-iii)

As V-vi-IV-I: D Em C G (Alternatively, I-ii-bVII-IV)

As vi-IV-I-V: Em C G D (Alternatively, i-bVI-bIII-bVII) - check out "Disarm" by the Smashing Pumpkins for a close comparison

As vi-I-V-IV: Em G C D (Alternatively, i-bIII-bVI-bVII)

G Chord Progressions: I IV V

Remember from last time:

I. G major
ii. Am
iii. Bm
IV. C major
V. D major
vi. Em
vii(b5). F#dim

Many, many, many, many chord progressions in popular music contain some permutation of the I-IV-V progression, and since we're talking about the key of G:

I-IV-V can be replaced by the G, C, and D major chords.

You can change the order of the chords for some familiar-sounding progressions:

As I-IV-V-IV-V: G, C, D, C, and D chords.

As I-V-IV-IV: G, D, C, and C chords. Check out the backing chords to a YouTube user's rendition of a blues lick from a recent commercial for Kingsford-brand charcoal.

As IV-I-V: The C Lydian-sounding C, G, and D progression. (Also referred to as I-V-II.)

As V-IV-I: The D Mixolydian-sounding D, C, and G progression. (Also referred to as I-bVII-IV.)

All this looks a lot like high school algebra, but it sounds better than it looks (pun intended).

G Chord Progressions: Suspended Triads

Adding to yesterday's list of triads, here are some more simple triads in the key of G major, replacing the third note with either a suspended 2nd or suspended 4th:

Isus2. Gsus2 (G-A-D)
I. G major (G-B-D)
Isus4. Gsus4 (G-C-D)

iisus2. Asus2 (A-B-E)
ii. Am (A-C-E)
iisus4. Asus4 (A-D-E)

iii. Bm (B-D-F#)
iiisus4. Bsus4 (B-E-F#)

IVsus2. Csus2 (C-D-G)
IV. C major (C-E-G)

Vsus2. Dsus2 (D-E-A)
V. D major (D-F#-A)
Vsus4. Dsus4 (D-G-A)

visus2. Esus2 (E-F#-B)
vi. Em (E-G-B)
visus4. Esus4 (E-A-B)

vii(b5). F#dim (F#-A-C)
vii(b5)sus4. F#(b5)sus4 (F#-B-C)

To spice up your chord progressions, use a suspended 2nd or suspended 4th instead of or in addition to the basic major and minor chords.

G Chord Progressions: Basic Triads

If you remember from previous entries, the G major scale consists of the G, A, B, C, D, E, and F# notes. This scale will relate directly to the simple triads (that is, three-note chords made of the root, major/minor third, and diminished/perfect fifth notes) in the key of G major (please refer to this website or elsewhere for more information):

I. G major (made of the G, B, and D notes);
ii. A minor (A, C, and E notes);
iii. B minor (B, D, and F# notes);
IV. C major (C, E, and G notes);
V. D major (D, F#, and A notes);
vi. E minor (E, G, and B notes); and
vii(b5). F# diminished (F#, A, and C notes).

As we'll see later, the capitalization or lack of capitalization for the above Roman numerals provides an additional visual aid when substituting chords in different keys.

C Chord Progressions: IV and iv Substitutions

Remember from last time:

I. C major
ii. Dm
iii. Em
IV. F major
V. G major
vi. Am
vii(b5). Bdim

Remember that the C major diatonic scale is as follows: C D E F G A B C

Remember that the relative minor of C major (the chord and the scale) is A minor.

The A natural minor scale is as follows: A B C D E F G A (compare with C major).

The A harmonic minor scale is as follows: A B C D E F G# A (note the singular difference between the natural and harmonic minor scales).

Now we have those ground rules established, it might help in the songwriting process to punctuate the IV chord with a iv chord, which makes things a bit Beatlesque (for lack of a better word). Going back to the simple relative minor substitutions from last time, let's try the following progression:

I-V-IV-IV: C G F F

Let's replace the V chord with its relative minor, the iii chord.

I-iii-IV-IV: C Em F F

Let's try the III chord instead.

I-III-IV-IV: C E F F

Let's replace the second IV chord with a iv chord (which is a minor chord).

I-III-IV-iv: C E F Fm

Cool, right?

Anyway, to connect with the natural minor and harmonic minor scales mentioned above, let's look at the IV and iv chords.

IV. F major chord (F A C notes)

iv. F minor chord (F G# C notes)

Experiment with different chord progressions, and the best of luck to you in the songwriting process.

C Chord Progressions: iii and III Substitutions

Remember from last time:

I. C major
ii. Dm
iii. Em
IV. F major
V. G major
vi. Am
vii(b5). Bdim

Remember that the C major diatonic scale is as follows: C D E F G A B C

Remember that the relative minor of C major (the chord and the scale) is A minor.

The A natural minor scale is as follows: A B C D E F G A (compare with C major).

The A harmonic minor scale is as follows: A B C D E F G# A (note the singular difference between the natural and harmonic minor scales).

Now we have those ground rules established, it might help in the songwriting process to substitute the mellow iii chord with a more confident III chord. Going back to the simple relative minor substitutions from last time, let's try the following progression:

I-V-I-V-IV-V-I (I-V): C G C G F G C (play C G quickly)

Let's replace some I and V chords with their relative minors, vi and iii respectively.

I-V-vi-iii-IV-V-I (vi-V): C G Am Em F G C (Am G)

Let's replace the iii chord with a III chord (that is a major chord).

I-V-vi-III-IV-V-I (vi-V): C G Am E F G C (Am G)

It sounds a bit more adventurous, but still familiar, does it not? Check out Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger" to compare.

Anyway, to connect with the natural minor and harmonic minor scales mentioned above, let's look at the iii and III chords.

iii. E minor chord (E G B notes)

III. E major chord (E G# B notes)

Experiment with different chord progressions, and the best of luck to you in the songwriting process.

C Chord Progressions: Relative Minor Substitutions

Remember from last time:

I. C major
ii. Dm
iii. Em
IV. F major
V. G major
vi. Am
vii(b5). Bdim

Each major chord in the key of C has a relative minor that might sound great instead of playing the major chord, and vice versa. What? In other words...

I/vi: C major could possibly be substituted with Am
IV/ii: F major could possibly be substituted with Dm
V/iii: G major could possibly be substituted with Em

Instead of playing I-V-IV-I, for instance, try the following permutations (not an exhaustive list), but we'll start with the original progression:

I-V-IV-I: C G F C
I-iii-IV-vi: C Em F Am
I-V-ii-I: C G Dm C
vi-V-IV-I: Am G F C
vi-iii-ii-vi: Am Em Dm Am
etc.

Substituting a major chord with its relative minor (and vice versa) might liven up a boring progression with a less boring progression (albeit still widely used).

C Chord Progressions: I IV V vi

Remember from last time:

I. C major
ii. Dm
iii. Em
IV. F major
V. G major
vi. Am
vii(b5). Bdim

Now that you already know about I-IV-V (look above or refer to yesterday's entry), we'll bring in the vi chord in C major: A minor. Several popular chord progressions include some sort of combination of the I, IV, V, and vi chords.

As I-vi-IV-V: C Am F G

As I-vi-V-IV: C Am G F

As IV-I-V-vi: F C G Am (Alternatively, I-V-II-iii)

As V-vi-IV-I: G Am F C (Alternatively, I-ii-bVII-IV)

As vi-IV-I-V: Am F C G (Alternatively, i-bVI-bIII-bVII) - check out Eagle-Eye Cherry's 1998 hit "Save Tonight"

As vi-I-V-IV: Am C F G (Alternatively, i-bIII-bVI-bVII)

C Chord Progressions: I IV V

Remember from last time:

I. C major
ii. Dm
iii. Em
IV. F major
V. G major
vi. Am
vii(b5). Bdim

Many, many, many, many chord progressions in popular music contain some permutation of the I-IV-V progression, and since we're talking about the key of C:

I-IV-V can be replaced by the C, F, and G major chords.

You can change the order of the chords for some familiar-sounding progressions:

As I-IV-V-IV-V: C, F, G, F, and G chords.

As I-V-IV-I: C, G, F, and C chords.

As IV-I-V: The F Lydian-sounding F, C, and G progression. (Also referred to as I-V-II.)

As V-IV-I: The G Mixolydian-sounding G, F, and C progression. (Also referred to as I-bVII-IV.)

All this looks a lot like high school algebra, but it sounds better than it looks (pun intended).

C Chord Progressions: Suspended Triads

Adding to yesterday's list of triads, here are some more simple triads in the key of C major, replacing the third note with either a suspended 2nd or suspended 4th:

Isus2. Csus2 (C-D-G)
I. C major (C-E-G)
Isus4. Csus4 (C-F-G)

iisus2. Dsus2 (D-E-A)
ii. Dm (D-F-A)
iisus4. Dsus4 (D-G-A)

iii. Em (E-G-B)
iiisus4. Esus4 (E-A-B)

IVsus2. Fsus2 (F-G-C)
IV. F major (F-A-C)

Vsus2. Gsus2 (G-A-D)
V. G major (G-B-D)
Vsus4. Gsus4 (G-C-D)

visus2. Asus2 (A-B-E)
vi. Am (A-C-E)
visus4. Asus4 (A-D-E)

vii(b5). Bdim (B-D-F)
vii(b5)sus4. B(b5)sus4 (B-E-F)

To spice up your chord progressions, use a suspended 2nd or suspended 4th instead of or in addition to the basic major and minor chords.

C Chord Progressions: Basic Triads

If you remember from previous entries, the C major scale consists of the C, D, E, F, G, A, and B notes. This scale will relate directly to the simple triads (that is, three-note chords made of the root, major/minor third, and diminished/perfect fifth notes) in the key of C major (please refer to this website or elsewhere for more information):

I. C major (made of the C, E, and G notes);
ii. D minor (D, F, and A notes);
iii. E minor (E, G, and B notes);
IV. F major (F, A, and C notes);
V. G major (G, B, and D notes);
vi. A minor (A, C, and E notes); and
vii(b5). B diminished (B, D, and F notes).

As we'll see later, the capitalization or lack of capitalization for the above Roman numerals provides an additional visual aid when substituting chords in different keys.