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Week 4 - Day 1: The B Major Chord
The B Major chord looks like this:
I threw a few 'trick' notes in this chord to help you remember the sharps and flats. The B Major chord
contains the notes B, F#(Gb), and Eb (D#). In other words, you can look at this chord in all sharps like: B,
F#, D#. You can look at this chord in all flats as: B, Gb, Eb. Either way the notes are still the same. As
always, we will focus on the sharps because they are easier to plot (see) on a fretboard diagram.
Important: As with any chord that appears as a barre you'll often find additional notes that aren't needed.
In this case, the Low E string F# note just duplicates the High E string F# note. There is no need to fret
the actual note on the Low E string. You can completely avoid it.
This would make sense because if you avoided this string completely, the first root note of "B" will appear
on the A string.
Slash Sheet Exercise (95 BPM):
Simply practice playing the B Major chord four times each measure.
Now we need to look at the fretboard for logical areas in which the B, F#, and D# appear:
To the left is the fretboard featuring the full spectrum of
notes used to create the B Major chord. You've already
learned the one that is featured with the root on the
second fret of the A string.
Optional Position
This is a rather standard E Style barre chord with the
root on the seventh fret of the Low E string. I play this
one quite often in more brisk passages.
This full barre chord can also be converted to a simple
B5 power chord by playing only the notes "7-9-9" on the
Low E, A, and D strings.
Of course, including the additional "9" on the D string
would mean you were playing the octave above the
original root (B) as always.
Optional Position
Before We Apply Fingerstyle...
What I want you to do is strum the following progression using our slash sheet at 95 bpm.
Exercise 1:
G...........................F.........................A........................B
These are ALL E style barre chords. I'm not showing you the chord diagrams. Just remember the notes on
the fretboard and try to follow along with me.
Hint: root notes are 3 - 1 - 5 - 7
Exercise 2:
C...........................B.........................G........................A
These are ALL E style barre chords. I'm not showing you the chord diagrams. Just remember the notes on
the fretboard and try to follow along with me.
Applying Fingerstyle To The B Major Chord
The fingerings for the picking hand should be common knowledge by now. As you've seen from Day 1, I
use my thumb, 1st, and 2nd finger (sometimes) almost exclusively. We aren't playing any crazy fingerstyle
so there's no need to focus too much on technicalities.
Note: I got an email the other day.....
"I am loving Chord Workshop but I have a question. Why do you start the finger picking exercises like
that? Am I missing something?"
This is a good question. You might recall a while back I mentioned that the fingerstyle (fingerpicking)
exercises will start with the full chord as a strum and then you'll play the notes of said chord using any
finger. I am asking you to do this because I want you to hear each note. The picking part of that isn't
important. What you are doing is: {strum ---> arpeggio ---> fingerstyle} all in one exercise.
This is intentional, and I imagine you have a few issues at first after playing the strum ---> arpeggio part. I
am attempting to trick your picking fingers by taking you up and down the note spectrum without getting
you back to an 'origin' of the chord. What I mean by origin is the root note. If you'll notice in most of the
fingerstyle exercises you never actually 'resolve' the chord during the arpeggio part. You actually resolve it
at the BEGINNING of the fingerstyle part.
Over my years of teaching I have found students understand and perform better when given exercises that
are a bit awkward to play. There's something about the 'weirdness' of them that somehow makes it easier
to absorb in the long run.
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Week 4 - Day 2: The B7 Chord
The B7 chord looks like this:
You'll recall that in Week 4: Day 1 we discussed the B Major chord. Here it is again in a side-by-side:
VS.
Because you can already assume that we are taking the B Major chord and making it "dominant (7)" we
need to add the actual seventh note to the chord. The B Major consists of, using sharps: B, F#, D#. Now
what is the seventh of B? (Remember that sharps and flats aren't important to find the seventh note
needed.)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
In this case the seventh would be the "A" note. The chart is super easy to understand isn't it? Now look at
the B7 chord again and you will see this fits perfectly:
I have a confession: I tend to forget the F# note on the second fret of the High E string quite often. I don't
actually strum the High E string though. So, what chord am I playing if I forget the F# note on the second
fret of the High E string? Again, I'm NOT playing the High E open. I don't play it at all. Instead I play the
B, D#, A, and the B (open).
The answer is: nothing. It's not a chord at all. Even if I chose to play the Low E string AND the High E
string I still don't produce a complimentary chord of any kind. Believe me I've looked at every possible
option. It's simply NOT a chord.
It WILL still sound mostly as a B7 chord when played with other musicians. Kenny (from
GuitarAlliance.com) and I frequently play together at gigs as well as writing our own songs and he nor I
have run into any real issues with me playing the B7 as I do.
However, the way I usually play it in a song is NOT actually a B7. (Man I really need to remember that!)
Just always remember that a musician will take their own artistic liberties - however subtle - and that's
absolutely fine. You are the musician. You have the choice. A great many songs have been written with
these liberties in mind.
Slash Sheet Exercise (95 BPM):
Simply practice playing the B7 chord four times each measure.
Now we need to look at the fretboard for logical areas in which the B, D#, A, and F# appear:
Again, there are a lot of notes on the fretboard, but this
is what happens when you add the seventh to a chord.
All Notes:
The diagram above shows ALL of the notes, but
remember we don't need every note. We really just need
the B notes to duplicate. Also remember that the Low E
string open note is NOT played.
We also need to examine the additional position of the B7.
Basically we need to make a B Major a B7, aka dominant.
All notes:
Forming the B7 barre chord:
Again the same concept applies. Here we have kept the two B notes (because it is a B chord). By simply
removing the additional B note on the ninth fret of the D string, and adding the A note on the seventh fret
of the D string (the seventh is A) we can create the B7 barre chord. This would be considered an E Style
barre chord.
Optional Position
Applying Fingerstyle To The B7 Chord
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
QUIZ: Please visit the Chord Workshop Member Interface for the Week 4 – Day 3 Quiz.
Week 4 - Day 4: The Gm Chord
The Gm chord looks like this:
Before we move any further, there is a Gm chord that can be played open. However, it might be
considered a pain to play. I find the barre version much more user-friendly. Here is the open Gm for
reference though:
Again the same concept on open vs. barre applies. The same notes are used, but simply at different spots
on the neck. Our focus will be on the Gm barre chord though because I think you'll find it a little easier to
play. However, if barre chords are a struggle for you, just know that you can always play this open version
if you wish.
The Gm chord, open or barred, contains the notes G, A#(Bb), and D.
Take a look at the barred version of G Major vs. the Gm
VS.
Remember that when we want to form a minor version of a Major chord (in the case of an E Style barre
chord) we will need to move one of our fingers DOWN in pitch. You can see here tht by moving our 2nd
finger down one fret (down = lower in pitch) our B note becomes a Bb note, or an A#. That creates the
minor of the Major.
Slash Sheet Exercise (95 BPM):
Simply practice playing the Gm barre chord four times each measure. I have included all of the variations
here, including the one further below.
Now we need to look at the fretboard for logical areas in which the G, A#(Bb) and D appear:
Optional Position
This is the absolute 'standard' when it comes to
playing the Gm barre chord.
There are a few other ways in which you can play
the Gm but this is the only one I've ever used and more than likely the only one you'll ever
need to use.
As I have already explained, there is no such thing
as a minor chord when playing a power chord,
so both the G Major and the Gm chords will
simply use the Low E, A, and D strings (D string
if you want to use the root above the octave) to
form the G5 power chord.
By omitting any additional notes you create the
G5 power chord.
Applying Fingerstyle To The Gm Chord
Exercise 1
Note: For the purpose of playing a Gm open, I did include this fingerstyle option here.
Exercise 2
Week 4 - Day 5: The G7 Chord
The G7 chord looks like this and contains the notes G, B, D, and F:
Remember that this is a dominant chord, so we need to 'add the seventh' to the original G. It might seem
strange that I keep saying to 'add' the seventh instead of just 'change a note to the seventh' but I say this
because we need to know where the original note comes from and then realize that we are making a given
chord a dominant. A chord is never dominant until you 'add' the seventh.
You probably already know which note is the seventh of G, but just in case:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
As you can see, the F is the seventh. This is getting REALLY easy huh?
G7 Fingerings:
Take a look again at the chord diagram. You'll see that THIS form of the G chord isn't fingered in the same
way as SOME of the other G Major chords I showed you (in the open position).
G Major Chords (Open)
1:
2:
3:
4:
The "1:" that I have labeled is most like the G7 fingerings in the open position. Often you'll see musicians
playing the G Major open in the same way that you see "1:" labeled here. This is totally fine, because it
DOES make it easier to move from G Major to G7. I try to play the G Major to G7 this way when I know a
song contains the G7. Sometimes out of habit I forget. Either way, I wanted you to see the relation
between the two as well as WHY the G7 should be fingered as it is. Take a look again:
This is the only way to play the G7 due to the notes that are needed in order to form the G7. Ultimately
what I am saying is this:
If you know a song contains a PROGRESSION of G Major to G7 (even C to G7 or G7 to C) you will want to
finger the open G Major chord in the same style as the G7 on the Low E and A strings to make the
movement easier.
Now we need to look at the fretboard for logical areas in which the G, B, D, and F appear:
Optional Position (all notes)
Again, here are all the notes that are associated
with the G7 barre chord. Remember that we
don't need three G notes. We need to find the
seventh, which is F.
Take a look at "only the necessary notes" to see
what I have done.
Only the necessary notes:
Again, this is nothing you haven't seen already.
There's no need to play the fifth fret note on the
D string (G). This is played as an E style barre
chord.
Slash Sheet Exercise (95 BPM)
This video includes all forms of the G7 chord. After I play the first G7 (open) notice that I show you how
easy the movement from G7 to G Major is if you play the G Major using the G7 formation.
Applying Fingerstyle To The G7 Chord
Exercise 1
Exercise 2