Helpful realization regarding chords and lead


dlwalke
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Joined: 02/02/19
Posts: 240
dlwalke
Full Access
Joined: 02/02/19
Posts: 240
03/31/2021 8:00 pm

I don't know why some things click better than others but the other day I was drawing basic major arpeggios onto a fretboard, and then superimposing chord shapes. I realized that for each of the 3 primary moveable major chord shapes (E, A, and D) (I know you can move a C and G shape around but probably not so common for beginners) the memorable shape of the chord (the part that extends beyond the bar, so the elbow for E, the vertical line for A, and the triangle for D), the order of notes is the same. From "toes to nose" as Gary Heimbauer sometimes says (well, I think he usually says from toes to nose [e.g., as a way to remember how the strings are numbered]), you have the 5th of the chord, the root, and then the 3rd. If you use those shapes as a launch point for single note riffs, licks, or melodies, you play the note that is part of the chord and then go up 2 frets for the 5th, 2 frets for the root, and 3 frets for the 3rd. It's the same for each chord because the order of notes is the same for each chord. One could call it the 223 rule. You can also go down from the chord shape. Because the span of notes to either side of the chord shape is 5 frets, it's the inverse of 223. That is, you would go down 3 frets, down 3 frets and down 2 frets from the 5th, root, and 3rd, respectively. All this text might make it sound like a lot to remember but visually, I find it easy to remember. Anyway, it helped me.


# 1
Carl King
GuitarTricks Video Director
Joined: 10/08/07
Posts: 466
Carl King
GuitarTricks Video Director
Joined: 10/08/07
Posts: 466
04/01/2021 2:38 am

If I'm understanding what you're saying, what you're doing is finding some adjacent scale tones around your 1, 3, and 5.

2 frets above your 5, you have a 6th scale degree.

2 frets above your 1, you have the 2nd scale degree.

3 frets above your 3, you have the 5th scale degree.

So, what you've found is a little major-tonality scale with the scale degrees 1-2-3-5-6. (No 4th, no 7th). That is a Major Pentatonic scale.

-Carl.


Carl King[br]GuitarTricks Video Director / Producer

# 2
dlwalke
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Joined: 02/02/19
Posts: 240
dlwalke
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Joined: 02/02/19
Posts: 240
04/01/2021 3:14 am

Yes, despite my wordy post, I guess I didn't actually say that it's an easy way to remember (for me anyway) where the major pentatonic scale notes are around those chords - I guess because you only have to remember 1 simple thing (223) that works for each of those 3 different chord shapes.


# 3

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