Take a chord, any chord... let's say E7. We know it well. It's played down near the nut, and it's easy to get it ringing because there are three open strings in the chord. Not only that, only two fingers are involved. Too easy, as they say. But let's have a really good look at what it means to say "E7".

First of all, to my mind, E7 means more than a chord: it means a set of four specific notes; it means a chord; it means quality. They are all the same thing of course, but can, and should, be viewed both collectively and individually in order to really understand "E7".

Let's first look at the notes.

A plain old E chord consists of three notes: the first, third and fifth notes of the major scale starting at E. But we're looking at an E7, not a plain old E. That "7" means that an extra note is added to the triad. One of music's little quirks is that when you see "7" without the word "major" in front, it means that the added note is NOT the seventh note of the scale (which would seem logical), but the next note down in pitch, the flat seven. The real seventh note of the scale of E is D# (and is called the MAJOR 7th when included in a chord), so the next note down n pitch is D.

Now our set-of-notes/chord is E G# B and D, and the quality created by those four notes can be summed up as "seventh", and any sequence ONE -- THREE -- FIVE -- FLAT-SEVEN will result in the same quality, same sound. In certain contexts these chords are also know as Dominant Sevenths.

OK, so far so good. We have a set of four notes, which give rise to a chord which has the quality we call "seventh". We also have an instrument tuned asymmetrically, and a fretboard littered with repeat notes (for example, the E note that is the open treble string is also found in four different playable positions), so how do we make sense of it all?

When I started paying the guitar and learned a new chord, like E7, I was so chuffed with myself. I figured there couldn't be that many and it was just a matter of time before I knew them all. Then, as I experimented with the instrument and went exploring the fretboard, it began to dawn on me what a can of worms I'd opened, that just about all notes have several positions, and that chords consist of notes. I began to realize that a chord is a kind of smeared out presence which occupies the whole length of the fretboard. The three or four notes that make up any chord are strewn across the finger board at all times, and there are many ways to express the same quality, in our case here E7, many ways to "voice" any chord. Add to that the fact that there are many qualities of chords, no wonder it seems such a never ending task.

There comes a turning point in any guitarist's learning, when, all of a sudden, this concept of chords = notes = scale = music, and they all merge together on the fretboard. This is probably the biggest breakthrough of all, and one that will come. When it does, you'll see E7, or any other chord, as a fretscape (my own term someone stole from a previous newsletter and dot commed before I could!!), as a unique fretboard environment. When I hear someone say "E7", my mental view of the fretboard becomes E7. Simple as that. My musical landmarks (the trick I describe in PlaneTalk) fall instantly into place, and that's that. Everything else fits between as per usual. Qualities like "seventh", "suspended fourth", "flat five", "augmented", all become blatantly obvious.

This is when you can really enjoy this art of voicing chords. I can think of umpteen ways to express E7, and if I'm really into it, umpteen squared.

If you're overwhelmed with studying chords, try thinking this way: there is only really ONE chord, and it can be twisted and tinkered with to alter its quality. The rules are very straight forward once you know them. I see that boss chord as a major chord. All others, including minors, are a variation thereof. Where that chord is on the fret board is what gives it a name, deviations from "standard major" give it a quality.

The unifying factor, the trick to making this easy, is the subject of my book and video PlaneTalk, so I'll leave it there. I don't want to annoy you with a sales pitch, but I sure get good feedback for the lesson it teaches. Drop into http://www.lorange.kirk.net for more info, and take advantage of our weak Aussie Dollar. You're heading into winter up there in the Northern Hemisphere ... great time to knuckle down to some serious learning.

Visit http://www.guitarforbeginners.com also and take the Musical Taste Poll. Let's see what the breakdown is. That's on the front page. While you're there of course, take advantage of the dozens of pages of free lessons I've compiled there. I'm proud to say that my site hovers around number 10 on the Top100guitarsites dot com. If you discount all the TAB sites, I'm almost the number one instruction site. Click me a vote while you're there.

All the best and never stop twangin'

Kirk
http://www.lorange.kirk.net
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com
http://mp3.com/kirklorange