Hi friends, I am a newbie, was going through some music theories. I could understand the 1-3-5 formations of major chord from a scale. For example, C Major Scale: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 C D E F G A B So C Major chord becomes 1-3-5, and hence CEG. But how to find out which string should hold which of the notes(C/E/G). and does the order C-E-G matter? If I find C on a string, should the immediate below next string have the E and so on? (As I can see the chords, the order doesnt seem to be important, but please suggest how does it work out?) Also if I strum downwards and upwards for the same chord, the sounds are surely different, does that matter? Regards, Shyam
all right....c major scale is as follows:: string:5 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 fret: 3 0 2 3 0 2 0 1 note: c d e f g a b c when i say fret 0....i am trying to say that u have to play that string open.....without pressing any finger on any fret this is the c major scale....u play what i have written and ull get ur sa-re-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni-sa sound....... now.... take the 1st....2nd and 5th note from this scale to form a c major chord...... that is.....3rd fret of the 5th string(the 1st note the scale...that is note c).......2nd fret of the 4th string(the 3rd note of the scale...that is note e)and play the 3rd string open(note g)..... this is ur basic c major chord.....but!......to give it a more better sound....we add an extra note....1st fret of the 2nd string(that is note c) when u strum downwards or upwards......the sound produced will surely be different.....but it is just a way of strumming it......so dont worry about that.....
Thanks UJ for the reply. Yes that explains it for the C Major chord. But do you mean to say that to find any chord, we have to find out how the scale is to be played on the fret and then decide the positions of the notes? Secondly, like in the given example, we are playing all 5 string arent we? It becomes a C-E-G-C-E. What I am getting confused about is, how to decide we are going to play the C-E in the 2 and 1 strings. Also the order CEG is maintained for this chord, but for some other chords 135 order is not maintained too. Is it that accessibility to the fingers a criteria to decide this? I will really appreciate if you could give some more insights into this. Thanks, Shyam
buddy! for more knowledge... u can visit the beginners QandA forum... that wld really help u good luck! :beer:
Strumming REALLY matters also go to some sites like chordfind.com cyberfret.com 911tabs.com and of course like ansh said-Visit The Q&A FORUM!!!!!!!
how to play the notes c and e in 2nd and 1st string.....? to play the note c.......put ur finger in the 1st fret of the second string......and to play note e on the 1st string......play it open......dont put ur finger on any fret.... and yeah.....if u know the scale....u can find the chords for urself using the 135 formula......i hope u know how to read chord diagrams......the scales and the theory just tells us how the chords were formed....if u know how to read chord diagrams .......just read them and ull know how to play it..... really sorry dude....but i cant answer the third question(135 order) myself.....i dont really know myself....:$
shyam.....i really like that attitude of urz..... most of the people dont care about the theory.....they just learn the chords and keep playing songs..... but u are really concentrating on the theory.....that is really good....rock on dude
Thanks a lot UJ for your encouraging words. I think concentrating on theory is a personal choice, may not be needed if you are naturally musically oriented(for ppl grown up in such an atmosphere or gifted by birth). But for me its neither, so I have to learn it the hard way, and I know it wont hurt! BTW the question I was asking was on whether or not playing the last CE out of CEGCE matters. Playing out the CEG only(not CEGCE) while strumming may not be easy in one swift movement of the pick. Also is it correct that we can play any note(C/E/G) on any of the strings(EADGBE) and still it will be considered a C Major chord?
Dude its only one way to find out... Try it at home!!! As im not at home, so i cant hlp u now, but as u know the notes and stuff, rearrange them, and strum it. If it sounds good, it is good. If it doesnt, forget it. Whats the fuss???
Hi Evo, frankly I have not reached a stage where I can tell the good sound from the bad. So, I am looking for something which is correct. I only presume that if I can reach one chord through correct method, I can reach any of them. Regards, Shyam
Dude i think u will have to wait till tomorow for some sure news, but one thing is affirmative. First note MUST be a C. Thats what makes it a C chord. Order of the notes...well i dont know... i dont think the notes can be rearranged. They must be played in the order. Because they are taken out of a scale, and if u disturb their order, the whole scale would collapse. No, u must play them in order. Rest i dont know maybe there is some way...
Dude i think u will have to wait till tomorow for some sure news, but one thing is affirmative. First note MUST be a C. Thats what makes it a C chord. Order of the notes...well i dont know... i dont think the notes can be rearranged. They must be played in the order. Because they are taken out of a scale, and if u disturb their order, the whole scale would collapse. No, u must play them in order. Rest i dont know maybe there is some way... And secondly about ur being able to tell whether the chord sounds good or bad, all you need is an ear, and a brain. You play drums on a table, or an actual drum. Which would sound good???? Music is about feel. Theory is nothing. If you like the combination of a few notes, its good. You dont like it, its not good. Its as simple as this...
dude...look....i guess u have to play all the strings....(except the 6th)....ie....C-E-G-C-E....not just C-E-G.....2 reasons 1)it will be easier for u to strum..... 2)the chord will get a more full and better sound.....(dtz what i think....) and yeah man..... if u wanna be a good guitarist.....the theory is a must......it dosent matter if u are "god gifted"or have the "right atmosphere".........what matters is the hard work and the attitude.....
Hi Evo, thanks for the post. I am sorry I would like to defer with your argument, yes music is all about feel, but some of us(beginners like me) need to take some time and lots of practice to get that feel. Till then if I play incorrectly, I am sure I will develop an incorrect "feel". That is why I am creating all the fuss about this. I hope I am not wrong. About the order of the notes on strings, the doubt in my mind came from other chords which doesnt necessarily have the 135 order. For example the D Major. D Major 135 means D-F#-A. When we play the chord with open strings, we play it like this: e--2- B--3- G--2- D--0- Which translates to D-A-D-F# and not D-F#-A Request you to please give your comments. Thanks, Shyam
Thanks UJ. Yeah even I believe that it wont hurt if I am good at theory, it can only be an add on. Regards, Shyam
Hmm.. Now the first question that comes into my mind is that why didnt I think of that before??? Good yet simple point. I cannot figure out that one completely, but i think the first D note (open string) is acting as a bass note. You see, if we mute that string, the chord still sounds same, only without the bass. Now look at the rest of the notes, They are in the same order. The chord is D-A-D-F#, while the scale tells us to follow D-F#-A. Now that we have removed the first D, the remaining notes are (A-D-F#)-(A-D-F#)-(A-D-F#). Now what do u say abt that: A-(D-F#-A)-(D-F#-A)-(D-F#-A). So u see, they are going into a circle, without changing the order. I know this is not a complete explanation and even i am not satisfied with that. I will tell u tomorrow after consulting someone. Till then, Adios.
