What are chords? I hear this term and yet, I really don’t understand what they are.
Imagine a matrix of notes that spans infinitely in all directions. Now imagine navigating this web-like mess through a virtual game of Finger Twister on your fretboard. That matrix isn’t practical chords, so you can exhale now. That’s just how chords seem to be presented more often than not. In order to be efficient, it’s helpful to know what’s in a chord, so that you have a chance at finding the best notes the first time. In order to understand that vast matrix, it helps to dig into the DNA, get to the “birds and the bees” of where chords come from. It’s not the Jazz Stork, just in case you thought, “Maybe?”
Chords come in a variety of sizes from Triads (3 tone chords made up of a Root, 3rd, and 5th) to the elusive 13th chord (which contains a Root, 3rd, 5th, b7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th, though probably not all of them… it’s still not an endless matrix, but it starts to seem like it if you over think it.) Sounds challenging enough, but let’s cut to the chase.
The Triads (The Sonic DNA of Harmony)
Nearly all chords boil down to a fundamental triad. That’s the core of the chord that determines its most important characteristics: the Root and the 3rd. This determines the tonal center and the Major or Minor disposition, which greatly affects the mood. What’s important to really grasp is the concept of triads and this is why. Most larger chords are simply stacking triads upon triads to make different textures. What this means is that once you grasp the triads, you can start to weave them together to build chords and fundamentally understand the way they come together.
Ok. So, we just need to figure out triads. There’s what? A million? No. There are four kinds of triads and if we understand how to build them, we can make any of them at any time.
Major triads are three notes that are each a third apart in Root Position (this is when the Root Note is the lowest sounding note in the chord). Major triads are built using a 1 3 5 from a Major scale. This can be boiled down to a Major 3rd (4 half steps) from the 1 to the 3, and then a Minor 3rd (3 half steps) from the 3 to the 5. We could express it like this: (M3=Major 3rd m3=Minor 3rd)
Major Triad (happy or “up” sounding) – 1 M3 3 m3 5
E (E Major) E M3 G# m3 B
G (G Major) G M3 B m3 D
Minor Triad (sad or “down” sounding) – 1 m3 b3 M3 5
So, you can see triads are built using combinations of thirds to give you certain sounds. If we consider the 3rds as M=Major and m=Minor, the triads are Major (Mm), Minor (mM), Augmented (MM), and Diminished (mm), they’re not so terrible. This is when it’s good to review your chromatic scale. If you’re well versed, you can construct any triad in seconds, and over time, they become memorized as some are more used than others. The result is that you never are at a loss for what chord you are playing.
Triad Spelling
Familiarizing yourself with the basic triad spellings makes the whole game a whole lot simpler, as well. All triads are always spelled using these letters having different sharps or flats applied. (Other chords may add or omit, but this is the basic starting point for chord construction)
ACE BDF CEG DFA EGB FAC GBD
Some will need sharps, some will need flats, but that’s how you spell all triads. If you measure the distances between these notes, you’ll find Majors, Minors, and a Diminished Triad. Keep in mind, you can stack the notes of a chord in any order, but it doesn’t change the chord. A G chord that goes from bottom to top B D G is still a G Major. We refer to that as a 1st inversion, since the 3rd is at the bottom. If we put the 5th at the bottom with D G B or D B G, then it’s a 2nd inversion G Major. In all practicality, that’s more important to a pianist than a typical guitarist, but the more you understand voicing (how you stack the notes of your chord), then the more choices you have and the more control you have over how your chords sound, since each inversion changes the “flavor” of your chord just a little bit. More on that in another post.
Use a piano to measure your Whole and Half Steps and discover the triads. They’re the building blocks and you’ll be glad you know it once you do.
TIPS
Know your Chromatic Scale (All 12 notes) and know your Enharmonics (Both names for the notes that can be called either a flat or a sharp.)
Know the piano keyboard. You don’t need to play it, but you would benefit from understanding it to make visualizing chords easier. Theory is much easier to understand with the piano’s simple visual component.
Don’t over think it. There’s more to know about every single aspect of the music, so don’t skip the fundamentals. It will slow you down later if you do.
Music Theory isn’t Music Law. You can bend, break, and otherwise abuse the rules of music to suit your every whim. Most of the time, if you don’t have a valid reason to break the rules then it probably sounds better if you don’t. Remember, it was laid out by musicians that ultimately understood music on a raw level. Though you may be a greater musical genius than Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven, their collective life’s work is greater in depth and value than any one human could possibly achieve. It’s a valuable resource that we’d be a fool to ignore. Even Charlie Parker loved Stravinsky.
In this video, I demonstrate the sonic character of five guitars. The purpose of this demo is to give prospective buyers a chance to compare guitar sounds side by side and decide what sounds best to them. A little about each guitar…
Dean VMNT Limited Tiger’s Eye Burst (2018) – Made in Korea
(Retail price new 2018 about $1200)
Dean rose to power in the late ’70s and through the ’80s by producing great guitars that embraced body shapes that went beyond the pale. Dean’s Golden Era USA guitars are considered treasures among Dean collectors and respected by those in the know. In the 1990s, Dean signed on with guitarist Diamond Darrell of Pantera and forged a new age for Dean by bringing something to the table Dean was lacking: Star Power. Darrell was such a massive influence on metal guitar, that his contribution to Dean’s market share is notable. On the heels of signing Darrell, Dean and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine came to an agreement as Dave moved on from his endorsement of Jackson and into the loving arms of Dean, who immediately went to work with Dave to produce a guitar to his exact specification. That guitar is the Dean VMNT. Available in several USA custom configurations and as countless import trim levels, the VMNT became everything Dave wanted in a King V, but never had. The entry level VMNTX starts around $300, and the top end Holy Grail VMNT will run you closer to $7,000, more or less. Chump change, but when you get yourself a King V guitar that’s painted with gold flake… you’re probably already wearing a more expensive watch than that guitar. Now, this particular Dean VMNT falls squarely in the middle. It’s a Korean made VMNT Limited, which is the highest level of VMNT except the USA models. The USA run was to include around 50 units and the Korean model is said to be around 150 units produced. The good news is that the Korean model will save you a few thousand, coming in with a MSRP around $1,800 and a street price somewhere around $1,200. You can spend the extra $5,000 on that Rolex you always wanted. This guitar is a great V for the price. Active electronics, a stunning finish, unique inlays, a surprisingly comfortable D-shape neck, and a great fit and finish make this guitar a treat to play. I expected less guitar when I picked it up. Right out of the box it played fairly well. I did some minor action and pickup adjustments, and kaboom! It was suddenly a contender with other guitars in the collection costing twice as much. I expected it to join the collection mostly to look at and sometimes to play, but it’s found its way into my lesson room for daily driving for several weeks. I just can’t put it down.
Ibanez RG750 (1990) – Made in Japan
(Retail price new 1990 about $1,100)
During the late ’80s and in the early ’90s, Ibanez produced some amazing guitars at the Fujigen plant that became known as the Golden Era of Ibanez electric guitars. With the incredibly successful launch of the RG Series (the evolution of the Ibanez Roadstar) and the Steve Vai signature Jem model, Ibanez set a standard for the super strat segment, and today the Golden Era Ibanez shredders are among their most desirable guitars for players and collectors alike. This RG750 is the top of the RG series line (RG7** series was the highest trim level before the Jem series. RG5** series was the stripped down version of the RG7**). The RG750 features Ibanez USA pickups, a pickguard, a HSH pickup configuration, the original Wizard neck, Edge Tremolo, Rosewood Fretboard, and Shark Tooth Inlay. The RG760/770 models feature different pickup configurations, fretboards, and pickguards. The iconic RG models are the iconic RG770DX and the lesser RG550, sought after for being equally playable, but with fewer cosmetic features and lower quality pickups (often quickly replaced). This guitar plays like shredding dream. The IBZ USA pickups are hot enough to offer some bite, and I found the upper register to sing distinctly better than the other guitars in this comparison, except the Medusa. After playing an Ibanez RG from the Golden Era, it’s no wonder these prized super strats are so revered. These models hit the shelves around $1,000-1,100 back when they were new in the ’80s-’90s. Today, a high quality RG7** will cost around that same price or more and they’re still worth it. If you’re looking to get into the king of super strats and you need to save a few bucks, the RG550 is a fine second. It’s just not as nicely appointed.
Gibson Les Paul Traditional (2015) – Made in USA
(Retail price new 2015 about $3,399)
Let’s face it. Who doesn’t love a great Les Paul? Well, in 2015, Gibson seemed to manage to find out. 2015 marked the 100th birthday of the revered inventor and guitar virtuoso Les Paul. To commemorate this event, Gibson relabeled all of their 2015 LPs for one year only, adding a reproduction autograph of Les Paul in place of the standard font that had graced the heads of Gibbys since 1952 and a hologram sticker to the back to make knock-off 100th LPs harder to fake. This minor cosmetic change seemed to land somewhere between indifference and liquid hate by the Gibson aficionados. To make matters worse, the Traditional model would then be outfitted with indented speed knobs (Ed: They’re actually kind of nice), a brass zero-fret nut which was again received with disdain, as the brass simply did not last long enough and most players opt to install titanium. Beyond that, Gibson changed the Traditional Cut Top to an Elite Cut Top, which is actually quite elegant, though not exactly traditional. Removable pickguard? Who needs a convertible Les Paul? Me. I actually like being able to go back and forth on a whim. Try not to lose the pickguard when it is off, they’re already becoming uncommon. The ’57 Classic pickups would be swapped for ’59 Classic pickups. (Ed: I like the ’57s a lot. I think I love the ’59s.) The pièce de résistance would be the addition of Gibson’s less than popular, redesigned, and self-tuning G-Force system, which also included a wider neck and extended playing surface. This made this model year a poor seller in 2015, however interest has begun to pickup on these guitars that, for that year, really should have been a supreme or another more “elite” model. So here’s my take. I bought mine some time a while back on clearance. I hadn’t played the new fat necks and I didn’t like the Min-E-Tune system, but Gibson did make it easy enough to remove the GForce, and they DID redesign it, so maybe it was better. Well, it is. It’s MUCH better. It took almost no time to get used to it, and it absolutely faster than tuning by hand. It’s not simply push the button and strum until you’re in tune. That is where most get it wrong. You turn it on with a single push of the power button and strum once. The strings will go nuts and start tuning. On the tuner, tuned strings will show as Green. Out of tune strings will flash Red. By muting the Green strings and plucking any Red string once more, the tune is usually finished in less than 5 seconds. If you keep playing, you confuse it and it just chases around trying to figure it all out. So, I actually love the GForce, just keep the battery charged up and it’s pretty handy. The wide neck was a slow burn for me. I absolutely hated the feel of the massive width of the thing. It’s like a suspension bridge wide enough for four lanes of traffic. After about two to three weeks, I began feeling out the edges of the fretboard and utilizing this new lawn Gibson installed on both sides of the neck. It was a refreshing amount of freedom, as it opened up some more expressive space on the fretboard for the E strings. So… my hate turned to affection and appreciation. That then turned into passion and I love it every ounce as much as my 2012 Les Paul Traditional that is actually traditional, but still very different. The input jack plate was plastic and immediately was the source of an electronic failure. Luckily, it wasn’t an important gig, I was just onstage with a Grammy winning blues legend. (Ed: More sarcasm. Waves fist at the air.) I then replaced it with the steel plate that SHOULD have been there in the first place and then checked my 2012 to see if it was plastic. It was not. So, Gibson upped the game and took a gamble, but cheaped out on the last link in the chain to save $2. It’s a heavy son of a gun, it’s got great tone, and most importantly, it plays like butter. Lucky for me and everyone that didn’t jump on the hate bandwagon and swiped one of these for a smokin’ price. These will likely eventually appreciate, though I imagine most will have replaced the tuners with traditional tuners, but keep your GForce and case candy handy. In the meantime, you’ve got a guitar that plays as great as any LP, once you get used to the slightly unusual proportions. If you are considering one, definitely know that you should hold your judgement on the neck until you’ve had a few weeks on it. It DOES get easier to play and you start to notice it less pretty quickly. The first few days are truly awkward. Keep at it, there’s gold on the other side.
Minarik Medusa Super Custom (ca.2008) – Made in USA
(Retail price new 2007 about $5,999)
This guitar is the finest sounding and playing electric guitar in my collection. It is the benchmark by which all others I play are judged. Now, to be fair, this one has its own history and was hand crafted for the purposes of wooing a major touring artist for a signature endorsement deal, which it did in spades. He used this Medusa on a studio album and then kindly returned the instrument to Minarik Guitars with his own personal list of touches. At that point, I had been next in line after making a bid on the #000001 Medusa. Naturally, the company refused (they keep all of their #1 guitars), however when #000002 came back from its brief trip to the studio, I had established myself as first in line and she became my daily driver ever since. To date, there are probably a little over a dozen or so Medusa Super Customs in existence, each being somewhat unique. They feature extraordinary wood quality, chambered bodies, high gauge tuners, exotic inlays, and a stunning design that sets it apart from anything of this earth. The configuration of the pickups is the same as a Les Paul. Two pickups, two tones, two volumes. The sound is another story. The Medusa is so balanced, that chords tend to sound more full and the deficiency of certain frequencies in common body styles is eliminated by a marriage of art and engineering to produce a sound that is rich, full, and completely balanced across the spectrum. Minarik’s Super Custom guitars are among the finest instruments in the world. The price tag is not for the feint of heart, but I assure you, they are worth the coin. As a small boutique company, resale can be a challenge, but I can’t imagine the day I let this one leave my stable. It is always included in comparison reviews to see how close bigger manufacturers can get to the sound quality of a handmade instrument crafted in the USA. Though the sound can get in the general ballpark, the playability of the Medusa remains unmatched.
Fender American Standard Telecaster Ash (1999) – Made in USA
(Retail price new in 1999 about $1250)
Fender. It’s more than just a guitar. It’s a status symbol of the working musician. It’s an iconic brand whose only equal in recognition is the mighty Gibson. For many, the guitar world is only one or both of those brands. (Ed: Those people are missing out. There are tons of incredible guitars on the market these days.) There are only four guitars that can almost always be recognized with eyes or ears. The Gibson Les Paul and SG, and Fender’s caster brothers: The Telecaster and The Stratocaster. They have such a signature sonic imprint and a legacy among legends, these four guitars are likely the most iconic models of guitar ever produced. Nearly any guitarist can name at least one musician that has wielded the Tele or the Strat, whether it’s some no name artist like Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton, or it’s some guy that never hit it big like Stevie Ray Vaughan or Jimmy Page, (Ed: Copious amounts of sarcasm being poured everywhere.) the sound of these guitars is a staple of the Rock n Roll genre and their importance can not be overstated. Fender’s American Standard Telecaster is typically made of Alder, like it’s Strat brother, however the Am. Std. in this video is the White Blonde color, which was only available in Ash due to Ash’s more beautiful wood grain patterns. Alder is a great wood, but it’s not the prettiest. It’s generally painted. Ash has a nice casual grain that works perfectly with the whitewash look of the White Blonde. A one piece maple neck, single coil pickups, and that Fender neck shape are what makes a Fender a Fender. Often imitated and never duplicated, Fender put Electric Guitars on the map and they’re still producing one of the best guitars on the market in their segment. Every serious recording guitarist should make it a priority to keep a Tele in the collection. There’s only one way to get that Fender sound…. Play a Fender.
There is not much of a conclusion as far as “which is best”. Each one serves a different purpose and each has its own reason to be the axe you reach for first. At the end of the day, you have to choose the best guitar for the song you’re about to play and often, that’s not the same guitar you just played on the last one. Part of that just depends on the size of your collection and quality of your pieces. If you’ve got one great guitar and a bunch of mediocre ones, you’re playing that one great guitar pretty much always. Get a few great ones in the mix and you’ve got more choices than Baskin-Robbins. Happy hunting!
Dean’s Dave Mustaine Signature series the VMNT features King V styling, inline headstock, and a fantastic flame top finish. Active electronics are the power plant for this mean machine. Action out of the box was less than desirable, however after a quick setup, it plays wonderfully. The D shaped neck takes little getting used to, as it is incredibly comfortable. The VMNT LTD TGE is a winner in the king V segment. Dean makes more than MLs, and the VMNT is here to prove that they do it well.
Lessons With Cameron 