Harmonized Major Scale - Further Explanation

I received an email from a friend on the other side of the country, and he suggested I quit messing around with my video camera and do a better job of explaining the harmonized major scale concept mentioned in my last post.

Basically, a chord can be built off of each note of a scale, and the key signature/notes in the scale dictate what type of chord (major, minor, or diminished) is built upon each note of the scale.

For example, the key of C does not have any sharps or flats in it, and the seven notes of the scale are C, D, E, F, G, A, B. Using the pattern from my previous post, the chords formed from the C Major scale are C Major (I), D minor (ii), E minor (iii), F Major (IV), G Major (V), A minor (VI), and B diminished (vii*). The asterisk with the diminished chord is usually written as a "degrees" sign. I was unable to find a way to put that in the text, but I will try to scan an example in at a later date.

The following example shows a harmonized C Major scale. Note that this example uses root position voicings (the C of the C Major triad is the lowest note, the D of the D minor triad is the lowest note, etc.) on the top three strings. Keeping all of the chords in this voicing requires moving quite a distance of the neck, but having this harmonic progression in your "ear" is important (in my opinion) to being a well-rounded musician.

The I, iii, IV, V Progression

The I, iii, IV, V progression is extremely common in several genres of popular music. The Roman Numerals refer to which note of the major scale serves as the tonic of for each chord. Also, upper case Roman Numerals denote major chords and lower case Roman Numerals indicate minor chords.

For example, the seven notes of the G Major scale are G, A, B, C, D, E, and F#. In the key of G major, G, C, and D (the I, IV, and V chords) are all major chords, and A, B, and E (the i, iii, and vi chords) are all minor. The seventh note, F#, forms the tonic of a diminished chord.

This pattern holds true for all of the Major keys/scales, and knowing this is one way musicians are able to quickly transpose keys.

Below is a sample I, iii, IV, V progression in the key of G Major. The notation shows one way to play this progression using major and minor chord shapes on the first three strings (see my previous post). For this example I used a simple "punch chord" rhythm, but be sure to experiment with different rhythms, different chord shapes, and different key signatures. I found being able to play this chord progression in all keys and using a variety of chord inversions helped to develop my ear and knowledge of the fretboard.

Once I have worked out a few software issues, I will put up the audio/video for this example.

Major and Minor Triads - Top Three Strings

Being able to effectively play rhythm guitar parts is one of the most important skill a guitar player can develop.

I have found the following set of chord "shapes" to work well for playing a variety of rhythm parts, particularly when the guitar needs to avoid occupying too much sonic space in an arrangement. The first set of shapes covers the three possible inversions of the major triad on the top three strings. On top of each chord diagram is a series of numbers showing the fingers commonly used to make each shape. Under each chord diagram I have indicated on what string the root lies. So, since the first major shape has the root note on the high E string, making this shape at the third fret would produce a G Major chord.  

The chord diagrams for the minor triads work in the same manner. In my next post I will go through using these shapes to play some common chord progressions, and I will try to add a few audio/video files as well.

Welcome

Welcome to Useful Guitar, a blog/website dedicated to guitars and guitar playing. Over the upcoming weeks I plan to post guitar playing tips and techniques I have acquired over the years. Also, as a gear junkie, I intend to occasionally review guitars, amps, effects, and software I manage to sneak into the house when my wife isn't looking.