Finding Chord Tones

Okay, then. So now we've found our chord tones. We know how to find our chord tones for a major or a minor chord.

Exercise: Exploring Chord Tones

A really great exercise I'd like you to try at home is to play an A major or a minor chord, whichever you've chosen.

For example, we might go for a G major chord. Here's how to practice:

1. Create a Loop:

   • You can record it on your phone.
   • If you have a loop pedal, you can record it there.
   • Alternatively, get a friend or your teacher to play just a G chord, it doesn't need to go anywhere.

2. Finding Chord Tones:

   • Practice finding the chord tones in as many places as you can on the guitar.

Benefits of the Exercise

This has a really big benefit of improving your fretboard knowledge and understanding. It's important to understand:

• What notes we're playing
• When we're playing them

While it's essential that these notes sound good, it's equally important to comprehend their identity. For instance, knowing you're playing a G, B, or D at any point enhances your musicality.

Practice Loop Example

Let's just pop down a quick loop. Here's something that I'd like you to try and practice at home:

Count in: Three, four.

You'll have just a G chord ringing out in the background, and I'm going to find as many chord tones as I can.

Chord Tones to Explore

Remember, these chord tones are G, B, and D, we found these from our G major scale, which represents notes 1, 3, and 5.

• Open G String: Let's not forget the easiest one of all, the open G string.
• Thirds (B): Hear how different that sounds! Still sounds lovely, though.
• Fifths (D): Again, listen to how this note has a different sound and relationship to the chord underneath.

Arpeggio Ideas

At the end there, what I was just playing was a little simple arpeggio idea, moving around the neck. This is an excellent way to get an idea of where you can play a G major chord in multiple places.

You'll really surprise yourself as you start to find where these notes are. When you play them at the same time, you're actually playing the chords rather than merely a melody or an arpeggio.

Skill Development

This exercise provides numerous benefits, including:

• Developing your chord library
• Expanding your arpeggio library
• Enhancing your understanding of the fretboard and the notes
• Learning how these notes relate to the chords underneath
• Hopefully, developing your ear and your creativity when presented with a chord progression

Armed with this knowledge, you'll have a better idea of how to come up with something unique.

Next Steps

So, let's take a look at the next idea!