Appendix VI - Lesson 1

Chord Forms

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Appendix VI - Lesson 1 TEF's

Notes to Appendix VI - Lesson 1

Appendix VI - Lesson 1, just as Volume 1's Lesson 1, is a chord form familiarization lesson.  Mickey lists the first 18 chord forms and asks us to try to finger each one as written and to get accustomed to his way of diagramming and naming chords. 

The fingerings I show are Mickey's.  Some folks are extremely proud of their ways of making chords, and far be it for me to criticize what works for them.  I'd suggest that you at least try Mickey's fingerings once before discarding them for a custom fingering.  For the most part they are logical and represent the easiest way to get to the next chord.  In one or two instances I've given an alternative fingering that I find useful and maybe you will, too.

Discussion of Mickey's Chord Forms

The chord forms presented by Mickey are going to be used, for the most part as melody or lead chords.  If you have gone through Appendix III of the course, you will be familiar with quite a few of these new forms.  Some forms are also from Volume 1 and a few will be new to most of us.  There are two caveats, one by Mickey and one by me:   Mickey says that if the example of the chord form is too difficult to finger, due to the stretches, move them to a higher position on the fretboard, like the 6th or 7th fret.  I have written the individual chord forms into separate TEF's, from the open position to the 11th fret, to give a full chromatic scale of each form.  I realize that unless one has a deep cutaway guitar, some of these will be impossible to finger, just as some folks will find the forms at the 1st or 2nd fret impossible.  Do the best you can with your guitar and always refer back to this lesson.  After a few weeks, one will find the stretches aren't as bad as first discovered.

Open Lesson 1.tef with TablEdit and follow along by listening to the MIDI playback, and then try to play each chord on the guitar as you read the explanations.

Chord Form 1 (C min used as the example):  This form is based on a simple 3-string minor triad with the tonic note on the 3rd string.  But instead of playing this tonic note, we stretch two frets higher and play the supertonic note with the rest of the chord.  The first time you play this form, you may be shocked by its dissonance.  Later we'll learn how to resolve it, or as musicologists love to say "tension and release."

Chord Form 2 (G min used as the example):  This form is based on a simple 4-string minor triad with the tonic note on the 1st and 4th strings.  But, as in Form 1, instead of playing this tonic note, we stretch two frets higher and play the supertonic note on the 4th string with the rest of the chord. 

Chord Form 3 (G Maj used as the example):  This form is based on a simple 4-string Major triad with the tonic note on the 1st and 4th strings.  This is the Major equivalent of
Form 2. 

Chord Form 4 (C Maj used as the example):  This form is based on a simple 3-string Major triad with the tonic note on the 3rd string.  This is the Major equivalent of
Form 1. 

Chord Form 5 (F min9 used as the example):  This form is a minor 9 chord without the tonic note.  It's an old friend as it has been used previously in the course.  Note that it is also a Major 7 form, in the case of the example, it's an Ab Maj7.  Refer back to Lesson 20 and Appendix III if that is confusing.

Chord Form 6 (Bb13b9 used as the example):  This form is also an old friend as it has been used previously in the course.  Chord Form 5 resolves very nicely into this form (F min9 to Bb13b9).

Chord Form 7 (Eb Maj7 used as the example):  This form is a Major 7 chord and it's an old friend as it has been used previously in the course. 

Chord Form 8 (Eb Maj6 used as the example):  This form is a Major 6 chord and it's an old friend as it may be remembered originally as Mickey's Form 28 in Volume 1.  Many guitarists have problems with performing an inside barre as Mickey shows, so I've given an alternate fingering that is as common as Mickey's.

Chord Form 9 (F Maj6 used as the example):  This form is a Major 6 chord.  It also was discussed along with Mickey's original Form 31 in Volume 1. This form doubles as a minor 7th form, in this case a D min7.

Chord Form 10 (two names are given for this form:  Bb6/9 and an F6/9.  A full 6/9 chord has a major triad with the 6th and 9th notes added, making a total of 5 notes.  This form as a Bb6/9 has its 5th, 9th, 3rd, and 6th notes on the 4th through 1st strings. As an F6/9 it has a root, 5th, 6th and 9th.  Because it's missing the 3rd, this form as an F6/9 will depend on the lead in chord and the subsequent one to get the ear to believe it's an F relative.

Chord Form 11 (G Maj9 used as an example):  This form is also a minor 7th form (per the example a B min7.)  It doesn't have a root shown, but can be thought of as a variation derived from Mickey's original Form 2 Maj7 from Volume 1.  For many, Mickey's fingering will give problems and one may have to use the 3rd finger on the 3rd string.  Mickey refers to this chord in the book as a Maj7 9 form.  I believe this is a "typo", as the next chord form is referred to as a Maj9.  Since a Maj9 chord is built from a Maj7, I believe it's unnecessary to add the 7, so throughout the course, it will be a Maj9 form.

Chord Form 12 (C Maj9 used as an example):   I also believe this form is a typo.  I could not find this form as written anywhere in the book.  Move the note on the 3rd string lower one fret and it becomes a commonly used Maj9 form, and is a very familiar form as a minor 7 (This form is also a minor 7th form (per the example, a E min7.) 

Chord Form 13 (G13b9 used as an example):  This is our old friend from Volume 1, originally as a Form 9.

Chord Form 14 (G min6 used as an example):  This form is a simple 4-string minor triad with the 6th added as a two fret stretch on the 5th string.  I believe that there is also a "typo" as the note on the 1st string is not shown.  In the corresponding Major 6 form, that note is shown.  Since that note would be a valid note of the chord, I've added it.  This is a relative to Chord Form 2.

Chord Form 15 (C min6 used as an example):  This form is a simple 3-string minor triad with the 6th added as a two fret stretch on the 4th string.  This is a relative to Chord Form 1.

Chord Form 16 (G Maj6 used as an example):  This form is a simple 4-string Major triad with the 6th added as a two fret stretch on the 5th string.  This is a relative to Chord Form 3.

Chord Form 17 (C Maj6 used as an example):  This form is a simple 3-string Major triad with the 6th added as a two fret stretch on the 4th string.  This is a relative to Chord Form 4.

Chord Form 18 (E min6/9 used as an example):  This is a min triad with a 6th and and 9th added.  Mickey's E min6/9 example shows an open 6th string.  In the TEF, I don't show that because it would not allow the form to be moveable.

Don't you think that's enough for one lesson?  Good luck and remember to have fun!  If that phrase seems like "déjà vu", it's because that's the phrase we used to kick off Lesson 1 of Volume 1!