Guitar Chord Bible Over 500 illustrated chords for rock, blues, soul, country, jazz, and classical Phil Capone Contents Introduction F# How to use this book G The fingerboard Ab Section 1: Chord Directory A C Bb C# B D Section 2: Chord Supplements Eb Rock E Blues to Jazz F Soul, Funk, and Reggae Index and Credits INTRODUCTION The object of this book is to provide a complete, self-contained chord reference for guitarists at every level of ability; however, it is also an ideal aid for tutors who will hopefully find the logical and systematic concept of our “bible” very helpful in many teaching scenarios. In fact, during my many years of teaching guitar, I have frequently been asked by students which chord book they should buy, and frankly, there are none that I have felt I could wholeheartedly recommended—hence the birth of this wonderful book. Organised into keys and ascending chromatically from C to B, there are five different chord shapes for all of the commonly encountered chord types in each key. These five shapes span the entire fingerboard and so work on many levels—the student being free to choose the most manageable voicing, the more experienced player picking a chord for ease of change in a sequence, or perhaps to provide a greater choice of harmonic texture in an accompaniment. The supplementary section, whilst not intended to provide a comprehensive reference, will nonetheless provide a useful resource for those situations when stylised chords from specific genres are required, and includes the more frequently used chords types from the worlds of rock, blues, jazz, soul, funk, and reggae. All this content is wrapped in a very “user friendly” package with clear labeling, color coding, and a photograph of every chord shape supplementing the standard chord box format. The spiral bound design allows you to fold the book flat for ease of use while practicing, and has also been designed with travel in mind—the compact dimensions allow the book to fit easily into your guitar case or gig bag. Happy practicing! How to use this book This glossary of icons and symbols has been designed to enhance your learning experience by enabling you to get the chords off the page and onto your guitar as quickly as possible. Features 1) Title The key (e.g. E) and chord type (e.g. MAJOR) appear at the top of every unit. Chords are grouped into three basic chord types: major, minor, and dominant seventh (7). 2) Introduction A short description of the chord, giving an insight into the sound, voicing and position of the chord. Well-known uses of particular chords are commented on here. 3) Fingerboard diagram Each chord is clearly annotated on a chord box with color- coded symbols indicating fingering and root-note location. 4) Chord numbering Each chord is numbered from one to five, with one being the lowest available voicing and five being the highest available voicing. This allows for a quick selection of chords required in a specific area of the fingerboard (or fretboard). 5) Chord sub-heading The chord type is described in more harmonic detail (e.g. E6, Emin7, E13). The most widely used description is followed by commonly used alternatives. Δ = major seventh Ø = half diminished ° = diminished 6) Harmonic spelling The harmonic spelling of each chord is given numerically (1 - 3 - 5), and in note names (E - G# - B). This provides extra reference material for more advanced players. If you are just beginning, feel free to ignore it! 7) Fingerboard location A number below the first fret of the chord box indicates which section of the guitar fingerboard the box relates to—“1” indicates first fret and higher numbers indicate the chord is played higher up the neck. 8) Chord photograph A photograph of the chord encourages correct fretting technique and shows what to do with fingers not introduced in the chord. Both acoustic and electric guitars are shown, as this book applies to both. Chord symbols Open string not sounded in chord. Open string sounded in chord. Open string root note sounded in chord (e.g. an E note in an E chord). Indicates fingerboard finger positioning (the number indicates which finger should be used) and also that the fretted note is a root note. Indicates fingerboard finger positioning where the note is not the root note of the chord. A line crossing two or more strings denotes a barre, where two or more strings are fretted simultaneously with one finger. (2) Alternative fingerings are occasionally provided next to the blue and red symbols. These are sometimes preferable for a quicker change to a particular chord shape. Finger numbers Standard hand fingering has been used throughout.