Chord how can i tell

An F sus 2 chord symbol means play the 2nd tone of the scale instead of the third, or F, G, C. It means to play a C chord with a single G note below in the bass. Now that you know what notes make up a chord, what next? Chord symbols guide you as you make up your own accompaniment to a song by telling you what notes you can play, but you choose when and where to play them.

The simplest way to use chord symbols is to play the melody with your right hand, and every time you see a chord symbol above the staff, play one single note, the root of the chord, with your left hand. If you see a letter C above the staff, play a C with your left hand. When you see a chord symbol above the staff, you can assume that chord will continue until the chord changes, no matter how many measures go by before the next chord symbol.

You can also create an exciting pulse of sound by playing the root of the chord once per beat, or even once per every half of a beat! You can mix the rhythm up however you like. Once again, you can play only every time you see a chord symbol indicating that the chord changes, or you can play once a measure, or play in any rhythm you like.

Try playing one octave below the melody, then two octaves below or more to see how the sound changes. For a fresh, fun sound, you can even play the chords above the melody!

Try out different rhythms with blocked chords, just like you did with the root of the chord. Playing the chords with different rhythms can completely change the feel of a song. Experiment to find out what you think sounds best. Instead of playing all the notes of a chord at the same time, you can play them one at a time.

This can add a really nice sound to your accompaniment pattern. You can play the root first and go up, you can play the top note of the chord first and go down, or you can mix it up and make any new pattern you like.

One famous accompaniment pattern common in classical music, known as the Alberti bass, plays: root, 5th, 3rd, 5th, root, 5th, 3rd, 5th. This pattern continues through the whole song, shifting to a new root with each chord change.

The Alberti bass creates a nice classical sound in your accompaniment. A good march beat can be made by alternating the root and the fifth. Once you know the notes in the chord, you can play any of those notes in any rhythm that sounds right to you. For older learners, you can find many collections of sheet music written with just a melody line and chord symbols. Explore the world of chords and have fun making music in a whole new way.

Method Lessons Games Premium More. Lessons for everyone! Support Center. Kids Teachers Homeschool Adult Learners. Adult Learners. Part 1 — What Is a Chord? Major Chords Major and minor chords are made up of three tones, called the root, the third, and the fifth. But [ G ] girl, A how can I tell her [ D ] about you?

Chords click to close. Guitar Ukulele Piano. Other versions 1 Create new version. Version by Tobi Default 0. Guitar Tabs 0 Upload your Tab. See your chords appearing on the Chords Easy main page and help other guitar players. Please write comments if you find anything incorrect, or you want to share more information about the song above. Add to. Updated: Updated Here is a gigantic list. Check out this introductory lesson: Music Theory for Beginners.

There are a few individual theory skills you need to hone if you want to know how to find chords for a song. They are:. Developing a solid command of any one of these concepts will help you find chords for a song, but they are related and they work in conjunction with each other, like clues. It can be disorientating for guitarists to understand which scales work with which keys. With this in mind, we created a cheat-sheet; a key and scale-finder that you can use again and again.

One big clue to identifying a chord progression in a song is what the bass is doing. Being able to hear a bass line can help you quickly identify the chords. This is because the job of the bass is generally to play the root of the chord — the note that gives the chord its name — at the moment the chord begins.

If you can map out where the notes you find in the melody or underlying chords sit in the C major scale, you can figure out what chords are happening. If you know where in the scale the note sits, that gives you an important clue as to what chord is happening in that moment. Look at where the 1s, 4s, and 5s are. They correlate with the chord progression. A little knowledge of chord theory goes a very long way in knowing how to find chords for a song.

The best way to get good at finding chords for the songs you love is to use every skill at your disposal. Relying on the web or a book helps you to begin relying on your ears, and using your ears helps you to evaluate the information you get from the web or a book. You can definitely do this, and learn to do it well, if you let yourself make mistakes and learn from them!

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