How Chords and Scales are Related (How the Guitar Works!)
The guitar can be a fairly confusing instrument at times. We have chords, melodies, overlapping notes on the strings, and more. Isn’t guitar supposed to be easy?
- Why is a “G chord” made of these notes?
- Why is a “D chord” different?
- How are scales made?
- What’s the deal with bar chords?
- Why should I care about any of this?
These are deep questions, and the answer to each is intertwined with the rest.
If you’re just starting out, learning chords is perhaps your highest leverage practice. Learn your basic chords first, and everything else will follow.
But as you focus in on your technique, you’ll likely start practicing scales. While these may seem like just a technical exercise with little rhythm or reason, they are in fact integrally connected with chords. The five basic scales shapes actually gave birth to the most common guitar chords!
And as you play more and more advanced music, and develop your skills at memorizing music, it will help greatly to know how chords and scales are related. By understanding this, you’ll be able to make connections and recognize patterns that you’d otherwise miss.
Hi, I’m Allen Mathews.
I started as a folk guitarist, then fell in love with classical guitar in my 20’s. Despite a lot of practice and schooling, I still couldn’t get my music to flow well. I struggled with excess tension. My music sounded forced. And my hands and body were often sore. I got frustrated, and couldn’t see the way forward. Then, over the next decade, I studied with two other stellar teachers – one focused on the technical movements, and one on the musical (he was a concert pianist). In time, I came to discover a new set of formulas and movements. These brought new life and vitality to my practice. Now I help guitarists find more comfort and flow in their music, so they play more beautifully.
Click here for a sample formula.
I am a 61 year old physician, reconnecting with the classical guitar after a hiatus of nearly 40 years. After a couple of weeks [in the program], I’m now producing a much clearer, yet somehow more mellow and beautiful sound. It was really good to feel it happening in my hand, and that it felt more comfortable and somehow “right”, compared to the way I had played before (“curved picking”). The fog started to lift and I found that I was remembering more, and it felt great (also a bit of a relief!), giving me confidence to keep going. Thank you for making your course available - your love of music and the guitar shines through the teaching. I am very happy I found and registered with CGS.
~ Brian Davey
-Brian Davey
I have to say, two practices later [after a video review] with the new position - the difference it's made in my playing is... unbelievable, really. It's like many months of improvement overnight.
Everything is so much more secure, left-hand stretches are easier, I feel like I'm getting way more volume for the same effort, the tone is noticeably better all along the neck, and the list goes on.
Thank you!
~ Alexander Mosolov
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