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Easy Beginner Guitar Lessons – My first steps to learning augmented chords on the guitar
By Mike Hayes | August 24, 2009
Learning to play chords on the guitar is a lot like preparing a
delicious meal; just the right amount of herbs and spices can
make an ordinary dish taste exquisite, too much can spoil everything
and not enough … a bland tasteless production.
It’s the same with guitar playing; how many times have you heard
a guitarist play song after song using the same boring strum
pattern and limited chordal vocabulary … it makes you want to
head for the nearest exit; that is … if you’re still awake!
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles there’s four main types of
chord sounds in music; here’s a quick reminder: major, minor
augmented and diminished chords.
Today we will take a look at a very special chordal sound, the
augmented chord.
Augmented chords can be used to spice up your music; but like I
said earlier too much or in the wrong place spells disaster.
Augmented chords:
The chord symbols used for writing augmented chords are: C+ or
C aug
The formula for constructing augmented chords is: 1-3-#5
This means we would use the first, third and sharpened fifth notes from the major scale to find the correct notes to create the augmented chord.
Here’s how it would shape up …
step 1. Use the major scale as a starting point
step 2. Apply of chord construction formula 1-3-#5
step 3. Locate the appropriate notes on the guitar
In the key of C:
C major scale = C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
Remove the 1-3-#5 notes of the scale = C-E-G# and that’s how we
would spell C augmented. C+ = C-E-G#
Using this same approach, here’s how we would create a variety of
other augmented chords.
starting with …
F+
step 1. F major scale F-G-A-Bb-C-D-E-F
step 2. extract 1-3-#5
answer: F+ = F-A-C#
here’s how we would spell …
D+
step 1. D major scale D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D
step 2. extract 1-3-#5
answer: D7 = D-F#-A#
another popular augmented chord is …
Bb+
step 1. Bb major scale Bb-C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb
step 2. extract 1-3-#5
answer: Bb+ = Bb-D-F#
and one more example …
E+
step 1. E major scale E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D#-E
step 2. extract 1-3-#5
answer: E+ = E-G#-B#
Musical applications:
(a) Can be used as a substitute for dominant seventh chords.
Example 1.
A /// | E7 /// || becomes …
A /// | E+ /// ||
(b) Augmented chords can be used as connecting chords to build a
strong chord progression, like the one in example 2. it’s the
same progression Roy Orbison used in his hit song “Crying”.
Example 2.
D /// | D+ /// |D6 /// | D7 /// | etc …
Unique chord quality: Any note in the chord can function as the
key note e.g., C+ is spelt C-E-G#, therefore this same chord
could also be named E+ which is spelt E-G#-C or G#+ spelt G#-C-Dx
please note: Dx means D double sharp.
D double sharp would be the same pitch as E; so another way of
documenting G#+ could be G#-C-E, it’s easier to similarities when
it written that way.
Fretboard wizard: Each augmented chord repeats every four frets;
meaning you could play any augmented chord and move the exact
same shape four frets higher or lower on the fretboard and still
be playing the same chord, only a different inversion of the
chord.
Try comparing the difference in sound of chords of the same
alphabetical name it’s an ideal way to get your ear accustomed to
the distinctive sound of each chord.
Example 3.
A /// | A+ /// ||
Now it over to you, have fun playing your guitar.
And now I’d like to invite you to get free access to my “How To
Remember 1,000 Songs” eCourse. You can download the course for
free at: http://www.guitarcoaching.com
From Mike Hayes – The Guitar Coaching Guy & the Express Guitar
System
http://www.GuitarCoaching.com
http://AdvancingGuitaristProgram.com
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