How To Construct Basic Notes

In the present article we’ll talk about how to construct basic minor and major chords on the guitar. Before we start we must learn some rudimentary music theory, since this will lay the foundations of finding out how to build chords anywhere about the fretboard.

Every basic major or minor chord includes 3 notes – root, third and fifth. The chord carries the its root note, nevertheless the root is not always the best note, because each chord has chord inversions. Because the guitar chords we’re referring to consist of only 3 notes, we now have 2 chord inversions in total or 3 various ways to play each chord. Now, the thing that makes the major and minor chords essentially different is the third. You have probably heard the terms “minor third” and “major third”. Basically said a small third (used for building minor chords) is definitely an interval between the root as well as the third that equals to three semitones (or 3 frets about the guitar), while the major third (employed for building minor chords) equals to 4 semitones (or 4 frets). The 5th is the same for both types and it equals to an interval of seven semitones from the root.

So, if you wish to build a chord, first pick which note you want take as root and where are you want to position it linked to the other two notes. Let’s illustrate this with several examples that may hopefully help you comprehend the music theory discussed above.

We’ll take the note A as a root, build a minor chord then all of its inversions. To begin with let’s determine which notes we need in order to build the chord. Since we’re going to build a minor chord, we’ll need the minor third as well as the fifth. The minor third from A is C (the space between A and C is 3 frets) as well as the fifth is E (the space between A and E is 7 frets). Great, since we know the notes, we can build the actual chords.

Example 1 – A small Chord & Inversions

A in root First Inversion Second Inversion A in root, octave up
E||————–|————–|————–|–0———||
B||————–|————–|–1———–|–1———||
G||————–|–2———–|–2———–|–2———||
D||–2———–|–2———–|–2———–|————||
A||–3———–|–3———–|————–|————||
E||–5———–|————–|————–|————||

A-C-E C-E-A E-A-C A-C-E

Imagine if we want to build the main ones? Just use an important third – that’s C sharp (C#)

Example 2 – A Major Chord & Inversions

A in root First Inversion Second Inversion A in root, octave up
E||————–|————–|————–|–0———||
B||————–|————–|–2———–|–2———||
G||————–|–2———–|–2———–|–2———||
D||–2———–|–2———–|–2———–|————||
A||–4———–|–4———–|————–|————||
E||–5———–|————–|————–|————||

A-C#-E C#-E-A E-A-C# A-C#-E

Pretty clear, isn’t it? Using this principle, it is possible to build basic notes literally anywhere about the fretboard. Just remember to practice these examples changing the main note and the inversion randomly, so that you will learn them well. For instance, instead of saying “I wish to play all B Minor Chords” and playing all of the inversions one after another, say to yourself: “I want to take part in the second inversion of B Minor, next I want to play D# Minor in root position” etc. and you will see that you will quickly learn all guitar chords.

Just thought you may well be interested in reading this guide: all guitar chords and acoustic guitar chords.