A little help with a chord.

[Andromeda]

Even though I have been playing for years, and my theory isn't the greatest, can anyone show my how to finger a Bm7-5?

Many thanks.

[mapletrees]

(the notation x32010 represents a C chord)

x2323x

and

7x776x

and

x x 9 10 10 10

would be three ways

[mapletrees]

if you went to www.guitarworkshop.com and dug around through their publications section you'd find some basic theory books...

I think one is called Theory for the Contemporary Guitarist by Capuzzo

only $10 and has TAB I believe...

there's just a tiny bit of 'lingo' to learn if you're trying to learn how to build chords....

it's not rocket science if you begin at the beginning and start at the start...

the only thing that can make it difficult is trying to understand incomplete explanations (on internet forums and the such and the sort ) that don't begin at the beginning (especially when you don't know what half the words in the explanation mean! )




here's some incomplete language that doesn't begin at the beginning...





you build chords from scales...and the way you build them (*generally*) is by stacking intervals of a third on top of a root note...


here's two major scales...C major scale and A major scale..



we'll build a chord on the root note of B from each of those scales and see what we get



C major scale = C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C....etc....

to build a chord on the root of B within this C major scale, just select B as your root note and add on intervals of a third....adding on intervals of a third simply amounts to adding on 'every other note'

so,

B

BD

BDF (3 notes makes a chord...and this 3-note chord needs a name)

BDFA (this 4-note chord needs a name)

now, you might very well not have a clue as to what the names of those chords are....

BUT

the process of building the chords up was not difficult at all...we just went to the C major scale, started on B, and picked every other note...easier than picking apples....

****you just need to learn a small handful of darn simple ideas/rules/conventions for how to name the chords that 'pop out' of the scales...*****

do the same picking 'every other note' process within the A major scale starting on the note B....we'll get a slightly different set of notes

A major scale = A B C# D E F# G# A B C# D E...etc...etc....

starting on the note B, and then adding on every other note....

B

BD

B D F# (this 3-note chord is DIFFERENT than the 3-note chord that popped out of the C major scale starting on the note B....and so, it'll need a different name than that other chord...

continuing on with picking every other note

B D F# A (again, this 4-note chord is different from the one we got in the C major scale....it'll need a different name...and again...you just )




done trying the partial explanation....




that chord that pops out of the Amaj scale is called Bmin7 (B D F# A)


and the chord in question Bm7-5 (Bm7b5, "B minor 7 flat 5") is the one that popped out of the C major scale (the notes B D F A)

to play a Bm7b5 you're just trying to somehow someway play the notes B,D,F, and A together





again, I'm just trying to stress that the process of actually building chords is simple....it *generally* amounts to listing out the notes of a scale and picking every other note....

you just have to learn how to name the darn things...



that Bm7b5 would often be followed by an E7b9 chord and then an Aminor chord of some variation....(a minor ii-V-i)

the E7b9 'pops out' from the A Harmonic Minor scale...

A Harm Min = A B C D E F G# A B C D E F G# A.........

start on E and pick every other note

E

E G# ...an interval of a major 3rd

E G# B ...an Emajor chord

E G# B D ....an E7 chord

E G# B D F ....an E7b9 chord....to solo over it, just rip through the A harm min scale....

again, even though the names of the chords get more and more complicated looking, the process for building them is still the simple little 'pick every other note' routine....

learn how to name 'em.....

[mapletrees]

and just one other thing...

it's helpful to know a little theory if you do any soloing, or lead/fill/2nd part playing....


if you take this Bm7b5 voicing from above

x x 9 10 10 10

you can't help but notice it looks similar to a common 9th chord voicing as

x 10 9 10 10 10 (G9 chord)

so, what's the connection?....(you can see it on the fretboard....but things aren't always so obvious on the fretboard....we'd like a general explanation for what's going on.....)


go back to that C major scale

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C....etc....

start building a chord on the root note of G within that scale...

G

G B

G B D = a G major chord

G B D F = a G7 chord

G B D F A = a G9 chord but can also be thought of as

G (B D F A) = the note G with your old friend the Bm7b5 chord (or Bm7b5 arpeggio if you're going to use it for soloing one note at a time)

so you're playing a G blues or whatever with your partner or whomever...and he's hitting a G7 chord....

instead of just using the worn out G Blues scale or G minor pent scale or G major pent scale or etc.......

you've got a new soloing tool...mix the Bm7b5 arpeggio into your soloing against a G7 chord to create the sound of of a G9th chord....

could find endless fingerings....for one...

xxx4xx B

xxxx3x D

xxxx6x F

xxxxx5 A











same scale.....starting on C...start building a chord

C

C E = interval of a major 3rd

C E G = C major chord

C E G B = Cmaj7 chord but could also be thougt of as

C (E G B) = the note C with an E min triad....use an E min triad to solo or create a 2nd guitar part against plain ol' C chord to create the sound of Cmaj7

C E G B D = Cmaj9 chord but could also be thought of as

C E (G B D) = the notes C and E with G major triad...solo with/around the G triad...or create a 2nd part around the triad....

or

C (E G B D) = the note C with Emin7 arpeggio....

etc....etc....etc....


a little theory....a lot of application...don't get it the other way around...

[Gecko10]

I have found this site to be extremely useful in these matters. Cords, scales, progressions etc, etc.

http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/guitar_scales.php

[mapletrees]

Originally Posted by Gecko10

I have found this site to be extremely useful in these matters. Cords, scales, progressions etc, etc.

http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/guitar_scales.php

if you go to www.guitarnotes.com I think you'll find links to other similar sites, too....

[Bm7b5]

My ears were ringing...

[ELK]

Here's a really simple shortcut for finding a Bm7b5 chord (or any 7b5 chord) if you need to. I won't mention theory because Mapletrees did a great job of that, this is just a useful approach:

First, ignore the "b5" and just play the minor seventh chord, for which you probably know at least one form.

Then, find the "fifth" note in that chord (for B it would be the F#) and lower it by one fret. (You might have to change how you finger the other notes, but often you wont, and in any event, you'll know what notes to play.)

[guitarissts]

I want to play better lead guitar and guitar scales.....and can you give me some pointers on strumming techniques as I'm not sure what strings I should be hitting when playing.