Finding chords

[Chriske]

Hi all,

Is there a way of finding out what cord fits a certain note.

Say I hit the first open string 'E' , so the best chord that sounds nearest to that note is strumming all strings open, except for 'D' and 'A' string that needs blocking at the second fret. That' an easy one of course.

I'm a novice player, and can play rather fluently a dozen(maybe more) easy chords while singing.
When I hear someone singing a certain note that I can't play yet, I'll find it rather fast on my fretboard as a single note. But it takes me a long time to find that chord. Most of the time I don't because of my limited knowledge right now. A I said I'm a novice player.

Maybe there's a list somewhere..?

Thanks in advance
Chris

[Suzidownunder]

A tune in the key of E will lead with an E chord
A tune in the key of G will lead with a G chord and so on.

[Chriske]

These are easy, but what if I need to find say, D#..?
When I look it up on the net I find dozens of possibilities. I try lots of them but very often can't find a match. Very often it's even far off, not even close..!
When I see something like D6 - D7 - D9 - Dm6 - Dm7 - Dmaj7 - Dbm - Db6 - Dbm7 - Dbm7B5, well I'm puzzled. It's all part of the learning program I know. I realize there are more chords than the standard notes on fretboard.
But when I hit a D# string I can't seem to find the correct string.

Maybe I should change the question into : When I see D# on a fretboard, what chord should I pick from the list above(maybe it's not even in that short list..?)

Thanks
Chris

[Suzidownunder]

Hi Chris
How are you trying to learn? Are you teaching yourself? It sounds as if you are overthinking everything before you need to be at that stage. There are a whole load of amazing videos and lessons on line which will gradually allow you to understand where and how to find things. It would be quite difficult to explain just in chat

[Chriske]

I indeed teach myself, and I've seen tons of on-ine video's. Lots of them really do help me in my learning process.
But now I'm stuck because of not finding these correct chord. Playing a song sometimes I want to add a chord. Sometimes I even remove and replace a chord. And that's when I'm puzzled, not able to find that correct chord.
On one occasion I even replaced all chords because I can't sing it because of to high notes for me.

If there's no tool or list that can help me with this, I'm stuck and bound to play songs with basic(simple) chords.
Pity...

sigh...
Chris

[Chriske]

This is what I'm stuck with.
i only use these two sheets to find the correct chord.
I listen to the melody, find the note on my guitar and then try to find a matching cord.
And again I'm not talking about easy chords here.

[Suzidownunder]

Have you tried an app called 'Ultimate Guitar'
You can find pretty much any tab or chord for any song on there

[Kerbie]

If I understand you correctly, you're finding the individual note on the fretboard and then trying to find a chord that includes that note? I highly suggest learning some basic music theory. You really need to have some idea what key the song is in and whether or not you're looking for a major or minor chord. For example, if the singer is singing an E, that is the root of the E chord, but is also the root of the E minor chord which is a very different sound. That E is also the major 3rd of a C chord, so that could be used. The E is the 5th of the A chord, the 6th of the G chord, etc.

Originally Posted by Chriske

Say I hit the first open string 'E' , so the best chord that sounds nearest to that note is strumming all strings open, except for 'D' and 'A' string that needs blocking at the second fret.

I think you're referring to an E minor (Em) chord where your E is one of the roots.

Music theory is not that daunting. Just learning how the basic chords are constructed will help you a lot. Hope I haven't misunderstood what you're asking.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Suzidownunder

A tune in the key of E will lead with an E chord
A tune in the key of G will lead with a G chord and so on.

Wrong.
Well, not wrong exactly. But you need to insert the word "probably" after each "will". And that's only in rock, blues or folk music.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Chriske

I indeed teach myself, and I've seen tons of on-ine video's. Lots of them really do help me in my learning process.
But now I'm stuck because of not finding these correct chord. Playing a song sometimes I want to add a chord.

You mean when writing your own songs?

Originally Posted by Chriske

Sometimes I even remove and replace a chord. And that's when I'm puzzled, not able to find that correct chord.
On one occasion I even replaced all chords because I can't sing it because of to high notes for me.

OK, that's quite a normal process, for songwriters who work intuitively by ear. We all do that, some of the time if not most of the time.

Originally Posted by Chriske

If there's no tool or list that can help me with this, I'm stuck and bound to play songs with basic(simple) chords.

You mean write songs with simple chords? Nothing wrong with that. 100s of great songs have been written with just 3 chords, 1000s with just 4.

One tip that might help you is the concept of "key", and of chords which share a scale.

Take that D# note in your example. One note you want to start your song on.
Start with triads (forget 7ths and anything else). The following chords all have a D# (or Eb):
Major chords: Eb/D#, B, Ab/G#
Minor chords: Eb/D#m, Cm, Abm/G#m
That's only 6. Just choose the one that you think sounds best with your note. (At this stage you might want to either use a capo on fret 1, to make your D# a D and to make most of those chords easier, or just lower your note to D anyway. Or raise it to E. A single note is nothing special on its own. As you know, you might need to change your key anyway as your song develops, if the melody that feels right to you goes out of your range.)
Only go for fancier chords if none of those six seem to sound quite right. (Next choices would be F7 or Fm7, both of which contain Eb, or perhaps Emaj7, which has a D#.)

The next thing to do is to sing (or play) another note, to lead your melody forward. This can help confirm your first chord, because that note could be in the chord too. IOW, see if you can choose on chord from those six that will work with two melody notes, that feel right for your song.

OK, let's say you've gone for Cm (which contains Eb, btw, not D#). Now you need to know what scales contain Cm, because that will usefully limit your choices of other chords (one scale contains seven chords, but any triad chord can occur in three scales).
The best device for this is a circle of 5ths diagram. Like this:

Find Cm on that chart. You'll see it over on the left hand side. You can choose any of the nearest five chords from both circles - three majors and two more minors. If you choose them in a block of six, you'll have chords all in the same key, but actually a chord or two beyond that block will often work too. So, in terms of key scales, you could be choosing from the following overlapping segments:
Cm, Eb, Bb, Gm, Ab, Fm (key of Eb major or C minor)
Cm, Eb, Bb, Gm, F, Dm (key of Bb major or G minor)
Cm, Eb, Ab, Fm, Db, Bbm (key of Ab major or F minor)

Of course, that's still a big choice. But the way you choose is to allow your melody to lead you. Keep singing notes that feel right, following the first one(s) you've chosen. Experiment with those chords until one sounds right with the melody. My tip would be to pick majors first, because they make good sturdy signposts through a tune. They are the three "primary" chords in a key. (E.g., Eb, Bb and Ab are the I, V and IV in the key of Eb, and contain the whole scale between them.) Choose minors if you want that special minor "mood".

An alternative process would not be to start with a solitary melody note, but to start with one of those six-chord segments of the circle - three majors and the three minors inside. (As you'll see, the top right of the circle has all the guitarists' favourite chords. ) They all work together, and act like a pre-prepared songwriters' template.
Pick one of the six chords, and just sing a note that fits. Or pick two or three of the chords in any random order, strum them and see if they suggest a tune to you.

The other thing you should do - VERY important, this! - is study lots of other people's songs. All the great songwriters cut their teeth covering the songs of their heroes and influences. That's where you learn what chords go well together, and how melodies work. It's about gathering a vocabulary of effects that you can use to express yourself. That Truefire chart you're using is like a dictionary of a foreign language where the words aren't translated! It gives you plenty of chords, but no clue as to how to put them together. Other people's songs are like a phrase book - much more useful and practical

[Chriske]

Hi,
Thanks for the replies guys.
I might not have made myself very clear.
I often download from Ultimate Guitar.
When I compare the notes from the original song with the one I've downloaded I sometimes want to change notes because I'm not pleased with it or I'm not comfortable with the chords from Ultimate guitar. Listening to the original song I instantly find the correct note on my guitar that I want to change.
Well, my question is what is the chord that almost perfectly resembles the note that I have to replace. Say I hear a singer sing a C#, well what is the chord I need to play that sounds the closest to that C#. I know there are very lots of 'C' and variants cords out there, but all these are not in question. Finding the closest sounding to that 'C#' is debatable, I know that too but there must be some list I could use or some kind of a guideline..., Not..?

Chris

[Chriske]

Oops, forgot to mention, and that is very important, I need the finger-setting on the fretboard of course of that C# I'm looking for...
Silly me...
Chris

[Kerbie]

Originally Posted by Chriske

Well, my question is what is the chord that almost perfectly resembles the note that I have to replace... Finding the closest sounding to that 'C#' is debatable, I know that too but there must be some list I could use or some kind of a guideline..., Not..?

Chords don't resemble notes... they are made up of three or so notes. For example, a C chord contains the notes, C, E and G. If you're looking for a chord that sounds good with a particular note, you have lots of them to choose from. Which chord sounds the best with a particular note depends a lot on what key you're in and what sound you're seeking. I think if you'll learn a little about chord construction, it will open up a lot of doors for you.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by Chriske

Hi,

Thanks for the replies guys.

I might not have made myself very clear.

I often download from Ultimate Guitar.

When I compare the notes from the original song with the one I've downloaded I sometimes want to change notes because I'm not pleased with it or I'm not comfortable with the chords from Ultimate guitar. Listening to the original song I instantly find the correct note on my guitar that I want to change.

Well, my question is what is the chord that almost perfectly resembles the note that I have to replace. Say I hear a singer sing a C#, well what is the chord I need to play that sounds the closest to that C#. I know there are very lots of 'C' and variants cords out there, but all these are not in question. Finding the closest sounding to that 'C#' is debatable, I know that too but there must be some list I could use or some kind of a guideline..., Not..?



Chris

You’ve been given just about every possible answer for your question. The problem with your question is that it comes from a place of not knowing even the most basic music theory.

Melodies are constructed mostly from the major or minor scales. You can identify a single note and find a chord that sounds like it, but that doesn’t mean that chord is in key. For example, a melody in Cm that goes C, Eb, G, F, you can play Cm, Fm, and Gm chords and they will be in key. But if you play a Ebm ( D#m) chord, it will be off-key. The correct chord for that progression would be EbMaj. The reason for that is because Ebm has an F# note, and that note does not belong in the scale of Cm, you will hear it immediately that it sounds wrong. If you play a EbM instead then that F# is replaced with a G, and G is the fifth interval of the Cm scale.

You have to learn how to identify the key the melody is played in. Once you identify the key, you’ll have a list of chords at your disposal that will fit in that key. That circle of fifths diagram is one of the best tools to use when you’re trying to find chords that will fit. It has helped me immensely.

[Chriske]

A few tools I found on the web.
Used them already a few times and they will help me in my quest for finding the chords and finger settings I'm looking for.

https://jguitar.com/chordsearch
http://tabtuner.com/