Question from a newbi guitarist.

Dace

Sorry if this is a little simple..

Just started playing guitar...

Two questions ...

They are posted in a very simple way just to get me going .

If I am playing in C the chords I can use are C.E.G 

Can I use and C.E.or G ... as C7 C13 C5 etc ?

Also say I play lead in the song, choosing say just the C major scale, do I play that anywhere or just when the rythmn in playing C .. or can I play the C.E.G. Major scale ?

Hope that makes some sense...

Many thanks to anyone who understands and replies ... Dace !

Plectrum

Normally in C you'd be using the chords C, F and G.

viz

I don't understand the question. C E G is the C major triad, sure, but what exactly do you want to know?

Branshen

Are you referring to C, E, G notes or chords?

Phil_aka_Pip

You can use chords made up of any notes from the C major scale (and a few others once you've sussed how to use them). For each note of the C maj scale, create a triad with that note as its root:

CEG
DFA
EGB (edit: might as well have them in the right order, eh?)

... etc I'll let you do the rest, you just pick every other note

When you add an extra note to those stacks of 3 you get "seventh" chords. Again you pick one miss one pick one miss one etc:

CEGB
DFAC
EGBD

Next, classify the triads you get, your ears will tell you which are major and which are minor. The last one is called diminished, it's the odd one out.

You should get major triads on scale notes C F G, minor triads on D E A.

Next you need to not get confused over the nomenclature. You can have "major seventh intervals" and "major seventh chords". The "interval" is just the pitch difference between a pair of notes, it uses inclusive counting, and is always referenced to the form of the major scale. EG a major Third is like from C to E - 3 note names, two whole tones, 4 frets up the same string. a Minor Third is like from E to G, one tone plus one semitone, 3 frets up the same string.

The seventh chords you get from harmonising C major are the triads (R 3 5) plus an extra note, the 7. The 7th note of the C maj scale is B, it's a maj 7th interval away from the C below it (ie just 1 semitone short of a complete octave (11 frets not 12). When you add the 7th note to each of the other triads, you will notice that it is 2 frets short of a complete octave (eg D ... C). When you lop off a semitone from a major interval it becomes minor. You will notice that you get minor 7th chords on the D,E A notes (ie scale notes 2,3,6). On the 5th degree (this note within the scale is known as its dominant - there are names for other scale degrees also), you had a maj triad, and you get a minor 7th on top. That's G7 (not G maj7, G-7, just G7).

Work it out on paper, you should get maj7 chords on C & F (scale degrees 1&4) , minor 7ths as previously noted, the dominant 7th on scale degree 5, and the half-diminished chord (aka minor seventh flat 5) on the 7th degree.

That's the whistle-stop tour. Feel free to ask questions if you get stuck. There's quite a few people here who are good with scale harmony. And have fun

BahHumbug

Mmmmmm, your questions are a little bit unclear. Referring to the question about playing lead......if you're in the key of C then basically you would stick to the scale of C throughout. You wouldn't usually use the scale of E over an E chord and then scale of G over the G chord. Your scale of C has the notes E and G in it, plus a whole pile of others, so you don't need any other scales. What you would tend to do is make sure that any of your sustained lead notes, eg at the end of a phrase, match, or harmonise with the chord that is being played at the time.

BahHumbug

Before anyone shoots me down, that was meant to be the simple answer based on the level the OP is clearly at........

underdog

None of this makes sense to me, even the easy reply above, I'm ashamed

Panama_Jack666

Just turn up louder and use more gain if in doubt.

Phil_aka_Pip

Just a gentle nit-pick here, but I think this belongs more in the Theory dept. You can move it by editing the thread, and saving it in a new department.

fretmeister

Kerry King got a 25 year career just from going apeshit in E minor. So don't stress about it too much!

TTony

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Just a gentle nit-pick here, but I think this belongs more in the Theory dept. You can move it by editing the thread, and saving it in a new department.

.Moved.

And nice explanation @Phil_aka_Pip - you should be teaching

mike_l

fretmeister said:

Kerry King got a 25 year career just from going apeshit in E minor. So don't stress about it too much!

It's more E minorish than pure E minor though.

/pedant/

fretmeister

I'm not convinced he is aware of that.

I still love Slayer though.

EricTheWeary

TTony;1019807" said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Just a gentle nit-pick here, but I think this belongs more in the Theory dept. You can move it by editing the thread, and saving it in a new department.










.Moved.

And nice explanation @Phil_aka_Pip - you should be teaching;)

It was basically play one, miss one, play one, miss one, play one

Dace

Thanks to everyone who replied, I am really new to guitar and music.Sorry my post was not that clear !

Phi_aka_Pip ... Thanks have read that a few times .. kinda making sense ..

BahHumbug ... Perfect, exactly the explanation I needed ..

ChrisMusic

Hey Dace, welcome to the wonderful journey that learning to play guitar really is.  You'll have joys and frustrations along the way, but always the support of the folk on this great forum of ours.  Ask away whenever you need help, the answers will help others too, we are all in this together.

You may also want to try out Justin Sandecoe's YT videos and website (free and good lessons).  Eat, sleep, rave, repeat...  a little at a time, don't try to rush it, and it will eventually stick, and make sense, I promise...

http://www.justinguitar.com

@Phil_aka_Pip's post is really well written, just come back to it every couple of weeks, and along with your other learning and practice, it will make more and more sense over time.

Don't try to eat the whole elephant in one sitting, you'll only get indigestion.  Come back for a bite at a time.

Phil_aka_Pip

ChrisMusic said:

@Phil_aka_Pip's post is really well written

You're too kind

BahHumbug

@Dace, you're very welcome. Do have a look through the top advice from @Phil_aka_pip and @ChrisMusic. They speak wisdom

Phil_aka_Pip

Dace said:

Thanks to everyone who replied, I am really new to guitar and music.Sorry my post was not that clear !

Phi_aka_Pip ... Thanks have read that a few times .. kinda making sense ..

BahHumbug ... Perfect, exactly the explanation I needed ..

yw Dace ... you're right to read it several times, it's the summary of the summary, and I've missed stuff out or glossed over it, eg the structure of the major scale, how to name intervals. Try using it as the road map through any of the more detailed texts you might find on scale harmony.

Strat_a_tat_tat

Good stuff... @Phil_aka_Pip