Comments on: Learn to Play the Guitar in Two Weeks, Day 3: More Chords — seventh and minor

By: Fred

Fred — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 11:32:27 +0000

Hi,

thanks for all of this, it’s exactly what I need!

I’d like to elaborate on Tobias’ question above.

What about ‘you ain’t goin’ nowhere’? The key has to be Gmajor, and then there’s the subdominant Cmajor and it’s “relative chord” Am. Is there an explanation for why this works? I thought the Subdominant was supposed to be the bridge to the Dominant? In ‘Knockin’ on heavens door’, the Subdominant comes after the Dominant. Can I presume that the Dominant can be the bridge to the Subdominant too (like in ‘Knockin..’), and that this Dominant bridge doesn’t have to be present (like in ‘You ain’t…’)?

Thanks for everything!

greets,
Fred (Belgium)

By: a7 chord

a7 chord — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:09:05 +0000

[...] … Guitar Chords for Worship Songs – The A7 Chord. iRiver PMP-120 (20GB) DISNEY ANNOUNCES D23 …things twice Blog Archive Learn to Play the Guitar in Two …The second string is fingered in the A7 chord too, but at the second fret one fret away … E.g. A7 [...]

By: Stuart

Stuart — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:56:58 +0000

Just what I was looking for. Learning the guitar with all Dylan songs. Much thanks. Very clear, very useful.

Only suggestion: it’s the internet – how about some audio?

By: Learn to play guitar like Dylan! « Your Vinyl Cousin

Learn to play guitar like Dylan! « Your Vinyl Cousin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:53:55 +0000

[...] Day 3 (“More Chords — seventh and minor”) [...]

By: patrick mc loughlin

patrick mc loughlin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:44:46 +0000

I think dylanchords is the best website on the net and this lesson section makes it the ultimate. Keep up the great work and we will spread the word.

By: Tobias

Tobias — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:02:52 +0000

Indeed! Thanks a lot.

By: Eyolf Østrem

Eyolf Østrem — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:52:04 +0000

Good question, and one which has plagued theorists from the beginning of notation. Not that the key itself is a problem, but reality is frequently more unwieldy than the scheme would like.
Most songs both begin and end on the keynote, the tonic. No problem there. Then there are the exceptions. You mention Knockin’, which is of the kind that never really ends: after you reach the C, you are in position to start over again. On the record, it just fades out. Live, the options are 1. to make some kind of ending to bring it back home to G, or 2. to end it on C, which would give it an inconclusive character, as if something was left hanging in the air — which it is!
The other case is songs like Mr Tambourine man, which begin on some other chord than the keynote. The effect is similar: it is as if the song doesn’t really have a fixed beginning: we’re just stepping in at some point — for what we know, it may have gone on for a while before we happened to enter.
What really defines the key, is neither the beginning nor the end or any particular tone, but the family of chords around which the song is built. If you find the chords C, G, and D in a song, you can be pretty sure it is in G major, no matter which chord it begins or ends on.
Hope this helps.

By: Tobias

Tobias — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:36:17 +0000

I love this series, it keeps me going in music theory again where I left some time ago.

I have a question, though, concerning keys. I’ve come around this explanation quite often in other places, too: (taken from articel 2)

“Every song, … has a keynote …, the main tone or chord around which the song revolves. This is almost always the tone/chord on which the song ends,…”

I always couldn’t make sense of this. Take Knocking On Heavens Door from above, it’s said to be in the key of G Major, and sure enough it beginns with that, _but_ if you follow the progression strictly it end’s with C Major. What’s the point? I simply don’t get it.

By: Eyolf Østrem

Eyolf Østrem — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:56:10 +0000

Thanks. Corrected.

By: Ronald Lamars

Ronald Lamars — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:47:15 +0000

Very glad with this series, indeed.

There is a little typo in:
“More chord theory: minor and seventh chords
We now have three chords with “A” in them: A7, Am7, and Am7:”

One of the Am7′s should be Am, I think.

By: Adrian

Adrian — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:58:37 +0000

I was happy to see this series, when I checked to dylanchords today (for some McCartney chords….). If this series is going Freewheelin, WGW direction – flatpicking Dylan style – which is a style, I would so much like to be able playing, I´m gonna make this site my homepage… :)
Thanx a very lot!

By: Thanks

Thanks — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:21:39 +0000

I echo the comments of others – I’ve been playing (badly) for years – mostly Dylan stuff tabbed by you. This series is great – I finally feel like I’m advancing again – but this time on the theory side of things. Although, your outline for the future is going to help me in practice for sure.

By: Michele

Michele — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:23:10 +0000

This is great, I have been playing for 5 years’ and mostly play Dylan stuff tabbed by you.

Thank you so much it is really generous of you to share your knowledge like this and nice easy to follow lessons. Looking forward to more!!

By: Mixymax

Mixymax — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:21:19 +0000

Really enjoying this! Been playing for years but have learned a lot already!

By: David P

David P — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:19:22 +0000

Eyolf, thanks so much for this! I’ve been playing (badly) for more than 10 years, and I’ve learnt a lot from these tutorials already.