Chord Genius

Keith Miles An old dog gets that way by learning a few new tricks along the way. I've played guitar for 35 years now, and your books were packed with nuggets of wisdom that corrected old notions I had about chord structure and pointed me in many new and exciting directions. Written clearly and concisely, your books are the best musical investment I've made in a long time. Thanks so much!

Singer/Songwriter Keith Miles, Nashville, Tennessee
KeithMiles.com
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Chord Genius

Books available on this site.

Book index.
What people think.
Why these books were written.

Please note:

The following index is for the Tenor Guitar, CGDA tuning. For other 4-string tunings offered, the discussion of chords may take place using other strings as roots (explained in the books if you're not sure what I'm talking about here) to show how to most easily take advantage of each unique tuing.

You will find though, that for 4 string instrument tunings the index contents are otherwise identical as far as subject matter is concerned.

Please feel free to print these pages to more easily review the information.

Thanks,

Bruce

4 STRING INDEX EXAMPLE:

Dusty 'n' Me 'n' Immortality 1
Section 1 - Open Chords
Reason for chord groups - similarity 4
How to practice the chord groups 5
Chrecklist for good clena chord sounds 6
Chord Groups 6
Open Chord Keys - Transposing 10
Chord simplification for beginners 11
Taking the time to gain strength and dexterity 11
Fake Books (Yeah, really) 11
Writing your own songs 12
Section 2 - Moveable Chords
How to Play a Barre 12
Our First Moveable Chord Pair 14
More Chord Pairs 14
Steps and half steps 16
Steps between notes in the major scale 16
Reference points at Open, 7th and 12th frets. 17
Our major reference point... the C major scale. 17
The notes on the Fingerboard 18
Moving the Barre 19
Sharp and flat chord names 19
Making your progressions sound smoother 20
Back to the Fake Book 20
Section 3 - Advanced Chord forms: Breaking the Code
The major scale - our most powerful partner for defining chords. 21
Major scale patterns, all strings. 21
Intervals 22
Triads 22
The Standard Chord Triad - Scales to Chords 22
Standard Triad to Minor chord 24
The Diminished Triad 25
The Augmented Triad 26
Suspended triads 26
Advanced Chord Forms
Breaking with tradition. The Major 7th chords.
Our template for all other chords 		28
'7' chords and variations 30
'6' chords and variations 34
9th to 13ths and beyond
'9' chords and variations 36
'11' chords and variations 38
'13' chords and variations 40
'6/9' chords 42
Sharp and Flat alterations of Unique notes 43
The Minor/Major chord (min+7 chord) 44
'Add' chords 44
Slash chords 45
Section 4 - How to Determine the name (or names) of any chord. 47
Interval blocks and how to use them.
Section 5 - Bonus Materials
Chord Simplification 53
How Chords are Built - Standard notation 54
Extensive chart of chord intervals 58
Commonly used chord symbols 57
Choosing a Guitar (or other instrument)
Some specifics		 60
Strings 'n' things 62
Use of a Metronome 64
Key signatures and typical chords 66
What key am I playing in 70
Transposing Sliderule 71
Answer Key to Exercises 72

Testimonials

"When I saw your explanation as to how to understand chords it was like being hit with a bolt of lightning.....this should have been done ages ago." Ken O'Neill

"Great book, beats Mel Bay publications hands down. Will order mandolin book later... I have used various guitar chord books, and lately banjo books. While they all show correct positioning for chords they do not show a logical, easy progression from one chord to another, and how to build chords. Chord Genius Books solve that in spades. Thanks Bruce." Dennis Gabriel, Colorado

"Thanks so much for the marvelous mandolin and bouzouki chord genius books. I have played guitar (poorly - or rather in a very rudimentary way since I left high school garage bands and the bass I played in them many moons ago) and have recently picked up a mandolin to try out on the Irish/Roots band I sing harmony with. I have had a cryptic understanding of thirds and fifths, but music theory was always a vague concept. Your book has cleared my fuzzy mind by elucidating music theory in a clear, and practical manner. Now if only my performance matched the concepts.
"Three of my five kids are guitar players at various levels. I am anxious to get them your chord genius book for guitar as a Christmas present to help them with music and chord theory. With the theory down we can all work on improving our playing.
"Thanks again for the de-mystification." Jim O'Donnell, Fairfield, CT...

Read more testimonials.

Dusty 'n' Me 'n' Immortality (or Why this book was written).

Dusty Woodhouse was my first music teacher. Yes, that was his real name. Salt & pepper hair, a limp with a cane, and a state of the art, 4 track reel to reel tape recorder, a single microphone a fender amp and a Gibson electric guitar. The man was a god. Dusty's thing was jazz and man, he could play. I studied with him for an incredible 6 month period, when, at the golden omniscient age of 8, I decided I knew more than he did. How typical.

Not only is this common of musicians to decide that they can go it on their own and learn far better than they could ever learn from someone else, it's typical of all artists. While it's a shame that this is true, it is also essential to the mindset of the artist. It's about creation, not about doing something someone else has already done. And yet it's a shame because in order to be creative and break the boundaries, we first need to understand what's been done and how it all has been put together in the past.

That's why this book was written. because as artists we tend to want to learn what we want to learn when we want to learn it and not to be dictated to but rather to merely fine the help we need, when we need it.

I still remember something Dusty would say about teaching people music - that in a way it would make him immortal. You see, he didn't just see himself as a teacher teaching a student, he saw himself as a music teacher in a tradition of thousands of years of Music Teachers.

That's how I look at it too, and this book is my way of reaching far more people than I could ever teach, one on one, in my lifetime. It is my way of extending my knowledge past myself, on to future generations. Can anything be more exciting? I don't think so. It is my greatest desire to teach you, so that you in turn can pass this knowledge and the enjoyment of it, on to future generations, whether through teaching, performance or writing. Maybe you'll come up with something that has never been thought of before because of something that I may have placed in your gourd. That's pretty cool. (Give me an acknowledgement on your CD okay?)

If you already play, please read the text through in order to gain background as the text is Progressive. .

So, without further preamble, let me help you make me immortal.


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