Guitar Chords Syllabus

Chords syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Chords in Guitar, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Open Chords

   4 topics

   • Open Major Chords
   • Open Minor Chords
   • Dominant 7th Open Chords
   • Clean Chord Fretting and Muting
2. 2

   Chord Changes and Progressions

   4 topics

   • Smooth Chord Transitions
   • Common Progressions
   • Anchor Fingers and Pivot Points
   • One-Minute Changes Practice
3. 3

   Barre Chords

   5 topics

   • Half-Barre and Full-Barre Technique
   • E-Shape Barre Chords (6th-String Root)
   • A-Shape Barre Chords (5th-String Root)
   • Moving Shapes Up the Neck
   • Building Barre Strength and Endurance
4. 4

   Power Chords

   3 topics

   • Two-Note and Three-Note Power Chords
   • Movable Root Shapes
   • Palm-Muted Power Chord Riffs
5. 5

   Extended and Color Chords

   5 topics

   • Sus2 and Sus4 Chords
   • Add9 and 9th Chords
   • Major 7th and Minor 7th Chords
   • Diminished and Augmented Chords
   • Slash Chords and Inversions
6. 6

   Chord Theory and Construction

   5 topics

   • Building Triads (Root, 3rd, 5th)
   • Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented Triads
   • Seventh Chord Construction
   • Diatonic Chords and the Harmonized Major Scale
   • The Nashville Number System

Chords flashcards for Guitar

24 of 50 cards from the Chords deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the interval formula for a major triad, the chord type behind all open major chords?

   Root, major third, and perfect fifth: $1\text{–}3\text{–}5$. Example: C major = C–E–G.

2. Which five open major chord shapes form the basis of the CAGED system?

   C, A, G, E, and D — the five open major shapes that can later be moved up the neck as barre/movable shapes.

3. In the open C major chord (x32010), which string should not be sounded, and why?

   The low E (6th) string. Its open E is not the root; letting it ring gives a weaker inversion, so it is muted or skipped so the chord starts from the C root on the 5th string.

4. Which strings are strummed in an open D major chord, and which are avoided?

   Only the top four strings (D, G, B, high E) are strummed. The low E string is avoided entirely, and the open A is usually skipped so the chord starts on its D root.

5. What is the interval formula for a minor triad?

   Root, minor (flattened) third, and perfect fifth: $1\text{–}\flat 3\text{–}5$. Example: A minor = A–C–E.

6. What are the three most common open minor chords for beginners?

   E minor (022000), A minor (x02210), and D minor (xx0231).

7. What single change converts open E major into E minor?

   Lift the finger from the 1st fret of the G (3rd) string, lowering G♯ to G — the major third drops to a minor third.

8. How do major and minor chords differ in construction and character?

   They share the root and perfect fifth; only the third differs. Major uses a major third ($1\text{–}3\text{–}5$) and sounds bright/happy; minor uses a minor third ($1\text{–}\flat 3\text{–}5$) and sounds dark/sad.

9. What is the interval formula for a dominant 7th chord?

   A major triad plus a minor (flattened) seventh: $1\text{–}3\text{–}5\text{–}\flat 7$. Example: G7 = G–B–D–F.

10. Name the common open-position dominant 7th chords.

    E7, A7, D7, G7, C7, and B7 — all playable in open position; B7 (x21202) is the only one with no open standard-triad counterpart shape.

11. What is the easiest way to turn open E major into E7?

    Lift the finger from the 2nd fret of the D string. The open D that results is the $\flat 7$ of E, giving E7 (020100).

12. What harmonic role does a dominant 7th chord usually play in a progression?

    It functions as the V7 chord, creating tension that pulls strongly toward resolution on the I (tonic) chord — e.g., G7 resolving to C.

13. List the key checkpoints for clean chord fretting.

    Press with the fingertips (not pads), arch the fingers so they don't touch neighboring strings, place fingers just behind the fret, keep nails short, and position the thumb behind the neck for leverage.

14. Why should you fret a note just behind the fret wire rather than in the middle of the fret space?

    Close to the fret, the string needs far less pressure to sound cleanly, reducing buzz and hand fatigue; farther back requires more force and buzzes more easily.

15. How can you mute the unwanted low E string when playing open C major?

    Either wrap the thumb slightly over the top of the neck to touch the 6th string, or let the tip of the ring finger (fretting the C root on the A string) lightly touch it.

16. What are the three most common causes of buzzing or muted notes in a chord?

    (1) Fretting too far from the fret wire, (2) insufficient finger pressure, and (3) using flat finger pads or collapsed knuckles that accidentally touch adjacent strings.

17. What is the core principle of economy of motion in chord transitions?

    Move all fingers together directly to their new positions with the smallest possible movement, keeping fingers close to the strings and lifting them no higher than necessary.

18. What does it mean to 'prepare a chord shape in the air' during a transition?

    While the fingers travel between chords, they pre-form the next chord's shape before landing, so all fingers touch down simultaneously instead of one at a time.

19. What are the I–IV–V chords in the keys of C major and G major?

    Key of C: C–F–G. Key of G: G–C–D. The I, IV, and V are the chords built on the 1st, 4th, and 5th scale degrees.

20. What is the I–V–vi–IV progression in the key of C, and why is it important?

    C–G–Am–F. It is the 'pop progression' used in thousands of songs, making it one of the most valuable four-chord sequences to memorize.

21. Write out the standard 12-bar blues progression in Roman numerals.

    Bars 1–4: I I I I; bars 5–8: IV IV I I; bars 9–12: V IV I I — typically played with dominant 7th chords (e.g., A7, D7, E7 in the key of A).

22. What is the ii–V–I progression in the key of C major?

    Dm–G7–C: the chord built on the 2nd degree (minor), then the dominant on the 5th degree, resolving to the tonic. It is the foundational cadence of jazz.

23. What is an anchor finger in chord changing?

    A finger that stays pressed on the exact same string and fret through a chord change, acting as a fixed reference so the other fingers move around it faster and more accurately.

24. Which fingers can stay planted when changing between open C major and A minor?

    Two: the index finger (1st fret, B string) and the middle finger (2nd fret, D string). Only the ring finger moves — from the 3rd fret of the A string (C) to the 2nd fret of the G string (Am).

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