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presents the
There are many more benefits which we’ll notice along the way, but
that's the main one for now.
Some disclaimers
1. Experienced music theoreticians will read some of the things here
and protest "except..." and "unless..." There are always
exceptions to the rules (just to jazz things up), but I aim to
provide a clear and practical guide specifically so I'll frequently
gloss over those exceptions. They can be dealt with in more
detail later.
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Key of G G Am Bm C D Em F#*
v * This chord is a "half-diminished" chord, but we're going to ignore that for
now.
The NNS uses a position number for each of these chords, like this:
Key of G G Am Bm C D Em F#
n 1 2m 3m 4 5 6m 7
v A minor chord is indicated by a following dash.
G C Em D
1 4 6m 5
1 4 6m 5
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Practice Example #1
Play this chord sequence in as many keys as you can comfortably
play on your instrument:
1 4 6m 5
This chart will help (it's also in an image file in this pack that you'll
want to keep visible throughout this guide):
n 1 2- 3- 4 5 6- 7
Key of C C Dm Em F G Am B
Key of G G Am Bm C D Em F#
Key of D D Em F#m G A Bm C#
Key of A A Bm C#m D E F#m G#
Key of E E F#m G#m A B C#m D#
Key of F F Gm Am Bb C Dm E
As you play this in different keys, you’ll start getting used to two
things:
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3. “Slash” Chords
Let’s switch to the key of D for our examples:
Key of D D Em F#m G A Bm C#
n 1 2m 3m 4 5 6m 7
D/F#
1/3
In most songs you'll come across, that tricky seventh chord of the
scale is almost always played as a 5 with a 7 in the bass:
5/7
Practice Example #2
Try this in as many different keys as you can.
1 5/7 6m 4
5
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4. Split Bars
We’ll stay in the key of D for our examples.
Key of D D Em F#m G A Bm C#
n 1 2m 3m 4 5 6m 7
When there are two chords in a bar, sharing two beats each, you’ll
see them underlined like this:
!<$ ^M<%
What if you get a chord that just lasts one beat? You double
underline that section of the bar:
!<› 5
v In this example, the 1 is played for three beats, the 4 for the last beat, and then
5 for a whole bar.
Practice Example #3
Try this sequence in as many keys as you can:
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Key of G G Am Bm C D Em F#
n 1 2m 3m 4 5 6m 7
For example, the verse of I Will Care when played in the key of G
has a flattened 7 chord (F). We’ll also see how to display chord
additions like a minor 7 and suspended 4th.
G F
I will care (I will care), with all of my heart (all of my heart)
C G Am7 Dsus4 I
I will love you (I will love you), with all of my strength (all my strength)
1 1 ;7 ;7
4 4 1 @MU<%SR
Practice Example #4
Let’s try playing this in as many keys as we can. We’ll also bracket
the section with repeat signs rather than writing it out twice.
[1 1 ;7 ;7
4 4 1 @MU<%SR]
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4 5 1/3 1/3 4 5 6m 6m
4 5 1/3 1/3 4 5 1 1
would appear like this:
[4 5 1/3 1/3
4 5 z6m 6m] Z1 1
Using a combination of symbols, we've managed to reduce the
written number of bars from 16 to 12, making it easier to navigate
and to see repeating patterns.
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7. Rhythm: Pushes
Every once in a while you get a "push". If you count the bar out loud
as "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and", a pushed chord is played on the
"and" before the beat.
^M<$\ 1\
In this example, the push comes before the 3rd beat. The second bar
is also pushed to the last "and" of the previous bar.
^M<›\ 1
In this example, the push comes before the 4th beat. The second bar
is played "straight" (i.e. no push).
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8. Jazzy Chords
Of these, the most likely to turn up is the Major 7, but some of the
others might come up too. For these fruity chords, you'll need to
know the following symbols:
Major 7 1357 j
Augmented 1 3 #5 g
f
Half Diminished
1 3 |5 |7
(minor 7 flat 5)
Diminished 1 3 |5 ||7 d
4j 7f 3u 6mu
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