Understanding Chords & Chord Progressions

Understanding Chords & Chord Progressions

Dive deep into chord theory and learn what chords are, how they’re formed and how to use them

COURSE OVERVIEW

Understanding Chords & Chord Progressions

The world of chords and rhythm guitar can seem very complicated. 

If you have learnt even a small number of songs, you have almost certainly been met with a range of confusing numbers, symbols and chord names.

Chords like Dsus4, Eadd9, A11 and Emaj7 can be very intimidating when you first encounter them.

If you don’t understand the logic behind how these chords are created and what the various symbols and numbers actually mean, then you have little choice but to memorise their specific chord shapes.

This approach is limiting and tends to be unsatisfactory. It keeps you in a position where you have little appreciation of what you are playing, and no knowledge of how to replicate that in different musical contexts.

If you feel like you are in this position, then the great news is that everything is about to change.

Dive in and start demystifying chords!

What you will learn:

PART 1

In this first lesson we will define exactly what we will be covering throughout this course – as well as some of the essential theory you need to know to understand chords

PART 2

To understand chords, we will first be looking at triads – the simplest form of chords. We will study what they are and some of the most common triads you will encounter

PART 3

Moving on, we will look at the major scale, and the pivotal role this plays in the formation of chords and chord progressions used in Western music

PART 4

Building on the previous lesson, we will study the differences between triads and chords, and look at chord progressions in more detail

PART 5

In this lesson you will learn all about 7th chords – how they are formed and the role that dominant 7th chords play in the blues

PART 6

Once you feel confident with 7th chords, you can start to study more complex chords – how these are formed and how they compare with simpler chord forms

PART 7

In this lesson we will relate this theory to the blues and look at the 12 bar blues form, and the chords regularly used in the blues

PART 8

To finish things up, we will wrap up the key pieces of theory and concepts covered throughout. We will also look at the remaining pieces of the rhythm playing puzzle, and the logical next steps in your playing

What you will find inside this course:

Inside all of the courses in the Blues Club you will find:

“I first learned a blues progression 60 years ago and you’ve done more for my playing than anything in all that time!”

Mike - Shoreham, Vermont

“I am so grateful to you and the courses you’ve created in The Blues Club. I cannot thank you enough! ”

Gary - Newark, Ohio

The insight Aidan has provided has been incredibly helpful and opened up so many possibilities for me and my guitar playing

Tyler - Ontario, Canada

My story

I have played guitar for over 20 years and have loved blues music for almost just as long.

5 years ago – after getting complacent with my practice and playing – I decided I wanted to push on and develop as a guitarist.

I couldn’t find the detailed, blues focused resources that I wanted to learn from online, so I created the Happy Bluesman.

I have since gone on to work with hundreds of blues guitarists all over the world through the Blues Club and 1-2-1 coaching. 

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Course Includes

  • 8 Lessons