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| C#M <b>Guitar Chords</b>: The Basics, Expansion and Application | <b>Guitar</b> <b>...</b> Posted: 09 Sep 2014 08:11 AM PDT
By the time we're through this lesson, we'll have illustrated and discussed most of what there is to know about C#m guitar chords. We'll cover the simple versions, the complex, how to play each one and how to apply them once you've got them memorized. When we're done you'll have a full and comprehensive understanding of the chord. You'll be able to play a number of different variations of the chord and apply them in appropriate musical situations. The conventional versions are tough and difficult to understand, so this will make the chord easier, more straight forward and more useable. The BasicsFirst we need to cover the formal C#m guitar chord.Or as I put it earlier, "The difficult one." Conventional C#m Guitar ChordWhen I Google this chord, just about everything returned is the formal and difficult version, which looks something like this.E|--4-- Most of the time it's presented without the root note that you see here at the fourth fret. While it's not unlearnable, it's certainly not what I consider functional. It's tough to learn as a beginner before your hand strength is developed and incredibly tedious to move to and from. That's not to say that I would never advise learning it. It's good to learn the formal versions of your chords at some point. It's just a great idea to try and learn it first. Instead, start with the simple and working your way up to the formal. The simplest thing is the C#m root note, so we'll start there. Finding C#m on the FretboardFor us to learn a chord from the ground up, we need to start with one note: The root note.Since the root note is usually going to fall on either the sixth or fifth (two thickest) string, we can use fretboard note diagrams to find where our C#m notes are located on those two strings. Keep in mind that D♭ and C# are the same note and can be displayed interchangeably on a fretboard diagram. In tab form, here are the two main locations you need to memorize. Almost every time you play a C#m chord, your root note will fall on one of these two locations. To start learning the chord, a good first step is to memorize this tab as the locations of the C#m root note in a standard guitar tuning. Creating a C#m DyadWe've got a root note for our chord. What's the next step?We need to add another note to our root to create a simple dyad (which is a chord comprised of two notes). By adding a perfect fifth interval we get a basic power chord form. E|-----|------ This is the simplest C#m chord you can play. They're the exact same chord at two different points, that are each comprised of only two notes. Creating a C#m TriadAs you might have guessed, the next step would be to create a triadic form of the C#m chord.We can do this by adding an octave to the root note. See if you can guess where that octave would fit, before looking at the tab. E|------|-------- Keep in mind, if you assume the root note, if for example a bass or another guitar player handle the the C#m chord, you can omit the root note and just play the major fifth interval and the octave, dropping the chord back to a dyadic form. Since it's a minor chord, we can once again add one more note to create a useable C#m triad. E|------|-------- Adding Open Notes to C#m TriadsNow that we've got our triads, we can start to fill out our chords with some open notes; namely the high B and E.Starting with the last form of our chord, simply strum through and add the two last strings as open notes. Note: This typically works best with the form that begins with the root note on the fourth fret and the second string. In this case we've omitted the note at the fifth fret in favor of the open B, which still maintains the minor tonality of the chord. You can add the root note at the fourth fret for a fuller sound. E|--0-- Notice anything familiar? This brings us full-circle back to our formal C#m chord. Simply add the notes on the fifth and fourth frets. E|--4-- Everything in between is easier and more practical than the full, formal version of the chord. So learn the chord in steps, starting with the root note and working your way up to the more difficult versions. So how can we expand on what we've learned? Let's look at a few different ways to delve into some other technique and identify some of the implications of what we've learned about the C#m guitar chord. Expanding on the C#m Guitar ChordThere are a couple notable implications about what we've learned that are worth standardizing in our minds and engaging with.
Dyadic Chord ProgressionsSince we learned a few simple dyadic chords, we can use those forms (which are moveable to any fret) to carve out some chord progressions and movements that we can use to help us better understand and memorize the chord shapes.Let's start with this C#m chord. Follow the chord down two whole steps for a C#m, B and A progression. You can resolve the progression by adding an E chord at the end. ArpeggiosA good practice for learning and memorizing chords is to break them up into arpeggiated patterns. We'll do that here with some of the shapes we've covered.E|--------------0-- B|-----------0----- G|--------6-------- D|-----6----------- A|--4-------------- E|----------------- E|-----------4-- E|-------------------9-- E|-----------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-- Further Application and Practical UseIn the progression we mentioned, this chord is used to provide a minor tone to a group of chords that are otherwise major in their sound.If we examine the chords in the key of C#m, we can identify a number of other commonly used chord progressions. Chords in the Key of C#m
Courtesy of Guitar-Chords.org Depending on your musical genre of interest, any or all of these progressions could be worth memorizing. It'll improve your songwriting ability, your understanding of music theory and your ability to hear or predict chord changes. The two progressions I've highlighted in red are likely to be the most applicable for you. Start by memorizing those and coming up with a comfortable way to play them. Use the simpler versions of the C#m chord that we've covered here as a starting point. An ideal way to apply it is to simply learn where it sounds good and make sure you know to use it in those spots. Additional Chord ResourcesLooking to further improve your mastery of C#m and other guitar chords? Here are a few resources that might be worth checking out.
Because a chord is nothing more than a group of notes. And in no academic setting do you start with the most difficult aspect of something and then work your way down from there. That's counterproductive. You always start with the basic elements or "building blocks" of your concept. In this case, that would include the following:
But I would contend that there are a lot of steps to get through before we're capable of truly understanding or using the more complex version. Your ThoughtsWhat's your experience learning C#m guitar chords?Let us know over at Twitter and Google Plus.   About Robert Kittleberger  |
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