Chord book suggestions?

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Scottgman

Scottgman

Legend in Own Mind
I'm looking for the definitive book on chords. I'm not talking about a beginners book that explains the structure of chords, etc.

I want a book that explains chords in the context of chord progressions... chord resolution, etc. I guess I'm looking for a book on "applied chords" rather than an introduction to chords.

Does anyone know of a good book like this?
 
Guitar Center had a nice book with something like 1200 chords. Of course you have to divide that by 5 since there was 5 methods for each chord. Not a biginners book by any means. Just a nice book. I am going to pick it up sometime when I have some extra cash. $20.
 
The first half of Mickey Baker's classic book on jazz guitar, Mickey Bakler's Complete Course in Jazz Guitar, Volume I is great if it's jazz harmony you want.

I also think that Oliver Gannon does a really nice job in the CD-ROM course put out by PG Music called The Jazz Guitar MasterClass :

http://www.pgmusic.com/jazzguitarmasterclass.htm

I see from the site that there are more generalized ones for beginning and advanced players there too, called Guitar MasterClass:

http://www.pgmusic.com/guitarmasterclass.htm

Robben Ford has a small book on blues rhythm guitar playing that he professed a lot of pride in... titled Rhythm Blues by REH (includes a CD, I believe):

http://www.activemusician.com/store...0030&c=EB6BBFC1FD2D426CB64671ADF0904C97&nav=s
 
Ted Greene's chord chemistry got about any chord you can possibly fret in it...

But the best thing to do would be a jazz harmony course I guess... Start playing triads, guide tones on progressions, the normal jazzexercises. I don't know a book that guides you in that. This will help you build your own chords. After all, chords are just a few notes played together. If you learn which notes to play, you can make up your own positions...
 
I've been playing guitar for 15 years. I understand the structure of chords. I understand major/minor triads, sevenths, etc. I am wanting to expand my knowledge of using chords in relation to other chords (progressions) rather than trying to understand chords in general. That's why I mentioned more of an "applied" approach.

It seems like most of the books out there are your standard "This is the formula for a major triad" kind of beginner stuff. I don't really care about chord formulas per se, I'm interested in learning when an Fmaj7 will resolve to an Amin for instance (just made that up).

Thanks for the suggestions so far... I'll check into all of them.
 
Uncle Roel, you bring up a good point. Maybe I should be focusing my search on harmony books? That might get closer to what I want.
 
Study music theory! What you really need in this case is a good foundation of jazz harmony. Functional harmony, what is the function of each chord, which chords can be found in which scale and vice versa...

You shouldn't look at guitar-related books for this. Most good harmony books are just about chords in general, after all, the instrument doesn't really matter since a chord is a chord.

Jazz harmony my friend!!!
 
Jazz and Popular Guiatr by Arnie Berle is a great book that goes into exactly what you are asking for. It includes info on parrallel chromatic chord movements, min 7 substitutions, inversions, 3extended and altered chords, harmonized scales with passing chords, analysis of bass lines within comping chords...

I think you will like it.
 
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