Guitar Picture Chord Encyclopedia: Includes Over 3,100 Chords

More than I need to know and then some.

There are many chord encyclopedias for guitar. I like this one. It begins with six pages of chord theory, using the staff, which is important for understanding what makes a chord major or minor and so forth. In the main text, each chord is given a single page, with seven variations of positions or fingerings on the neck where it can be played. The notes of the chord are shown linearly on the staff (not stacked on top of one another as a chord is actually written), along with their names and their interval within the chord (for example: Root, 3, 5). Fretboard diagrams are given for each fingering, showing which finger to place where, and the name is given of the note sounded by each string when fretted as shown. Notes that are not to be fretted but sounded are indicated by an o, and those to be silenced are marked above by an x. There is also a clear photo showing a hand forming the chord in that position on a guitar.Only one fingering for each is suggested. The open A Major chord shows the fingering using fingers 2, 3 and 4, following one other in that order on the fourth, third, and second string. This is sometimes shown, but not in this book, with fingers 1, 2, and 3 in the same order. I play the chord differently from either: fingers 2, 1, 3, which is similar to the fingering for the open A maj7 chord, simply placing the index finger on the second fret of the third string for the A Major instead of the first for the A maj7.Not every possible fretting variation (the frets used, not the fingering) is shown. For example, the G Major chord is shown in the open position with the second string unfretted, but not the variation with the second string fretted at the third fret. However, with the information on the page of what notes are in the G Major chord, and what note that unfretted second string is sounding (the B of the GBD triad), you can infer that you could fret the second string at the third fret, giving a D note, which is also in the triad, and you’d still have a B sounding on the fifth string. In other words, one fretting is doubling the B (the major third of the chord) and the other fretting is doubling the D (the perfect fifth of the chord). They’re the same chord, but the voicing differs.Another example is the C Major chord. One formation that isn’t shown for an open C Major chord has the sixth string fretted at the third fret, which doubles the G of the CEG triad.One thing the book doesn’t explain is how fretting formations are related across chords. You’ll have to be alert for similarities in fretting and do some thinking or further research for this. Ponder this for a start: form an E Major open chord, then an A Major, followed by a D Major, then a G Major, then a C Major (use here the alternate formation which frets the sixth string at the third fret), then an F Major. The E through C chords were open chords, the F chord isn’t. Notice the fretting (not the fingering, but which frets are used in the chord) and how the tuning of the second string affects the fretting. The Major chord voicing of the E Major chord is continued as you “wrap around the neck” going from E to F. The next chord would be B flat Major. If you look at the Circle of Fifths on page nine of the book, you’ll see that we’re going counterclockwise starting at E. The next time we reach E as we “wrap around the neck” following the Circle of Fifths, the fretting formation is related to the formation we used for the open D Major. This is, of course, directly related to the CAGED system.For reference, the Circle of Fifths, starting at E and going counterclockwise, goes as follows: E, A, D, G, C, F, B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat (C#), G flat (F#), C flat (B).

I had been using an old chord book that I bought way back in '77. The old book had many chords and it was sufficient until I started getting into more complicated chord structures. I was looking for a book that had more of the obscure chords that I would see listed in some of the music books I had. This book covers pretty much everything I was looking for in a new chord book. It has pictures of fingerings as well as the lines and dots (representing a guitar neck) and also has the musical notation, which I can't read, but what the hey! If you are looking for a more complete chord book, I would recommend this to anyone. I've used it many times already and I like the way it is listed with the key along the edge of the page, like a dictionary, for quick reference. I've used this book many times when I was composing a song and I wanted it to have more than just the three chord structure and was looking for something, in say, a 7th chord, but not quite a major 7th, if you know what I mean. Something to give some flavor. I would buy this book again anytime. If you don't have a chord book yet, buy this one and you will probably never have to buy another one for the rest of your playing life. Good Book!

If you're serious about playing the guitar, I strongly recommend this book. Sure, you CAN derive all this information if you understand how chords are built but once you know the basics, this sure saves time. Plus, it shows other ways to play chords that you might not have thought of.Again, bite the bullet and get this book. You'll be glad you did.

Tons of chords with pictures for those of us who don't have the technical knowledge to construct the desired chord.

fantastic book. If you're looking for a cord book that offers all kinds of voiceings for music this is it. I purchased it just for that purpose. It is more than I hoped it would be. Knowing all these cords would make one a guitar genius.

Book is easy to follow and has a ton of information.

even after 57 years of playing, i use this almost every day

very useful for the guitar

I have never found a book that showed all the chords I need and nicely explained.WIll recoomend this book to any guitarist!

Present ready for Christmas as requested, all the information a guitarist could need, I hope... - perfect.

bueno produto. Lo recomendo. es muy interessante y pratico.Me gusta. Acessible y a un precio a tener en cuenta.

Everything you could need