Product Description

You've just learned four new chords. How will you use them? Do they relate to each other in any way? How will you remember them? These are questions and problems that most beginning players encounter. This book addresses these problems by teaching chord progressions. (No man is an island, and neither is a chord.) Each chord is shown within the context of several different progressions, and most importantly, the theory behind these relationships and constructions is carefully and clearly explained. In addition, only the chords most often used by professional musicians are presented. You can also download MP3 files of the chord progressions found in this book for free. Links for these files are provided in the menu on the left. This book provides a solid basis of music theory for the serious student and is the required text at both New York University and Princeton University.

EXCERPT 1

The first thing a student must tackle is learning how to read music. A detailed description of the development of music notation is beyond the scope of this book and some inconsistencies (which will appear in italics) have stayed in musical notation, in the course of that development. For the beginner these inconsistencies can be very confusing but inconsistent as it may be, music notation does have a standard for expressing itself visually and by understanding this system a whole new world of music is open to you.

In this system a series of lines and spaces are employed to create a visual representation of sound. Each line and space corresponds to a pitch. Each pitch is given a name A, B, C, D, E, F, or G. A clef sign is also used to designate what names each line and space will receive. The reason for the many types of clefs will be explained momentarily. First let us look at the treble clef. The treble clef places the note sequence in the order listed below. This complete system of lines and spaces with a clef sign is called a staff.

As can be seen in the examples each line and space corresponds to a different tone. If you want to have pitches higher or lower than the 5 lines and four spaces you can extend the staff by using ledger lines. Ledger lines give you the ability to represent higher and lower pitches by extending the staff, these extended pitches are called ledger line notes.

If we extend this idea we run into trouble as can be seen from the example below. When excessive ledger lines are used, reading music becomes very difficult. To alleviate this problem other clefs are employed to make reading these notes that are out of the treble clef's range easier. The note in the previous example would be found in the bass or F clef on the 2nd space.

The following example shows where the notes fall in the bass clef. We will only use the treble clef in this book but a basic understanding of the bass clef is important.

EXCERPT 2

Below is a list of the chord tones and tensions for a dominant chord. Once again there is no limit to how many tensions can be in a chord but because the guitar has only 6 strings we are limited to 6 notes. Many times certain chord tones are dropped out so more tension can be placed in the chord. It is very common to drop out the 1 and 5 of the chord in order to add more tensions. As you learn each chord, notice which notes are present in each chord.

The chord tones and tensions for C7 are as follows: [graphic insert] All the tensions that we learn for each chord can be used as a substitute for the basic chord type. Dominant chords have many possibilities for adding and combining tensions. For instance if we have a C7 chord we could substitute C7#11 or C7#9b13 etc. Theoretically any combination is possible. Usually tensions are not combined that are a half step apart. For example, you usually don't have a dominant chord which contains b9 and natural 9.......

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #187546 in Books
• Published on: 1996-09-01
• Released on: 2004-10-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• 173 pages

From the Publisher
We are very excited about Mr. Arnold's Workbook series. The feedback we have received has validated our instincts that the books are a long-needed breakthrough in music education. Mr. Arnold has culled from his many years of teaching both privately and on the university level, and has provided information and teaching approaches which have never been presented in quite this way. The serious student will find the books to be a real "Rosetta Stone" for music theory and its application, while the professional musician will find them to be compendiums of valuable information and lifelong companions in the voyage of musical discovery.

We are also excited about the comping styles books which take the progressions examined in the Chord Workbooks and teach a student how to play them in a blues, jazz and funk style.

From the Author
Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One can benefit a beginner, intermediate or advanced student.

For the beginning guitarist the Chord Workbook for Guitar will help them to understand the basic building blocks of music i.e. music theory, and their direct application on their instrument. The student is not just learning fingering patterns, they are applying chords to songs and experiencing how they sound in a musical situation. The theory section is written in a style that anyone can understand. This gets the student off on the right foot to absorb what they are doing when they play chords or music in general. Students find the method I use to help them learn and remember chord forms is hard for a couple of weeks but eventually it really pays off; they find that they are able to remember large numbers of chords and know their exact names. My method involves two stages: learning where the root notes of each chord are on the guitar and then applying these chords to common song forms to hear the chords in a musical situation. These common song forms include the Blues, Minor Blues and Rhythm Changes. The Blues, Minor Blues and Rhythm Changes forms are also explained in another theory section so that the student understands what the component structures of these important contemporary music forms are.

The intermediate guitarist is usually a student who has holes in their knowledge of theory- they are familiar with a number of forms and progressions, but may not understand the underlying structures. This book contains the information the student needs to analyze and create progressions.

The advanced guitarist should know most of the chord voicings found in this book, but will find the harmonic superimposition theory section to be fascinating and useful. The theory section presents the 3 ways a dominant chord can resolve along with extensions that can be placed in front of a dominant chord. The progressions presented allow the student to see first hand how to apply this information. They include 12 versions of the blues, minor blues and rhythm changes, one in each key. It is also recommended that an advanced student use these progressions to create solo lines using the superimposed progressions as templates. Students in the New York University program are also required to sing through these progressions using solfege while strumming the root chord of the key. This develops not only an ability to understand how progressions relate to a key but helps to improve the ear and thus make the progression more part of one's musical language.

From the Back Cover
Chord Workbook for Guitar is an excellent learning tool for both the beginner who has no knowledge of music theory, and the advanced student looking for the typical chord voicings a professional guitarist should know. The theory section helps a beginner understand the basic theory of chord building in simple easy to understand language. Chord progressions are provided to show how to apply chord voicings to common song forms. Advanced students will find the chord reharmonization section to be of particular interest, providing them with a lifetime of possibilities. All chord progressions are presented with chord symbols and in music notation to show smooth voice leading. The notated chord voicings also provide professional guitarists an opportunity to strengthen their sight reading.

Customer Reviews

Great for beginners and intermediates alike
Ive been playing guitar for two years now, with no lessons but flexible fingers and a love of music. I recently (like a week ago) purchased this book and found it immediately helpful. One of the better routes a beginner should take to becoming a good guitarist is learning the basic chords that most songs imploy. This book does that using "cycle 5" which is an ingenius way to teach chords. I've learned tons of ways to play all 12 chromatic notes in 3 days! The progressions of chords at the end of the book are great also, they help you to get a feel for what notes work with what notes etc... I had no musical "insight" before this book (probably like most of you out there) but this book really walks you through the basics of music on the guitar. Be patience and practice, practice, practice! For more info check just out Mr. Arnold's websites: "muse-eek.com & arnoldjazz.com" peace!

No Need to Hunt for Another Chord Book
I purchased both the Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume 1 and 2. I am at the University of Alaska learning guitar (beginning my second semester), and I was looking for additional instruction. These books are full of clear, easy to understand chord diagrams. Volume 1, in addition to being full of chord diagrams, touches on much needed basics of music theory and chord construction. It is very helpful. I am thankful to have Mr. Arnold's books at my side. Also, I want to mention that I emailed Mr. Arnold with some questions about rhythm, time, notation, scales, and just some things I needed help on. He guided me to the right places and answered all my questions with great detail and encouragement. I was very impressed with his care and thoughtful response. You won't be disappointed putting your trust in the knowledge he has to share about guitars!

Helpful on it's own, but better with an important partner!
Compared to most guitar instruction books for beginners, this one is easily five stars, but against the bar it sets for itself, it's a four star book: well-done and quite helpful, yet flawed enough to be a little irritating.

Three-quarters of the book is basically an encyclopedia of chords, but not in the useless manner of so many "chord dictionaries". Arnold presents chord forms that can be played anywhere along the lowest 2 strings of the guitar. All chords are in their root position. A wonderful surprise is that he includes not only illustrations of the chords but also their notation in written music, so from the beginning, you are exposed to proper notation--whether you use it right away or not is up to you. I have no complaints about the amount of chord forms he includes--often several options for each chord. He has you practice them "cycle five," a good way to learn the chords and the fretboard for 3 of the strings. Arnold includes small essays on how chords are formed, how to read music, and, later, on reharmonization theory, but I don't imagine these essays would neccessarily be clear to every reader. They are better than usual, though.

While there is a mass of information in the book and the suggested exercises are helpful, I do wish he would have included something about the "system" of chord formations. I shouldn't have put that in quotes--there actually is a system to it. If he would have explained some of what is explored in Bill Edwards' (highly recommended) Fretboard Logic, the chord formations would not have a tendency to seem random and overwhelming. I found myself going through the book thinking "ok that's a C form, an E form..." and so on (you'll understand that if you read Edwards' book; furthermore, the Volume 2 of Arnold's Chord Workbook series might be rendered uneccessary, as the inverted chords are merely all or part of the "next" chord form in line. Anyway.) An explicit mention of what notes are represented in each chord form--like if it is the 1, 3, or b7--would have been helpful, too.

Bruce Arnold has authored a rather large series of books that might make you think he's in it for the money. But I think he's sincere, and a good teacher. He's got a website where you can download helpful video and audio files, and even ask him questions! Those are points in his favour, but this book is still lacking. The "Music Theory Workbook" that goes with this is helpful, but not as helpful as combining this with Edwards' Fretboard Logic SE: Vol. 1 and 2. If I hadn't have worked my way through the Edwards book, I would have found this book a little overwhelming--but take note that Fretboard Logic is incomplete without a book like this just as much!