How to Build Chords on the Guitar

Building guitar chords can be extremely helpful to a beginner. Chord building is finding the notes that go into a chord, so that you can see exactly what the "recipe" is for a certain chord and how to arrange your fingers on the fretboard. To do this, you just need to practice a little music theory. Here's how to build chords on your guitar.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Start with the chromatic scale. You might remember this from the "do re mi" that you may have heard before. That pattern is the chromatic scale in one octave. It's seven notes and then a repetition of the first note at a higher octave. Another way to recognize the chromatic scale is on the piano keyboard. The sets of piano keys repeat themselves at each octave. In any case, you'll need to know how to mark the notes of the scale.
2. Pick a key. To build a chord, you'll need to select a specific key. The keys are actually named according to the notes of the chromatic scale (for example, key of C or key of G#).
3. Draw out the chromatic scale for the key you selected.
4. Pick out notes from your chromatic scale according to what kind of chord you're building. Nearly all chords use and repeat the first or "base" note (the note the key is named after) and many common chords use variations of the third, fifth and seventh scale notes. You can find these by literally counting up on the scale. Select them and use them in your chords.
5. Find the notes on the fretboard and strum the chord to see what it sounds like. You should hear something harmonious, not just a jumble of sound.