When it comes to guitar chords, it all begins with basic ones that are called either major (use just the letter of the chord, eg E for E major) or minor (reduced to the letter plus m, eg Em for E ...

For many guitarists, one of the major draws to learning jazz and jazz blues is the richness and beauty of the chord work: a tapestry of stunning voicings and extensions that brings a whole new level ...

Like major 7th chords, dominant 7ths are a major chord with an extra note added. And, as with all chords, we’ll be using formulas to help you remember how each one is built. Whenever you look at how a ...

Listen up: scales aren’t just torture devices invented by guitar teachers... When you use a scale, say, C major, you are playing ‘in the key of C’. The word ‘diatonic’ simply means ‘within a key’, so ...

Dave Grohl is one of the most famous rock musicians on the planet, but even though he's been writing songs with the Foo Fighters for three decades, he still doesn't know the names of most of the ...

A lot of the elements that make pop music successful relate to it being catchy and familiar. As a songwriter, there are many ways to engender this feeling in listeners, to do with song structure, ...

The ii-V-I has been referred to as a chord progression, a turnaround, and a cadence depending on the circumstances it is used. It is most known as the jazz progression as it is the backbone of many ...

A study suggests that minor and major seventh chords are the happiest sounds in music, but today’s songwriters are ditching them in favour of simple minor chords. But why does this matter? We all love ...