Five chord shapes, all Am, but all in different positions on the guitar's fretboard. Spend some time working out the notes and you’ll see that they are all combinations of A, C and E notes. Don't Miss ...

Once we get into minor chords (with a b3) and 5 chords – often called powerchords and which don’t have a 3rd at all – it’s ...

Isbell sympathizes with newbie players struggling with them, but discusses why they’re a vital songwriting tool ...

Guitar lessons: You’d be forgiven for thinking that you’d use the minor scale to construct minor 7th chords, but that’s not quite how it works. All scales and chords are compared to the major scale, ...

The result – you then have 4 chords to play with, and an additional minor tinge. However keep in mind this is all hooked on the I-IV-V principle, so make sure you acknowledge its importance!

4. “Who Are You” (Void, 1982) True, it’s not so much a single chord as a warped, melodically destabilized, 25-second expression of disgust at the world of adulthood.

Guitar chords. Picture: Getty By Victoria Longdon ... Well, if you look back at the circle of fifths above, you’ll see that every major chord has a minor reflection, (shown in the inner circle) which ...