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 ...

The minor/major 7 chord has a spooky sound when used on its own. It is however a popular compositional technique to use the m/maj 7 in a descending bass line over a minor chord and many songs, ...

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 ...

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 ...

Pop music might come off as formulaic sometimes, and, to some extent, that’s probably true. Hook Theory is a song database, and after analyzing 1,300 popular songs, looking at the chord ...