Common chords?

An arpeggio is a broken chord - so you finger the chord and play the notes individually - the London College of Music Grade 1 exam specifies a tempo of just under 100bpm for arpeggios of C, G, Am and Em.

So - let's use Am as an example.

The notes used in the Am chord are A, C and E, and you play them in order, finishing on the A one octave above where you started. Then you play it back down again, so the sequence is A-C-E-A-E-C-A

Always start from a root note - play the A on the open 5th string with the thumb

The C is on the 5th string at the 3rd fret - use the 4th finger to fret it and play it with the index finger

The E is on the 4th string at the 2nd fret - use the middle finger of one hand to fret it and the middle finger of the other hand to play it

The next A is on the 3rd string at the 2nd fret - use the 3rd finger to fret it and your other 3rd finger to play it

After you've played the A on the 3rd string, play the E, C and A notes in reverse using the same fingerings - a total of seven notes, at tempo, in order, using correct fingerings (p-i-m-a-m-i-p)

C is played using a standard C-chord fingering between the 5th and 2nd strings and back again. G is played between the 6th and 3rd strings.

You have a choice for Dm

Either play D on the open 4th string, or on the 5th string at the 5th fret

F will be on the 4th string at the 3rd fret, A on the 3rd string at the 2nd fret, D on the 3rd string at the 3rd fret; and back down again.

Let us know if it's still foggy

Best,

A :-)

"Arpeggios: the common chords of the following keys: C, G majors; A, D minors (one octave)"

Hi Alan,

What does the phrase "common chords of the following keys" mean please?

Does it just mean the chord with the name of the key? In which case why not just say the "chords C & G major and A & D minor"? Why bring keys into it - all of those chords are found in the key of C major, aren't they?

There are lots of chords in the key of C major, and in the other keys as well. For instance, to my beginners eye, I thought of C, Dm, Em, F, G & Am as the most "common chords" found in the key of C Major, although there are of course lots of others.

Or it could be read as the chords that are common to all four keys. My theory isn't good enough to know which chords are common to all four keys... umm.. maybe C ?? Am, and/or ....??

Sorry if this is a daft question, but I'm still trying to get the hang of the terminology found in music theory. :?

It's scales and chord progressions. A scale, for example, is determined by the W W H W W W H step formula (w= whole step, h = half step)
The chord progression in a scale is another pattern:
major minor minor major major minor m7b5 major

Now you put them together:

chords for the key of C =

C Dm Em F G Am Bm7b5 C

Key of G=

G Am Bm C D Em F#m7b5 G

Key of A=

A Bm C#m D E F#m G#m7b5 A

Does that help? And remember the relative minor of a scale uses the same progression but begins on the sixth note or chord of the scale. So the relative minor of C is six up or Am:

Am Bm7b5 C Dm Em F G Am would be the key of Am.

I hope that's helpful.

I've just reread your question and now realize that my response probably doesn't address what you're asking. It's not really clear to my mind either what is meant by "common" in the phrase and I've had a look at the syllabus. Ah, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing..

I would assume it means chords that are common to those keys, but that wouldn't leave much to work on - C, Am, Em and G share the chords C, G, Em and Am; but the key of Dm just doesn't fit. Dm also adds F to the equation as it shares the chord with C and Am (but not with G or Em) - and F is a Grade 2 arpeggio in the UK.

The "best" answer is to look at the course book - but I guess you have to buy it from a specified supplier unless you know someone who's already done it. In the UK you have to buy the book to get the special Grade Exam entry form for guitar - the "normal" LCM entry form isn't accepted for guitar.

Looking at the syllabus - you get a pretty good selection of pieces to perform. In the UK exams you have to perform three pieces, each chosen from a selection of three or four.

Best,

A :-)

I'd guess 'common chords' are the major and minor triads - C, D, F, G, Am, Bm, Dm, and Em are the eight in those keys. They might also include the 7ths: B7, D7, E7, G7.

Thanks very much for the replies. :)

It's re-assuring to know that it wasn't just me that found that phrase confusing. Why couldn't they just say what they meant and list the chords!

I'm enjoying slowly learning musical theory, but the need for so many different specialised terms to explain the details can be quite confusing at the start.

Terms like triplet, triad, trio, third, trichord, etc all sound a bit daunting until you discover that they all just mean some aspect of "three" - and how hard is three! :wink:

So I thought there might be some specialist meaning of the phrase "common chord". Obviously not. :D