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String Theory:
Guitar and Piano Chords
In Parallel
1st edition
Are you a guiiar player inieresied in learning ihe "language" of ihe piano?
0r are you a pianisi who would like io map your skills io ihe guiiar?
.Then this book is for you. Welcome to String Theory: Guitar and Piano Chords in Parallel Vol. I`,
the only book of its kind which allows you to learn guitar and piano chords together simultaneously.
Thanks and Enjoy,
Scott R. Evans
www.stringtheorychords.com
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Table Of Contents
|orcvor!..............................................................................................................................................2
|ntro!uction ........................................................................................................................................3
|ntro!uction to 8aic |iano 1|cory...................................................................................................1
uov to kca! |iano t|or! uiagram .................................................................................................5
|ntro!uction to 8aic Cuitar 1|cory ..................................................................................................o
uov to kca! Cuitar t|or! uiagram ................................................................................................8
1uning t|c Cuitar from t|c |iano ......................................................................................................9
Cuitar an! |iano t|or! 1ran|atc!................................................................................................11
!ajor t|or!.....................................................................................................................................12
!inor t|or! ....................................................................................................................................15
Scvcnt| t|or!..................................................................................................................................18
uimini|c! Scvcnt| t|or!..............................................................................................................21
Augmcntc! t|or!............................................................................................................................21
!int| t|or! .....................................................................................................................................27
!ajor Scvcnt| t|or!.......................................................................................................................3u
!inor Scvcnt| t|or!.......................................................................................................................33
Sixt| t|or! ......................................................................................................................................3o
!inor Sixt| t|or! ...........................................................................................................................39
A!!itiona| kcourcc.........................................................................................................................12
C|oary.............................................................................................................................................13
tomp|ctc |n!cx of t|or!.................................................................................................................11
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Introduction
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h\NtlS \kl, 1h\1 ll yeu've ever played er written nusic fer the guitar er piane, yeu've eccasienally
feund tines where it weuld be useful te understand the fundanentals ef playing the ether instru-
nent. une ef the best ways te learn a new instrunent is te take yeur current knewledge, unravel it,
and translate it inte anether fern en a different instrunent. lespite what yeu nay think, the guitar and
piane are very clesely related stringed instrunents. \hereas the guitar strings are typically plucked with
the nngers er a pick te preduce a seund, the piane strings are struck with nechanically eperated hanners
inside the piane case.
\any nusicians have cressed ever te the ether instrunent, geing en te excel at beth with the skills
that they have assenbled fren twe different perspectives. eu nay be interested te learn that }erry uarcia,
veted Jlth ureatest uuitar llayer ef \ll 1ine" by kelling Stene nagazine, was actually breught up as a
child en the piane, enly later transitiening te the guitar! laul \ctartney, best knewn as the bassist fer the
leatles, is 1he uuinness leek ef \erld kecerds helder as the nest successful nusician and cenpeser in
pepular nusic histery. he is alse renewned as a very accenplished guitarist and pianist, beuncing back and
ferth between the twe instrunents threugheut his career.
1e seneene whe is nrst taking up a new instrunent, this can be a daunting task. \here de yeu start?
hew night yeu take nusic arranged fer ene instrunent and play it faithfully en anether? 1he answer.
therds are at the reet ef all nusic theery. therds are the building blecks by which all sengs and
nusical pieces are crafted.
1
hl \\lN fecus ef this beek is te previde a sinple, easy and casual neans te view the nest cen-
nen cherds en beth the guitar and the piane keybeard witheut requiring yeu te have any kind ef
backgreund in nusic theery. 1his beek is intended as a reference guide fer anyene whe is already
faniliar with the guitar and weuld like te learn the cerrespending piane cherds, er the persen whe already
has expesure te the piane and weuld like te expand their nusical knewledge te the guitar.
1he reference naterials presented here are designed te accelerate the intreductien phase fer guitar er
piane by leveraging yeur current knewledge ef the ether instrunent. lf yeu are beginner en beth instru-
nents, this beek will allew yeu te learn each in parallel as yeu ge with a nere helistic" appreach te cherds
and their functien. lach cennen guitar cherd will be accenpanied by its cerrespending piane cherd in
the fern ef a diagran. 1he netes which nake up the cherd are included aleng with the staff netatien fer
cherd recegnitien.
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C b I I
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How To Read Piano Chord Diagrams
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lllk 1 the fellewing illustratien fer understanding hew te read the piane cherd diagrans
included in this beek. lingerings fer piane cherds are very subjective-and thus can be
played nany nunereus ways-but l recennend using the ferns described in this beek as
the standard fer cenpatibility with the guitar.
1he black fingering disks (white disks en black keys) indicate the pitches which cenprise
the cherd en the keybeard.
1he reet ef the cherd (fren which the cherd gets its letter nane) is indicated by a gray-
celered disk and is net necessary te be played aleng with the rest ef the netes in the cherd.
lf the lewest plucked nete en the guitar fer a cerrespending cherd happens te be the reet ef the
cherd itself, then this is indicated as a black ring surreunding a gray disk (white ring surreunding a
gray disk fer black keys) and sheuld be included when playing the full cherd en the keybeard.
!otc. A|| notc arc !cfnc! on t|c |cy|oar! for caicr oricntation.
we'|| use I9 as an examp|e.
Using the |eft hand, place yeur little nnger () en lew l, skip the ring nnger (1) and the niddle nnger (l), place
the index nnger (!) en lew l and yeur thunb (J) en lew l. \ith the right hand, place yeur thunb (J) en
high u
#
/\
b
, skip the index nnger (!), place the niddle nnger (l) en high l and yeur little nnger () en
high l
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/u
b
.1his fern can be adapted fer any nunber ef cherds included in this beek.
1he ring nnger en beth hands is senetines substituted in place ef ene ef the ethers fer a nere cenfertable
pesitiening when playing nere awkward cenpact" er senetines stretched" cherds. }ust renenber, as a rule
ef nngering, typically the nngers en the left hand sheuld strike the keys directly within reach using the (little
nnger - niddle nnger - thunb) fern. 1he right hand sheuld take ever after the left hand nngerings and sini-
larly use the (thunb - niddle nnger - little nnger) fern as necessary.
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How To Read Guitar Chord Diagrams
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lllk 1 the diagrans belew fer understanding hew te read the guitar cherd diagrans included in this
beek. lingerings fer the left hand are depicted by a 1" fer the thunb and the rest as nunbers with-
in black disks" - 1-1hunb, J-lndex, !-\iddle, l-king, 1-Little nnger. lingerings within the black dia-
nends en the fretbeard indicate the pesitien ef the cherd reet within that cherd wherever it appears (if utilized
in that cherd).
\ll cherdal nete nanes are denned belew each seunding" string at the betten ef the diagran. 1he nrst
feur frets en the nngerbeard appear in each guitar cherd diagran as thin herizental lines, wherever a particu-
lar cherd's nngering uses any higher-nunbered frets, the additienal frets appear belew the feurth fret.
's nark strings which are net played and 's indicate strings which are nufned er deadened" by
anether nnger. 's specify a string that is epen, er played witheut pressing any nnger dewn en a fret. \ line
cennecting nngerings pertrays a barring ef ene nnger te fret nultiple strings.

uo !ot ||ay 0pcn String

|cft-uan!
|ingcring
A !iamon! in!icatc
t|c c|or! i p|ayc!
in root poition.
t|or! 1onc

uo !ot ||ay !utc! String

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Major Chords
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I A C I
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8 b u 8 u
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C b I I u A 8 C b I I u A 8
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Minor Chords

C b I I u A 8 C b I I u A 8
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C b I I u A 8 C b I I u A 8
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Minor Seventh Chords

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