Music theory question. I dont know if this applies to instruments other than guitar...?

Question

Okay so what do the numbers in chord names actually represent? I have self taught myself to play guitar using the internet for the past couple years and I am not bad I guess, I have learned A LOT. but i never came across what the numbers in chords mean. I watched a youtube video of a guy showing how to build a G7 chord and he started off saying first you need to have a G note in there (obviously). And then he said now you know your going to need a 7 in there or a dominant 7 or something? and when he said that I thought he was going to go to the 7th fret or something but no, I dont know what he counted out and I would really like to. I realize I rambled on a lot and for that I apologize haha.

Answer 1

You need to think of the scale degrees.

A major scale consists of 7 notes. In the key of G the notes are: G, A, B, C, D, E, F sharp (F#). You can number them 1 through 7. (The eighth degree is G again, that's why they call it an octave)

The notes in a major triad (chord) are 1, 3, 5 or G, B, D.

So you're thinking, "OK so I'll add the 7th, G, B, D and F#".
Not so fast... ;-) the Dominant 7th chord actually uses the minor 7th, which is F natural (not sharp).

The notes of a G7 chord are: G, B, D and F.

Check out how the G7 chord leads naturally to a C chord.

It's not as complicated as it sounds. A few theory lessons will clear it up nicely for you.


[edit] Note: The above posters are incorrect. F is not the seventh degree of the G scale. It is the minor (flat) 7th. See my explanation above.

peace

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Answer 2

Great question, and by the way this question does not just apply to guitar.

In general, the names of the chords have to do with what notes they have in them, in relation to the main note of the chord. So with G, the 7th note up from G in the scale is F, and that chord has an F in it in addition to other notes that are normally part of a G chord.

So the number is not the number of a fret, but the number of a note that is in the chord, and the note the number refers to depends on what the main note in the chord is.

It might make more sense if you learn a little more theory. Perhaps you can find some web pages that explain more about basic music theory, or find a workbook at your local library. You can also hire a music teacher to teach you more about music theory, or you might even be able to take a class at school.

Answer 3

This is soooo easy to see on a piano, but since the frets on your guitar correlate to a keyboard, it's still easy. If you count all the keys from one C to the next, including black keys, there are 12. A major scale, the thing you use to build simple chords like 7ths, uses 7 of the 12 keys. A major scale, in the key of C, or any other key for that matter, begins on it's note, which is always called 1. (the C note in this case) The next note, called 2, is two keys after the 1st. (don't forget to count the black keys) This is refered to as a whole step, and in this case, the "2" note is D. Another whole step is next for the 3 note, which is an E. Next, for the 4 note, we only step up 1/2 step, which lands us on F since there is no black key inbetween.

Hope that made sense.
So, for a major scale here's the steps for a whole octave, always the same, never changes:
First note, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step - takes you to the next octave of the first note.
Regardless of the key or fret you begin with, it is 1, the next is 2 and so on.
The key you are playing in, for these purposes, is the first key or fret you press. So, on a piano, it's easy to see that all the notes in the key of C are white keys. No sharps or flats. If you want to play in the key of G, or construct a G chord, following the steps above, you will see that an Fsharp is included in the scale instead of a natural F.

On to chords:
A major chord is always the 1, 3 and 5 notes, also refered to as a major triad. In the key of C, it would be C, E and G. If you want to add a 7th, simply add a B.

By adding the B, you have a Cmajor7th, accurately following the fundamentals. Very popular in the Middle East. We tend to use the dominant 7th in our music in the United States. In order to achieve a dominant 7th in any key, just drop the 7th note 1/2 step. Easy as pie. :)

Hope this makes sense. If not, pick up a beginning piano book. In fact, get one anyway. You don't need a piano to take advantage of it and you will learn a lot very quickly. This isn't hard and it's a lot of fun. You will enter a larger world if you become musically literate.

Answer 4

The 7 is the seventh note in the scale.

For a C7 chord you would have the 1-3-5-7 ie C-E-G-Bflat.

For a G7 chord you would have G-B-D-F.

For a tune in the key of C, you would generally use the chords C, F and G7.

Answer 5

I'm trying to learn guitar and not getting on very well, so well done for teaching yourself!

As for your question I suggest going to a music shop and getting yourself a book about guitar chords or some music theory books, that should help!

Answer 6

the 7 in a chord means you add the 7th note. eg. with G7 you add an F, if it was a G9, you would add an A