It would make a start to working out chord fingerings in different
possitions on the fret board. Start by finding a triad that is part of the
chord and see what else you can reach and how it sounds. Then rather than
sitting down and rote learning a transription of some body else playing a
song you can build the chords your self with your own voicing. And develop
an ear.
Knowing the shapes of the inversions up the top three strings can give you
something to grab that doesn't sound too bad when you are nervously playing
a song you have never heared of seen before in front of a noisy pub full of
people. eg the chord on the chart is A7 so play an Em triad. It's better
than sitting with your mouth open playing nothing. Then next time 'round you
may know what is going on.
In a Nov 76 Guitar player Magagine review of Grappelli at Carnigie Hall The
reviewer Joe Bivona says "Isaacs (Ike Isaacs the guitar player) can
seemingly play out of every chord inversion known to Western man". That
would seem to be a compliment. BTW no I didn't remember the review from 20
years ago. It is on the notes for an Isaacs album I just bought.
At 07:51 PM 19/10/96 -0700, you wrote:
>At 05:53 PM 10/19/96 -0700, you wrote:
>>How does one construct chord inversions? I'm thinking primarily
>>of guitar, but is it done the same as on piano? If I want to
>>learn all the inversions without memorizing them from a book
>>(in other words I want to derive them) what logic should I follow?
>>
>>Thanks for any insights,
>>Jim
>>
>>
>Jim,
>
>First of all, why do you want to learn chord inversions on the guitar?
>
>Is there a musical reason, i.e. something you would like to be able to
>do or do you just think it's something you should know about.
>
>If you want to work on those purely technical things, you need to
>work through the "Modern Method for the Guitar" by Willian Leavitt,
>books I, II, III.
>
>However, that won't get you any closer to playing real music.
>
>If you want to do something chordwise musically, try and state exactly
>what you want to do.
>
>It's best if you say, I want to do such and such on tune X. Or I hear
>player Y on tune X and wonderred how he does Z.
>
>reed
>>
>>
>Reed Kotler
>reed@justjazz.com
>http://www.justjazz.com
>
>
Data is not information,
Information is not knowlegde,
Knowledge is not wisdom. Anon.