Mel Bay's Deluxe Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords

Mel Bay's Deluxe Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords
Author	Mel Bay, William Bay
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Music education
Publisher	Mel Bay Publications
Publication date	1971
Media type	Print
Pages	144

Last updated April 24, 2019

Mel Bay's Deluxe Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords, also known as the Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords or Deluxe Guitar Chord Encyclopedia is a best-selling^{[ citation needed ]} encyclopedia of guitar chords, first published by Mel Bay in 1971. It is a staple in the study and teaching of guitar.

In music, a guitar chord is a set of notes played on a guitar. A chord's notes are often played simultaneously, but they can be played sequentially in an arpeggio. The implementation of guitar chords depends on the guitar tuning. Most guitars used in popular music have six strings with the "standard" tuning of the Spanish classical guitar, namely E-A-D-G-B-E' ; in standard tuning, the intervals present among adjacent strings are perfect fourths except for the major third (G,B). Standard tuning requires four chord-shapes for the major triads.

Mel Bay was a musician and publisher best known for his series of music education books. His Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords remains a bestseller.

The encyclopedia contains 324 different chord types; 27 in each of the 12 keys with thousands of shapes and inversions. The 27 chord types covered in each key are major, minor, diminished, augmented, seventh, minor seventh, seventh augmented fifth, seventh flat fifth, major seventh, major seventh flat third, major seventh flat fifth, seventh suspended fourth, sixth, minor sixth, ninth, minor ninth, major ninth, ninth sharp fifth, ninth flat fifth, seventh flat ninth, seventh sharp ninth, sixth add ninth, eleventh, augmented eleventh, thirteenth, thirteenth flat ninth, and thirteenth flat ninth flat fifth.^[1] The chords are "presented in each key and are broken down into melody, inside, rhythm, and bottom four-strings."^[2]

The book has since been published in a case-size edition by William Bay, Mel's son and has spawned a series of similar books like the Encyclopedia of Guitar Chord Progressions (first published in 1977^[3]), Encyclopedia of Guitar Chord Inversions, Mel Bay's Deluxe Guitar Scale Book, Encyclopedia of Jazz Guitar Runs, Fills, Licks & Lines, and Piano, Mandolin and Banjo^[4] chord encyclopedias.

The song "Ode to Mel Bay" (written and first recorded by Michael "Supe" Granda of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and featured on the album The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World by Tommy Emmanuel and Chet Atkins), is a light-hearted song about Mel Bay's encyclopedia of guitar chords and the books in general. Mentioned in the lyrics, written by Shel Silverstein, is: "On page 21 you showed us how to play a G and on page 22 you showed us how to play a D, but lordy o lordy we never learned to play an E, because someone in the outhouse stole page 23!"^[5]

<i>The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World</i> 1997 studio album by Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel

The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World is an album by American guitarist Chet Atkins and Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel. Recorded when Atkins was 73, this was his last release of original material in the 20th century. "Smokey Mountain Lullaby" was nominated for the 1997 Grammy Award for Country Instrumental Performance.

William Thomas Emmanuel is an Australian guitarist, songwriter, and singer, best known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances, and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. Although originally a session player in many bands, Emmanuel has carved out his own style as a solo artist, releasing award-winning albums and singles. In the May 2008 and 2010 issues of Guitar Player Magazine, he was named "Best Acoustic Guitarist" in its readers' poll. In June 2010 Emmanuel was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). In 2011, Emmanuel was inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown.

Chester Burton Atkins, known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician, occasional vocalist, songwriter, and record producer, who along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, among others, created the country music style that came to be known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country music's appeal to adult pop music fans. He was primarily known as a guitarist. He also played the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and ukulele.

Related Research Articles

In jazz, the altered scale or altered dominant scale is a seven-note scale that is a dominant scale where all non-essential tones have been altered. This means that it comprises the three irreducibly essential tones that define a dominant seventh chord, which are root, major third, and minor seventh and that all other chord tones have been altered. These are:

A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord's root. When not otherwise specified, a "seventh chord" usually means a dominant seventh chord: a major triad together with a minor seventh. However, a variety of sevenths may be added to a variety of triads, resulting in many different types of seventh chords.

A chord, in music, is any harmonic set of pitches consisting of multiple notes that are heard as if sounding simultaneously. For many practical and theoretical purposes, arpeggios and broken chords, or sequences of chord tones, may also be considered as chords.

In music theory, the concept of root is the idea that a chord can be represented and named by one of its notes. It is linked to harmonic thinking— the idea that vertical aggregates of notes can form a single unit, a chord. It is in this sense that one speaks of a "C chord" or a "chord on C"—a chord built from "C" and of which the note "C" is the root. When a chord is referred to in Classical music or popular music without a reference to what type of chord it is, it is assumed a major triad, which for C contains the notes C, E and G. The root need not be the bass note, the lowest note of the chord: the concept of root is linked to that of the inversion of chords, which is derived from the notion of invertible counterpoint. In this concept, chords can be inverted while still retaining their root.

An augmented triad is a chord, made up of two major thirds. The term augmented triad arises from an augmented triad being considered a major chord whose top note (fifth) is raised. When using popular-music symbols, it is indicated by the symbol "+" or "aug". For example, the augmented triad built on C, written as C+, has pitches C–E–G♯:

In music theory, an augmented sixth chord contains the interval of an augmented sixth, usually above its bass tone. This chord has its origins in the Renaissance, was further developed in the Baroque, and became a distinctive part of the musical style of the Classical and Romantic periods.

The term sixth chord refers to two different kinds of chord, the first in classical music and the second in modern popular music.

In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the interval between the sixth and first scale degrees when the sixth is transposed up an octave, creating a compound sixth, or thirteenth. The thirteenth is most commonly major Play (help·info) or minor Play (help·info).

In music, the Phrygian dominant scale is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant. Also called the altered Phrygian scale, dominant flat 2 flat 6 (in jazz), the Freygish scale (also spelled Fraigish), or simply the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale. It resembles the scale of the Phrygian mode but has a major third. In the Berklee method, it is known as the Mixolydian ♭9 ♭13 chord scale, a Mixolydian scale with a lowered 9th (2nd) and lowered 13th (6th), used in secondary dominant chord scales for V⁷/III and V⁷/VI.

Jazz chords refer to chords, chord voicings and chord symbols that jazz musicians commonly use in composition, improvisation, and harmony. In jazz chords and theory, most triads that appear in lead sheets or fake books can have sevenths added to them, using the performer's discretion and ear. For example, if a tune is in the key of C, if there is a G chord, the chord-playing performer usually "voices" this chord as G7. While in a strict classical music context, the notes of a G⁷ chord would be G–B–D–F, jazz often omits the fifth of the chord—and even the root if playing in a group. However, not all jazz pianists leave out the root when they play voicings: Bud Powell, one of the best-known of the bebop pianists, and Horace Silver, whose quintet included many of jazz's biggest names from the 1950s to the 1970s, included the root note in their voicings.

In music, the major Locrian scale, also called the Locrian major scale, is the scale obtained by sharpening the second and third notes of the diatonic Locrian mode. With a tonic of C, it consists of the notes C D E F G♭ A♭ B♭. It can be described as a whole tone scale extending from G♭ to E, with F introduced within the diminished third interval from E to G♭. The scale therefore shares with the Locrian mode the property of having a diminished fifth above the tonic.

Jazz improvisation is the spontaneous invention of melodic solo lines or accompaniment parts. It is one of the defining elements of jazz. Improvisation is composing on the spot, when a singer or instrumentalist invents melodies and lines over a chord progression played by rhythm section instruments and accompanied by drums. Although blues, rock, and other genres use improvisation, it is done over relatively simple chord progressions which often remain in one key.

Chuck Wayne was a jazz guitarist. He came to prominence in the 1940s, and was among the earliest jazz guitarists to play in the bebop style. Wayne was a member of Woody Herman's First Herd, the first guitarist in the George Shearing quintet, and Tony Bennett's music director and accompanist. He developed a systematic method for playing jazz guitar.

The augmented seventh chord, or seventh augmented fifth chord, or seventh sharp five chord is a seventh chord composed of a root, major third, augmented fifth, and minor seventh. It can be viewed as an augmented triad with a minor seventh. When using popular-music symbols, it is denoted by +⁷, aug⁷, or ^7♯5. For example, the augmented seventh chord built on C, written as C+⁷, has pitches C–E–G♯–B♭:

In music theory, the dominant seventh flat five chord is a seventh chord composed of a root note, together with a major third, a diminished fifth, and a minor seventh above the root. For example, the dominant seventh flat five chord built on C, commonly written as C^7♭5, is composed of the pitches C–E–G♭–B♭:

In jazz music, the lydian chord is the major 7♯11 chord, or ♯11 chord, the chord built on the first degree of the lydian mode, the sharp eleventh being a compound augmented fourth. It is described as "beautiful" and "modern sounding."

Seventh (chord) musical interval spanning six staff positions; either a major seventh (11 semitones) or a minor seventh (10 semitones) in a diatonic scale

In music, the seventh factor of a chord is the note or pitch seven scale degrees above the root or tonal center. When the seventh is the bass note, or lowest note, of the expressed chord, the chord is in third inversion Play (help·info).

Among alternative tunings for guitar, a major-thirds tuning is a regular tuning in which each interval between successive open strings is a major third. Other names for major-thirds tuning include major-third tuning, M3 tuning, all-thirds tuning, and augmented tuning. By definition, a major-third interval separates two notes that differ by exactly four semitones.

References

↑ Bay, William (18 June 2008). Deluxe Guitar Chord Encyclopedia: Case-Size Edition. Mel Bay Publications. pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-0-7866-7522-7 . Retrieved 4 April 2012.
↑ Bay, Mel (1 June 2003). Modern Guitar Method Grade 3. Mel Bay Publications. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-7866-6796-3 . Retrieved 4 April 2012.
↑ Library of Congress. Copyright Office (1978). Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series: 1977: January–June: Index. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. p. 955. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
↑ Andrews, Lee Drew; Andrews, Drew Lee (21 October 2008). Children's Banjo Chord Book. Mel Bay Publications. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7866-7617-0 . Retrieved 4 April 2012.
↑ McClellan, John; Bratic, Deyan (29 November 2004). Chet Atkins in Three Dimensions. Mel Bay Publications. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-7866-5877-0 . Retrieved 4 April 2012.

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[Bay2008-1] Bay, William (18 June 2008). Deluxe Guitar Chord Encyclopedia: Case-Size Edition. Mel Bay Publications. pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-0-7866-7522-7 . Retrieved 4 April 2012.

[Bay2003-2] Bay, Mel (1 June 2003). Modern Guitar Method Grade 3. Mel Bay Publications. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-7866-6796-3 . Retrieved 4 April 2012.

[Office1978-3] Library of Congress. Copyright Office (1978). Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series: 1977: January–June: Index. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. p. 955. Retrieved 4 April 2012.

[AndrewsAndrews2008-4] Andrews, Lee Drew; Andrews, Drew Lee (21 October 2008). Children's Banjo Chord Book. Mel Bay Publications. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7866-7617-0 . Retrieved 4 April 2012.

[McClellanBratic2004-5] McClellan, John; Bratic, Deyan (29 November 2004). Chet Atkins in Three Dimensions. Mel Bay Publications. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-7866-5877-0 . Retrieved 4 April 2012.