What useful information would you like to find in a chord dictionary?

[VinceSound]

Hello, I am a software engineer and amateur musician and since I had a bit a free time recently, I started building a free online chord dictionary that can be used as a reference in order to know how to construct or play any chord (well, almost any…).

I have included some chord charts to learn new chords or new voicings of the chords, a way to quickly visualise how a chord is formed and the notes it contains, and a guitar midi player to be able to listen to the chords. I am curious to hear if any of you are already using some kind of chord dictionary app or website, and if so, what other information would you like to find in a chord dictionary?

This is still work in progress but if you want to help, the dictionary I am working on is already accessible here. I am trying to build something useful to everyone so I would be happy to hear any suggestions, feedback or even feature requests. Thanks!

[KuruPrionz]

There are hundreds if not thousands of books on individual guitar chords already. 

Nothing wrong with starting another one!

What most books miss is how to use those chords to transition into song structures, why you would add a leading note to a chord that moves you to the next chord, classic single note runs that suggest chord changes and how chords and single (or double-triple stops) note fingering patterns coincide and co-exist. 

 

To do that, you need to know every note on the fretboard on every string and learn your patterns (I call them patterns, many will call them scales). One of the greatest things about guitar is that the shapes of patterns are consistent up and down the fretboard. If you know the shapes you can move them anywhere and play in any key. 

As always, there are exceptions. Adding your open strings to the mix provides more options, just for one. 

 

You could know every chord there is and still not be able to play music with them. 

Which is why learning some classic tunes - Georgia by Hoagy Carmichael comes to mind or an anthology of Beatles tunes, etc. will show you how to USE those chords. 

Somewhere I have a book with every guitar chord in the Universe in it. I've looked at it a couple of times. 

 

Blending chords with scales is essential, there are guitar books about that but it's been more fun for me to learn interesting songs. 

[Caevan O'Shite]

(Pssst- VinceSound- You might want to correct some the listed chords that add a "0" to 2, 5, 7... I was admittedly curious as to what C20, A50 or G110 would sound like...   All meant in the spirit of, 'Pssst- You've got piece of parsley stuck on your front teeth'... )


"The sus4 and sus2 chords can both be used in a similar way but the sus4 creates a bit more tension than the sus2 chord." A very good point! Now, I understand that you mean that the Sus4 rubs more agaionst that seemingly absent space where the m3rd or Maj3rd would be. It might be good to note that a true sus4 can similarly create a bit more tension to resolve than a sus/add11 (if I'm naming that correctly), due to the 4th being closer to the root, suspended 3rd, and 5th than the octave-higher 11th...


Knowing how chords are constructed and how to construct chords is even more useful than having a vast number of chord fingering diagrams to refer to and memorize. That kind of understanding empowers the player to choose what notes are more essential and what notes can be omitted from a given voicing diagram, within the context of the piece of music that they're playing.


I'm not sure what is meant by, "E is a unknown chord", within the context of "About this chord (Eadd9)".


It would be good if the "About this chord" notes for 'added' types pointed out that 'added' refers to a chord-voicing where one or more of the 3rd intervals is skipped, while adding the higher interval (such as the 7th being omitted in add9 chord voicings). Or, that add4 would be a chord that includes the m3rd or Maj3rd while adding the 4th, as well, unlike the more commonly used sus4.

Also a similar section concerning voice-leading and bass-note choices to outline melodies and bass-lines, voicings that omit the root or bass...


It would also be a very good thing to have a section on truncated three and even two note voicings, perhaps minus the root and/or 5th, implying given chords when playing with a bassist and/or keyboardist and/or horn section; or also for sparser comping with a vocalist.
  
   

[Ivan May]

I would like to learn how to use more string bends, like guitarists do with light gauge flatwound guitar strings.

[CEB]

The Bible is still Ted Greene's Chord Chemistry.  The challenge is organizing such a massive deluge of knowledge.

[KuruPrionz]

3 hours ago, CEB said:

The Bible is still Ted Greene's Chord Chemistry.  The challenge is organizing such a massive deluge of knowledge.

I have that book somewhere. It is comprehensive regarding chords and fingerings. Yes, it's a bit overwhelming.

As I mention above, you could know EVERY single chord there is and still not know how to play a song 

 

Chord Chemistry is a reference volume, the best of it's kind. It provides important knowledge, one aspect of learning guitar. 

[Sharkman]

www.chorderator.com is my favorite chord website.  You should go there and look around to see if there is anything you would use or adapt for your project, or if there is anything you would change.

[Larryz]

Another good site is www.forguitar.org/chord/   

[VinceSound]

On 11/15/2022 at 12:54 AM, Caevan O’Shite said:

(Pssst- VinceSound- You might want to correct some the listed chords that add a "0" to 2, 5, 7... I was admittedly curious as to what C20, A50 or G110 would sound like...   All meant in the spirit of, 'Pssst- You've got piece of parsley stuck on your front teeth'... )


"The sus4 and sus2 chords can both be used in a similar way but the sus4 creates a bit more tension than the sus2 chord." A very good point! Now, I understand that you mean that the Sus4 rubs more agaionst that seemingly absent space where the m3rd or Maj3rd would be. It might be good to note that a true sus4 can similarly create a bit more tension to resolve than a sus/add11 (if I'm naming that correctly), due to the 4th being closer to the root, suspended 3rd, and 5th than the octave-higher 11th...


Knowing how chords are constructed and how to construct chords is even more useful than having a vast number of chord fingering diagrams to refer to and memorize. That kind of understanding empowers the player to choose what notes are more essential and what notes can be omitted from a given voicing diagram, within the context of the piece of music that they're playing.


I'm not sure what is meant by, "E is a unknown chord", within the context of "About this chord (Eadd9)".


It would be good if the "About this chord" notes for 'added' types pointed out that 'added' refers to a chord-voicing where one or more of the 3rd intervals is skipped, while adding the higher interval (such as the 7th being omitted in add9 chord voicings). Or, that add4 would be a chord that includes the m3rd or Maj3rd while adding the 4th, as well, unlike the more commonly used sus4.

Also a similar section concerning voice-leading and bass-note choices to outline melodies and bass-lines, voicings that omit the root or bass...


It would also be a very good thing to have a section on truncated three and even two note voicings, perhaps minus the root and/or 5th, implying given chords when playing with a bassist and/or keyboardist and/or horn section; or also for sparser comping with a vocalist.
  
   

 

Oh wow, it looks like I had more than one piece of parsley stuck in my teeth 😄, thanks for pointing them out! 

 

Thanks for the feedback, I am taking note of everything!