Part 1 – The 10 open-position chords
When Spy Tunes first launched in 2007, I created this video series titled How To Play Guitar.
These videos encapsulated the theories behind Spy Tunes’ methods and outlined my objectives for the online platform.
To learn more about these early days, visit the pages on eBooks and about me.
In the video series, I explain how to play the guitar using open-position chords that eventually evolve into barre chord shapes, pentatonic scales, and modal scales. This journey begins with just ten simple open-position chords.
Therefore, your ability to understand the guitar hinges entirely on mastering these initial ten open-position chords.
Can You Play All Open-Position Chords?
You might already be familiar with some of these chords, but do you know how to play an open-position G minor (Gm) chord? What about an open-position C minor (Cm)?
These two chords might not appear in your average Bob Dylan song, but to fully comprehend the fretboard, you need to learn them.
In the video, I discuss the various ways to finger open-position chords.
This is crucial information. Many beginner guitarists give up due to the misconception that chords must be fretted in a specific manner. In reality, you should fret chords in the way that feels most comfortable for you. There’s no single correct method; multiple approaches exist.
However, there is a “best way” to understand the fretboard, which starts with recognising these chord shapes.
If necessary, don’t play all the notes in a G chord. You can mute the fifth string and perhaps use one finger for the top two strings of that open-position G chord.
If that feels most comfortable for you, then proceed with that approach.
The Size of Your Hand
Why are there multiple ways to fret a chord?
It largely depends on the size of your hand. A 14-year-old girl doesn’t have the same hand dimensions as a 50-year-old bricklayer. Neither has an inherent advantage; it’s about understanding your hand’s capabilities and adapting accordingly.
Over time, by practising chromatic exercises and learning more acoustic songs, you might adjust how you play a G chord. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you experiment with all ten open-position chords and find a fingering method that suits you.
Your method will be the best method for you.
You’ll gain more insights into open-position chords and guitar playing by enrolling in my beginner course.
Part 2 – Barre chords & Pentatonic scales
In this segment, I first discuss how open-position chords transform into barre chords.
By practising this using the cycle of fourths exercise, you’ll also learn the names of all the notes on the fretboard. Simply call out the name of each chord as you play the exercise.
Once you’re familiar with all your barre chord shapes, you can build pentatonic scale shapes around them.
The Minor Pentatonic
Around all minor barre chord shapes, you can fit a minor pentatonic scale.
It’s very important to take the time to understand the connection between the chord shape and the minor pentatonic scale shape.
Simply follow the minor pentatonic exercises: always start by playing the chord shape, followed by the scale, and then return to the chord shape.
This approach will embed the chord shape alongside the scale shape.
The Major Pentatonic
The major pentatonic is what separates the content bedroom guitarist from the player who wants to reach the next level.
Many guitarists rely solely on minor pentatonic “box shapes”, using them as a blanket scale for all their solos. Don’t limit yourself—learn all the major pentatonic shapes as well, and take an essential step towards understanding music on the guitar.
All major barre chord shapes can be paired with a major pentatonic shape. Once you’ve completed the cycle of fourths exercise for both the minor and major pentatonic, calling out the names of the notes, you will know:
- All minor chord shapes
- All major chord shapes
- All Minor Pentatonic shapes
- All Major Pentatonic shapes
Play like Jimi Hendrix!
Pairing the minor and major pentatonic scales with each chord in a progression enables you to emulate Jimi Hendrix‘s style. At 2:30 in the video, I demonstrate this by playing over the chord progression from Little Wing.
Hendrix’s approach may have been influenced by his band’s three-piece format. As the sole chordal and solo instrument, Hendrix combined chords with pentatonic licks in a call-and-response manner with his vocals.
Follow the chords
In the final part of the video, I talk about how it’s easier to play notes that are close to the chord or pentatonic scale, rather than simply guessing.
I relate this to a singer, who would naturally do this. As long as you start thinking in pentatonic shapes—paired with chord shapes and progressions—you’ll become like the singer, with your own set of safe notes. From here, it’s all about adding to your vocabulary.
Blues scale
The first note to add when moving beyond the pentatonic scales is the b5, often called the blues note. This gives you the blues scale, a widely used scale, especially popular as a blanket scale for blues and rock solos.
A blanket scale is one you use across an entire progression—for example, playing an E blues scale over a 12-bar blues in E, where the chords are E7 – A7 – E7 – B7 – A7 – E7 – B7.
While this is a perfectly valid way of soloing, try swapping scale for each chord instead, just as I do over the Jimi Hendrix progression.
Ultimately, you want to be able to draw on either a minor pentatonic, major pentatonic, or blues scale, no matter where you are on the fretboard.
Take the intermediate electric course and learn how to apply these theories to your playing.
Part 3 – Modes
In this part of the How To Play Guitar series, I discuss how to transform pentatonic shapes into modal shapes.
This progression means that the open-position chords, which evolved into barre chords and then into pentatonic shapes, can now become modal scales.
In this way, you’re building upon previous knowledge; no time or learning has been wasted or discarded.
The Major Pentatonic modes
When I first developed this concept, I realised it was my key contribution to learning the guitar: the major pentatonic modes. It makes sense because you’re building on what you already know.
This approach also helps you connect your ear to the intervals. By adding a maj7 (Ionian and Lydian), you begin to hear music on a different level.
If you instead add a b7 (Mixolydian), it may seem like a small change—but to the ear, it’s significant. The deeper the connection between your ear, the theory, and the patterns, the better.
The reason I keep it this simple is so you can eventually let go of it and just play naturally. The fewer the rules and guidelines, the more likely this is to happen.
The Minor Pentatonic modes
At 4:48 in the video, I talk about the minor pentatonic modes. These work in the same way as the major modes—you add specific intervals to the minor pentatonic scale to create any of the minor modes.
The more comfortable you are with the minor pentatonic shapes, the more easily you’ll adapt to the minor modes.
Summary
To create the different modes, you need to remember the key intervals that define each one. Here they are:
Ionian
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Lydian
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7
Mixolydian
1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
Aeolian
1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Dorian
1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7
Phrygian
1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Use Chordacus and the SWS to see how these modes are displayed across the fretboard in all keys.
Part 4 – Using the modes
In this final part of the How To Play Guitar video series, I take a super simple I – VI – II – V progression and apply the modes accordingly.
The I chord uses Ionian, the VI chord Aeolian, the II chord Dorian, and the V chord the Mixolydian mode.
Before you stray off into jazz, it’s absolutely essential to first learn how to play “inside the box” like this. After all, how can you go outside a box you don’t yet know properly?
Playing Over Changes
All the work you’ve done so far with chord shapes, pentatonic scales, and modes finally pays off as you begin playing over changes.
In the video, I stay within the key as I play I – VI – II – V, but this concept can be applied to anything—key changes, chord II as a IIx, whatever it may be. As long as you can switch scale with each chord change, you can play over changes.
The key is to stop using a blanket scale and instead start thinking in terms of changing scales with the chords.
Around 1:30 in the video, I talk about how to see a chord shape, the pentatonic, the mode, and the chord number all at once.
By the 2-minute mark, I explain that a note only has meaning in relation to a chord. The same note can imply something completely different as the chords change.
For example, take the note E:
– Over a C chord, it’s a 3rd
– Over an Am, it’s a 5th
– Over a Dm, it’s a 2nd or 9th
– Over a G, it’s a 6th
So when you hit that E, it creates a sound relative to the chord being played. This is the secret of the modes. Once you’re fluent in this, you stop thinking about “E” as a note—you start thinking in intervals.
At 3:20, we complete this harmonic journey. Being able to “play over changes” is great—but the real question is, how do you phrase when you solo?
Use rhythm. Respond to the singer, or another band member. Most importantly, look at what’s happening in the song’s melody that you’re soloing over.
All these chords, scales, arpeggios, and modes form your vocabulary. Once you’ve learned the words, it’s time to speak.
To do that, you need context. You need songs. General theory only takes you so far—you must learn how to apply all this, song by song.
How To Play Guitar | Related Pages
Songbook A-Z
As a guitarist, your repertoire is your greatest asset—it’s your ticket to playing with other musicians.
To help you build it, I’ve gathered all the tunes into a Songbook that you can play in acoustic duos, jazz trios, indie/rock/pop bands, and funk/soul/Motown ensembles.