Learning D Chord Structure
The amateur musician and listener should both be aware of harmony as an element of guitar structure even though a technical knowledge of harmony is not a must to enjoying music. There are certain basic principles, properties and uses of this element he should be aware of.
Rhythm and melody are not as sophisticated elements as Harmony. In primitive cultures it was virtually non-existent. Developed primarily in the western civilization it is an element that appeared late in the history of music.
The simultaneous combination of musical tones is what the element of harmony is based on or the creation of melody using chords. This distinguishes it from the tones of melody that are more consecutive.
A chord is the combination of three or more tones played at once and made to sound as one.
Chord construction can be understood better with some rudimentary principles. The major triad is the easiest chord since it only consists of three tones. Selecting tones from a major scale and adding two or more tones above in it altering degrees from the original is how a triad is built. We get the triad do-mi-sol, 1-3-5, or the C-E-G by starting with the tone C as “do” which is the tonic of the C-major scale.
Chord tones can be arranged in any order and without changing the essential nature of the chord can be duplicated an octave above or below. This is the reason chords such as C/G which is the second inversion of the C-major triad with the chord G tone as the bass or C/E which is the first inversion of the same triad using the chord tone E as the bass.
The basis for all conventional harmony from 1700-1900 was the building of chords in thirds on the alternate scale degrees as described.
Music composers expanded the chord vocabulary in the twentieth century by additional means of construction to create more complex and colorful effects. Modern pop, rock and jazz all still follow conventional ways of chord construction which is by thirds even though there are additional means of construction available.
You may want to go back to the major chord since you are probably wondering why there are numerous fingerings for one major chord. The notes repeat themselves in increasing octaves at their corresponding string because of the 12 frets of the guitar. The first fret at the B string has the C, the A strings third fret has it as does the fifth fret at the G string and the E strings eighth fret.
Here are other notes and their fingers for reference.
D: 7th at G and 10th at E, A’s 5th fret and B’s 3rd fret
E: E’s 12th and G’s 9th fret, 7th at A, B’s 5th and D’s 2nd
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