In this lesson, I am going to slap myself silly for not paying attention. Actually, it is always eye opening when you relearn something that just didn't seem to sink in before. When I was taught diatonic theory, many many eons ago, I learned the standard diatonic progression in C Major by way of four note 7th chords. As you will recall from a previous lesson, these chords are,

C Major 7th
D minor 7th
E minor 7th
F Major 7th
G Dominant 7th
A minor 7th
B minor 7 flat 5

So, when I watched various videos on Diatonic progressions, I started to notice that a lot of folks refer to the chord in the dominant position as a major (namely G Major instead of G dominant). And of course this makes perfect sense if you are not using 7th chords. If you are using triads, then the G chord, has a Root, a major 3rd, and a perfect 5th. Which is in fact a major chord.


G Root of the chord
B up a major 3rd ( or four half steps from the root)
D up a perfect 5th (or seven half steps from the root).

So, if we construct a diatonic progression using only triads, dropping the 7th, we get,

C Major
D minor
E minor
F Major
G Major
A minor
B diminished

The reason our B chord is diminished in this case is because it fits the formula for being a diminished chord. It has a Root B, a minor third D, and a diminished 5th F.

B Root of the chord
D up a minor 3rd ( or up 3 half steps from the root)
F up a diminished 5th (or up 6 half steps from the root).


Now, I don't want to discourage any of my readers. But, the reality is that even I have to go back and review a lot of these theoretical concepts to keep everything straight. But, this is what makes a good guitar player a better guitar player. When you are forced to step back and rethink why something in music theory works the way it does, it brings you closer to the actual mechanics of what is going on in your lessons. Also, making mistakes, having wrong impressions, and truly screwing up is all part of the learning process. Those who make the most mistakes have the most opportunities to figure out how things truly work. So, don't be afraid to push the envelope and screw up from time to time. Some of the best creative ideas on guitar that I ever came across were the results of what started out as disasterous mistakes in both my understanding of music theory and my employment of technique. But, when you are willing to try new things and willing to be flexable in your thinking processes, the world of guitar opens up new and improved ideas to you constantly.


Corey J. Bray