When learning chords, people are mostly stuck with the chords at the location they have learned them initially and are not seeing the same chords which repeat all over the neck. This sometimes results in a situation where players are jumping like 8 frets up or down the neck while in fact the same chord is nearby without realizing it.

The way I have learned it myself is by doing the exercise below for any chord progression I came across. Starting with very simple chord progressions up to very complex progressions. Sometimes it will even happen that the next chord is just 1 or 2 fingermoves away from the current shape.

For example let's use the chord progression : ||: Fmaj7 Gm7 | Am7 Bbmaj7 | C7 Dm7 | Em7(b5) Fmaj7 :||

step 1 : make a layout of all chord intervals for each of the above chords

Not sure yet how the intervals of a chord are defined, see my page on chord formulas

Empty templates you find here : Templates

see also :

• Find notes easily on the guitar and how it is connected to the CAGED system.

• All chord intervals in one overview based on the CAGED system

step 2 : Take a blank page and start drawing the chords on the first 4 strings (D, G, B & E) in a range of max 3 frets of eachother. Start from fret 1 and when done, start all over by moving a few frets higher up the neck. You do not need the Root note all the time, it can be played by the bass player or keyboard or ... any other instrument if you are in a band.

Empty templates you find here : Templates

I have worked out an example for you so you can see what I mean.

step 3 : try to see also other chord names for those you created and write them down on your worksheet. By doing this you will learn also automatically the equivalent chords and your chord range knowledge will expand dramatically.

step 4 : now play this chord progression in one go, so 5 times each time a step higher up the neck according what you have discovered.

step 5 : Repeat as of step 2 but now on the strings A, D, G & B step 6 : Repeat as of step 2 but now on the strings E, A, D & G

Not sure yet how the intervals of a chord are defined, see my page on chord formulas

Empty templates you find here : Templates

see also :

• Find notes easily on the guitar and how it is connected to the CAGED system.

• All chord intervals in one overview based on the CAGED system

Written by Peter Bos

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