This is the ^9th installment of this article-designed to help the beginner/intermediate guitarist learn guitar chords, as they apply to each given key. We ended our last installment with the key of E. In this installment we will cover the wonderful key of A flat. Now everybody has a different method that they may apply when attempting to teach what I’m about to. If this doesn’t work for you, accept my apologies and don’t let it discourage you. If it does work for you, then my life will have had some meaning. Let’s start with the basic chords in the key of A flat.

 The Basic chords in the key of A flat                                                         Chart 1

Now let me explain the chord charts in case you don’t understand them. They represent the guitar neck, as you would look at it sideways.  From right to left are the six strings of the guitar and the horizontal lines represent the frets. Got it? Good. Each finger is represented by a number from 1-4, with 1 being the index finger, 2 being the middle finger, 3 being the ring finger and 4 being the pinky. The “x” means that the string isn’t played, plucked, strummed or touched.  Leave it alone! Whenever you see a line connecting the dots, it means that all of the dots are pressed down by the same finger. Which is called “barring” the chord. Simplified: One finger lays across the strings. You may have noticed that most of the chord diagrams in chart 1 have a number to the left of them. Let’s use the C Minor as an example.  The 3 to the left of the diagram means that the first fret displayed is to be regarded as the fourth fret on your guitar.  Okay? Above, I’ve shown the basic chords for the key of A flat. Below are some additional chords that I refer to as substitute chords.

Some substitute chords for the key of A flat                                             Chart 2

 

In chart 2, I have listed what are called substitute chords.  Let’s say you played the first chords listed in chart 1, in the order that they were listed.  For the A major chord, you can substitute an A major 7^th chord. The C minor chord can be replaced by the C minor 7^th chord. The same is true for each of the remaining. Play them. Has a jazzy ring to it, doesn’t it? Some people refer to substitute chords as orchestral chords but it doesn’t matter. A rose by any other name still has a thorn.  I’ve included additional substitute chords so that you can improve your chordal vocabulary.  You’ll be the life of the party and the envy of all your peers.  You will be on your way to achieving greatness. The sky is the limit.  Let’s move on to some more substitute chords.
                                                                                                                                  Chart 3



So now we’ll close by saying that we hope you will find this article useful in the process of improving yourself as a guitarist. If there is something you think we should add, just send a letter or E-mail and we’ll be happy to give your suggestions some consideration.  Any feedback you give will be appreciated.  We want to make improvements on the web site wherever possible. We covered 17 chords in this issue and in each installment we’ll cover 17 more. See you next time. 

Bob Craypoe

Next installment:                                                                             The key of B