A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A#,C#,D#

you did ask for 10 right?

hosehead48
Can you guys tell me the main chords used in surf tunes. I know this is a big broad horizon of chords. But just if you could only play 10 chords.
What would they be? And how many are considerd bar chords?
Thanks
Hosehead48

Are you including Tiki-Bar Chords ?

Yeah there's more than 10.

A Major
A Minor
A sometin' else
A what u lookin' at
A now
A T one
G that's cool
C what you've started
E by eck
B careful
F in eleven

Dsus# anyone ?

Guys, I know you are having some laughs here, but please don't forget what the "101" part of SG101 stands for. Brian started his list as a place for beginners and more advanced players to share ideas. I am guessing that Hosehead's question was an honest one, and he just wants to know where to start...
--ferenc (where is the emoticon for wet blanket?)

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Ferenc, you're absolutly right. apologies to the original posters if the multitude of wisecracks was a bit intimidating.

Danny was spot on though, the question was a little, uh, undefined.

Sooooo, I'll take a shot too, I'm just assuming you're a starting out guitar player, and want some pointers.

as far as different types of chords is concerned, major, minor, and an occasional 7 is what used 99.9%, hardly any more exotic things like 9s, 11s, sus', dim, 7#9 etc etc. In modern surf you might come across these kinds of chord, but still not many. If you hear a weird sounding chord at times, chances are pretty high that the chord is perfectly normal, but it's the combination with the guitar-melody that makes the chord sound that way.

as far as keys are concerned, anything goes, really, and everything is used. basic chord structures to start out with are:

E / F / E / F // etc ... you can combine that with the common:
Am / G / F / E //

also common is a simple 12 bar blues scheme:

A / A / A / A / D / D / A / A / E / E / A / A //

or, e.g., a very simple chord sequence repeated as 12-bar blues:

A G / A G / A G / A G / D C / D C /
A G / A G / E D / E D / A G / A G //

best to play these as bar-chords....

the very best way to learn these kind of things still is to just put on some music and try to play along, just try to figure out by ear what they are doin'. might be a bitch to start with, but you 'll be constantly improving your playing, your ear and your musical understanding. and it's major fun once you get the hang of it!

hope that helps, good luck and do n't be scared to post again on how it's going
WR

Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."

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Last edited: Aug 01, 2006 03:53:30

hosehead48
And how many are considerd bar chords?

well, I think chords are either bar chords or they're not, depending on whether you need to use a bar? open chords can be played as bar chords, too, which makes it possible to mute the chord with you're fretting hand, providing for more rhytmic possiblities.

on tip though, if you're having 'index-finger-trouble' with the bar chords. if you take the E-shape bar chord:

image

you can just leave both e-strings out, and fret the b-string 'normally' with your indexfinger. it's pretty much like holding a baseballbat, if you grip the guitars neck this way, thumb around it, you probably automatically mute the (now opn) e-strings. very comfortable and gives your finger a bit of rest. your missing something, but not that much. it's very yabba yabba hey.

WR

Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."

https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/

I'm sorry for the wise cracks, however the answers still got a giggle out of me. Chords for Surf music. hmmmm.....

From the original poster's phrasing, I would suggest rather than a lesson in chords and their mathematical formulae, a different approach may be in order.

Are there any chords that you can't use in surf ? No

Without distortion the Root-5th Power Chord doesn't sound as full, but it's still fine and gives a lead guitarist a big bunch of options.

Playing those strings backwards works. Arpeggiate from high to low with reverb makes for great sounds.

Close intervals can be a menace if you want to lean on the vibrato or tremolo. If you want you can compensate by adding notes from a higher register to still impart the tonallity required.

Learn the ways to construct chords and experiment. if you're playing with another guitarist, give them space.

My 2p

There's plenty of resources for chords on the internet and use your ears to pick the ones you like. We could list every chord ever used in Surf Music and it's related genres and it wouldn't help you be a better guitarist.

As for the wet blanket emoticon ....... it's right next to the rolling eyes !!!

Basically, surf cords tend to be simple and fast fretting just to give you some rest between tremolo picking. Strings are thick, melodies are simple. To make the simple cords sound good you use whammy bar.

Surf cords are just the major and minor barre cords but without the low E and A strings and with a whammy bar.

Plus there is one more cheesy cord (dunno the name) played at the end of james bondy surf tunes. I might be wrong cause i dont have my guitar with me right now and my head does not remember what my finger do. First you must play open low E string then arpeggio over this cord starting from low d to high e:
e - 2 fret
b - 4 fret
g - 4 fret
d - 5 fret
after you strum it do the whammy bar.

For the intro you use 5th cords - you pick them fast and hard and slide a half-tone higher. Like sex pistols or ramones...

Also, you can fret the high 4 strings at one fret and use a whammy bar.

Last edited: Aug 02, 2006 10:51:49