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Topic: guitar chords (Read 4762 times) previous topic - next topic

guitar chords

Okay, so I searched through so many threads, and couldn't find what I need.
I found many threads discussing comping slashes and chord symbols above the staff, but what I'm looking for is a file that has proper voicings for the notes that a guitarist would play when seeing the chord symbols above the staff.  I know what notes are in what chords, so that's not the problem.  I want my guitar parts to sound authentic, not just "stacked thirds" as a pianist would play them.  One example would be a G7 has a pretty easy fingering, but Gb7 cannot be played simply by lowering everything a half step.
Is there such a file out there?

Re: guitar chords

Reply #1 –
What you want to do is produce a "strumming" sound, in which the notes have slight delays? If so, check out "multi-point controllers." Maybe someone else can give you more detailed advice.

Re: guitar chords

Reply #2 –
Thanks, but a "strumming" sound isn't the issue here.  I can handle that when needed.
I am looking for where on the staff the pitches of a chord should be placed to make the guitar parts sound authentic.
The piano would play C E G Bb D# ([abbr=and I don't mean arpeggio either]from the bottom up[/abbr]) for a C7#9, but the guitar cannot play them in that order because the strings are tuned too far apart.  The guitar might have to play C E G D# Bb, with the Bb being one octave higher than the piano version.  Or maybe there is some fingering further up the fretboard that yields another voicing.

Re: guitar chords

Reply #3 –
Get hold of a guitar manual.  I've got an (old, copyright 1935, but I bought it in the 1950's) "Complete Chord and Harmony Manual for Guitar" by Nick Manoloff, M. M. Cole Publishing Co.  For every chord you can think of there are as many as four different fingerings shown, with the chord in usual notation.

I'm sure that there are more recent equivalents, if this isn't still avalable.  Booklets like this often lead very long lives, without change in copyright dates, etc.

Here is a $30US program which will do the same thing:

http://www.daccordmusic.com/eng/chorddictionary.htm
::: D'Accord Guitar Chord Dictionary

Don't know anything about it, never used it myself.

Use Google, I suspect there are chord table on-line.

Re: guitar chords

Reply #4 –
C. Shore, (cute moniker, btw :)

I guess the only thing to do is to write them yourself. If you are not a guitarist, then grab a book, like Cyril suggests, and then just nut out the chords that you need. As you do each new chord, create a library of them in a separate NWC file, from which you can copy and paste in the future.

One thing I really LIKE about NWC is the ease to set up our own libraries of things like guitar chords, mandolin chords, bouzouki chords, drum patterns, etc for our own personal use. And we can even share them around. So if you DO create one, C, why not send it to the Scriptorium for sharing?

Re: guitar chords

Reply #5 –
As a further suggestion, see if a friend has a guitar with a midi pickup. The chords will then automatically be generated as played by the guitar.

Re: guitar chords

Reply #6 –
I guess the only thing to do is to write them yourself.
I was hoping that a guitarist has already done this somewhere, and was willing to share it with us.
If I do it myself, I'm afraid it may not be correct, so I might be afraid to share it.

And what do you mean by cute moniker, Andrew?

Re: guitar chords

Reply #7 –
A moniker is a name or a nickname.  C. Shore is a clever pun, much as G. Tar.

Re: guitar chords

Reply #8 –
I know what a moniker is.  I wanted to know what Andrew meant by cute moniker.  C. Shore is my name.  My first name begins with a C, and my last name is Shore (as in Dinah Shore).  What's so clever about that?  And what's so clever about G. Tar?  Is it that it sort of sounds like guitar?  I, for one, don't say "jee-tar," so it's not that clever.

Re: guitar chords

Reply #9 –
"C. Shore is my name"

Does C. stand for C?

Do you happen to know C. Shells?

Re: guitar chords

Reply #10 –
Have you tried this:
http://hatbox.lib.virginia.edu/gtrchord/gtrchord/
There are many many chords there, already in MIDI format.
You would have to download a bajillion .mids and then open them in NWC, but you would have from 3-12 voicings of lots of chord types for each of the 12 roots.
Tedious/time consuming, I know, but that's as much as I can help.