Chords for George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" and Diminished Chord Transitions | Reverb Learn to Play Guitar
Tempo:
118 bpm
Chords used:
E
B
F#m
C#m
G#
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[E] [C#m]
[E] [G#] [F#m]
[B] Hey friends, hey family, Joe here at Reverb.com. Today we're diving into some songwriting techniques
of George Harrison.
The effort here is to teach you a little bit about music theory
in the context of songs you know and love, to make it more useful and fun.
Today we're
going to dive into the song My Sweet Lord, and we are going to learn about diminished
chord resolution.
George was so great with not only chord structure, but chord placement,
and having a chord that pivots from one section to another so beautifully.
In My Sweet Lord,
that chord comes at the end of the B section to get [E] back to the A section.
So let's check
it out.
The A section is F sharp [F#m] minor [B] to [E] B major.
I've got a capo 2 here, so it looks
like E [Em] minor and A major, but it's F sharp minor, B [F#m] major.
[B] [F#m]
[B] [E] Then the next section goes
to E major and C [C#m] sharp minor.
[E]
[C#m] [A]
[E] [C#m] [E] Now, what happens next is how George pivots back to the F sharp
minor, and he uses a diminished chord to do that.
Diminished chords are unstable chords.
They want to resolve somewhere else, which is why oftentimes their function is exactly
that.
They have a function of pivoting to a different chord.
So if you have your target
chord, in this case that chord is F sharp minor, that's the chord that George wanted
to get back to.
Placing a diminished chord a full step above a minor chord is a common
and very effective pivot.
It's a very effective resolution.
[A#] So the result is this.
[G#]
[F#m]
You can
hear those notes kind of pulling in that [E] direction.
What Harrison did was he just put that chord
right in there to pivot back to the F sharp minor.
So we're in the B section, [C#] E to C [E] sharp
minor.
[C#m] [E]
[C#m] [E] Here it comes.
[B] [G#] [F#m]
[B] And then we're back to the F sharp minor section.
[F#m]
[B] [E] After the resolution
it makes sense, but also coming from this major sounding section, [C#m]
[E] and then when we hear
this [F] tonality, [E] our ears kind of twist a little bit.
[F#m] You understand that something different
is coming now, and it is.
And it's the F sharp minor, and it makes sense that that diminished
chord is placed there right [Em] before the F sharp minor.
Diminished chords are built off of
minor thirds.
Minor third, minor third, minor third, stacked minor [B] thirds.
If you [D#] move a
diminished chord, a diminished shape [E] in minor thirds, three [B] frets, [D] [F]
[A#] they're all the same
notes, they're just in different inversions.
If you play a full step above a minor chord
to resolve down to that minor chord, arguably the same thing as playing a half step below
that minor chord, the target chord, and resolving up to the target chord, because those are
three frets apart, a minor third apart, same chord.
[G#] Something to [E] keep you up at night.
Friends, thanks so much for watching this video on a songwriting technique from George
Harrison.
[C#m] A little bit of diminished chord info for you there [E] as well.
You can check
out our other George Harrison [G#] videos, there's a few more up right now, so [F#m] check them out
on Reverb.com.
[E] [G#] [F#m]
[B] Hey friends, hey family, Joe here at Reverb.com. Today we're diving into some songwriting techniques
of George Harrison.
The effort here is to teach you a little bit about music theory
in the context of songs you know and love, to make it more useful and fun.
Today we're
going to dive into the song My Sweet Lord, and we are going to learn about diminished
chord resolution.
George was so great with not only chord structure, but chord placement,
and having a chord that pivots from one section to another so beautifully.
In My Sweet Lord,
that chord comes at the end of the B section to get [E] back to the A section.
So let's check
it out.
The A section is F sharp [F#m] minor [B] to [E] B major.
I've got a capo 2 here, so it looks
like E [Em] minor and A major, but it's F sharp minor, B [F#m] major.
[B] [F#m]
[B] [E] Then the next section goes
to E major and C [C#m] sharp minor.
[E]
[C#m] [A]
[E] [C#m] [E] Now, what happens next is how George pivots back to the F sharp
minor, and he uses a diminished chord to do that.
Diminished chords are unstable chords.
They want to resolve somewhere else, which is why oftentimes their function is exactly
that.
They have a function of pivoting to a different chord.
So if you have your target
chord, in this case that chord is F sharp minor, that's the chord that George wanted
to get back to.
Placing a diminished chord a full step above a minor chord is a common
and very effective pivot.
It's a very effective resolution.
[A#] So the result is this.
[G#]
[F#m]
You can
hear those notes kind of pulling in that [E] direction.
What Harrison did was he just put that chord
right in there to pivot back to the F sharp minor.
So we're in the B section, [C#] E to C [E] sharp
minor.
[C#m] [E]
[C#m] [E] Here it comes.
[B] [G#] [F#m]
[B] And then we're back to the F sharp minor section.
[F#m]
[B] [E] After the resolution
it makes sense, but also coming from this major sounding section, [C#m]
[E] and then when we hear
this [F] tonality, [E] our ears kind of twist a little bit.
[F#m] You understand that something different
is coming now, and it is.
And it's the F sharp minor, and it makes sense that that diminished
chord is placed there right [Em] before the F sharp minor.
Diminished chords are built off of
minor thirds.
Minor third, minor third, minor third, stacked minor [B] thirds.
If you [D#] move a
diminished chord, a diminished shape [E] in minor thirds, three [B] frets, [D] [F]
[A#] they're all the same
notes, they're just in different inversions.
If you play a full step above a minor chord
to resolve down to that minor chord, arguably the same thing as playing a half step below
that minor chord, the target chord, and resolving up to the target chord, because those are
three frets apart, a minor third apart, same chord.
[G#] Something to [E] keep you up at night.
Friends, thanks so much for watching this video on a songwriting technique from George
Harrison.
[C#m] A little bit of diminished chord info for you there [E] as well.
You can check
out our other George Harrison [G#] videos, there's a few more up right now, so [F#m] check them out
on Reverb.com.
Key:
E
B
F#m
C#m
G#
E
B
F#m
[E] _ _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ [G#] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ Hey friends, hey family, Joe here at Reverb.com. Today we're diving into some songwriting techniques
of George Harrison.
The effort here is to teach you a little bit about music theory
in the context of songs you know and love, to make it more useful and fun.
Today we're
going to dive into the song My Sweet Lord, and we are going to learn about diminished
chord resolution.
George was so great with not only chord structure, but _ chord placement,
and having a chord that pivots from one section to another so beautifully.
In My Sweet Lord,
that chord comes at the end of the B section to get [E] back to the A section.
So let's check
it out.
The A section is F sharp [F#m] minor _ _ _ [B] to _ [E] B major.
I've got a capo 2 here, so it looks
like E [Em] minor and A major, but it's F sharp minor, B [F#m] major. _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ [E] Then the next section goes
to E major _ and C [C#m] sharp minor.
_ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ _ [A] _
[E] _ _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ [E] Now, what happens next is how George pivots back to the F sharp
minor, and he uses a diminished chord to do that.
Diminished chords are unstable chords.
They want to resolve somewhere else, which is why oftentimes their function is exactly
that.
They have a function of pivoting to a different chord.
So if you have your target
chord, in this case that chord is F sharp minor, that's the chord that George wanted
to get back to.
Placing a diminished chord a full step above a minor chord is a common
and very effective pivot.
It's a very effective resolution.
[A#] So the result is this.
[G#] _ _ _ _
_ [F#m] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
You can
hear those notes kind of _ pulling in that [E] direction.
What Harrison did was he just put that chord
right in there to pivot back to the F sharp minor.
So we're in the B section, [C#] E to C [E] sharp
minor. _ _
[C#m] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
[C#m] _ _ _ _ [E] _ Here it comes. _
[B] _ [G#] _ _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _
[B] And then we're back to the F sharp minor section.
[F#m] _ _ _
[B] _ [E] After the resolution
it makes sense, but also coming from this major sounding section, _ _ [C#m] _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ and then when we hear
this [F] tonality, _ _ [E] our ears kind of twist a little bit.
[F#m] You understand that something different
is coming now, and it is.
And it's the F sharp minor, and it makes sense that that diminished
chord is placed there right [Em] before the F sharp minor.
Diminished chords are built off of
minor thirds.
Minor third, minor third, minor third, stacked minor [B] thirds.
If you [D#] move a
diminished chord, a diminished shape [E] in minor thirds, three [B] frets, _ [D] _ _ [F] _ _
_ [A#] _ _ they're all the same
notes, they're just in different inversions.
If you play a full step above a minor chord
to resolve down to that minor chord, _ _ arguably the same thing as playing a half step below
that minor chord, the target chord, and resolving up to the target chord, because those are
three frets apart, a minor third apart, same chord.
_ [G#] Something to [E] keep you up at night.
Friends, thanks so much for watching this video on a songwriting technique from George
Harrison.
[C#m] A little bit of diminished chord info for you there [E] as well.
You can check
out our other George Harrison [G#] videos, there's a few more up right now, so [F#m] check them out
on Reverb.com. _ _
[E] _ _ _ [G#] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ Hey friends, hey family, Joe here at Reverb.com. Today we're diving into some songwriting techniques
of George Harrison.
The effort here is to teach you a little bit about music theory
in the context of songs you know and love, to make it more useful and fun.
Today we're
going to dive into the song My Sweet Lord, and we are going to learn about diminished
chord resolution.
George was so great with not only chord structure, but _ chord placement,
and having a chord that pivots from one section to another so beautifully.
In My Sweet Lord,
that chord comes at the end of the B section to get [E] back to the A section.
So let's check
it out.
The A section is F sharp [F#m] minor _ _ _ [B] to _ [E] B major.
I've got a capo 2 here, so it looks
like E [Em] minor and A major, but it's F sharp minor, B [F#m] major. _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ [E] Then the next section goes
to E major _ and C [C#m] sharp minor.
_ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ _ [A] _
[E] _ _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ [E] Now, what happens next is how George pivots back to the F sharp
minor, and he uses a diminished chord to do that.
Diminished chords are unstable chords.
They want to resolve somewhere else, which is why oftentimes their function is exactly
that.
They have a function of pivoting to a different chord.
So if you have your target
chord, in this case that chord is F sharp minor, that's the chord that George wanted
to get back to.
Placing a diminished chord a full step above a minor chord is a common
and very effective pivot.
It's a very effective resolution.
[A#] So the result is this.
[G#] _ _ _ _
_ [F#m] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
You can
hear those notes kind of _ pulling in that [E] direction.
What Harrison did was he just put that chord
right in there to pivot back to the F sharp minor.
So we're in the B section, [C#] E to C [E] sharp
minor. _ _
[C#m] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
[C#m] _ _ _ _ [E] _ Here it comes. _
[B] _ [G#] _ _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _
[B] And then we're back to the F sharp minor section.
[F#m] _ _ _
[B] _ [E] After the resolution
it makes sense, but also coming from this major sounding section, _ _ [C#m] _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ and then when we hear
this [F] tonality, _ _ [E] our ears kind of twist a little bit.
[F#m] You understand that something different
is coming now, and it is.
And it's the F sharp minor, and it makes sense that that diminished
chord is placed there right [Em] before the F sharp minor.
Diminished chords are built off of
minor thirds.
Minor third, minor third, minor third, stacked minor [B] thirds.
If you [D#] move a
diminished chord, a diminished shape [E] in minor thirds, three [B] frets, _ [D] _ _ [F] _ _
_ [A#] _ _ they're all the same
notes, they're just in different inversions.
If you play a full step above a minor chord
to resolve down to that minor chord, _ _ arguably the same thing as playing a half step below
that minor chord, the target chord, and resolving up to the target chord, because those are
three frets apart, a minor third apart, same chord.
_ [G#] Something to [E] keep you up at night.
Friends, thanks so much for watching this video on a songwriting technique from George
Harrison.
[C#m] A little bit of diminished chord info for you there [E] as well.
You can check
out our other George Harrison [G#] videos, there's a few more up right now, so [F#m] check them out
on Reverb.com. _ _