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Will Dallimore's FREE Guitar Chord Builder

Features

  • Colorful learning program
  • 24 of the most popular chords

Getting Started
The program requires:-

  • MS Windows 98 or later
  • Mouse

Will Dallimore's Guitar Chord Builder is a stand-alone utility requiring no additional dll's, etc.. It can be dropped into your Windows directory (or any other of your choice) and a short-cut linked to it from the Entertainment section of your Accessories directory.

Introduction
Will Dallimore's Guitar Chord Builder is designed as an educational aid. Through its use the operator will learn about guitar chords. It is not simply a chart showing guitar chord shapes, in fact it doesn't have a clue what a chord shape is. What is does have is a set of building blocks, by moving these around the fretboard chords should emerge before your eyes. 

How to Use 
To demonstrate how the program works let's try and build a G6 chord. 

Step 1. Select the required key, in our case a G, by clicking on the key button in the left hand column marked G.

Step 2. Select the required chord, by clicking on the chord button in the right hand column marked 6.

Step 3. Colored spots appear to the right of all of the key buttons whose note appears in the selected chord. These spots correspond to the spots that appear on the fretboard, for instance G is represented by a lime-green spot, therefore a lime-green spot on the fretboard signifies that if that string was fretted there a G note would be produced if that particular string was plucked.

Step 4. Initially only notes within our chord which are on OPEN strings, that is strings that are played un-fretted, are shown. To find the other notes that make up the chord we must use the row of up arrows (one per sting) at the top of the fretboard, and the row of down arrows at the bottom of the fretboard. These move the spot on that particular string up or down one fret. Once a spot is on a fret which corresponds to a note in your chord it will display the relevant color and a green tick will be displayed adjacent to that particular key button. A red cross signifies that that particular note is missing from the chord. A chord has been correctly formed when it meets the following criteria:-

  • All of the selected key buttons have green ticks showing

  • The chord is playable (not spread over more than 3 or 4 adjoining frets)

  • All if possible, or at least the 4 rightmost strings, are colored black

Other Instructions.   To clear or reset the fretboard then click on the Clear / Reset button. The large buttons at the top and bottom of the fretboard column can be used to move all of the spots on the fretboard up or down to their next position where a relevant note occurs.

Exit Click on the X (Close) button to end the program.

Download Gchord.exe (262Kb)

Will Dallimore's Guitar Chord Builder is an easy to use program, however it does offer a few more advanced features which are beyond the scope of the basic instructions shown here. However, a FREE pdf instruction manual will soon be available. For a copy please email will@badsey.net