Camp Song Guitar Chords

Perhaps the most important aspect of knowing chord relationships
is being able to recognize a progression by hearing it. Camp song
guitar chords are the ideal place to start.

Guitar players often spend hours learning new chords without
developing the ability to listen to the sound of each chord.
Whether you're composing, arranging. or learning, you'll benefit
by having a solid grasp of theory to help your ear.

The best way to start developing educated ears is with two chord
camp song guitar chords. By limiting your initial repertoire
to songs that only contain two chords we have greatly increased
our chance of success.

Playing songs "by ear" is really a process of improving our
ability to recall sound. Our ear simply sits on the side of our
head and picks up signals, it is our memory that records the
sound. How well we can play "by ear" is a matter of training, in
fact, anyone can learn to do it!

Here is a list of the 2 main chords in each key:

Tonic (key) Dominant

Chord 1 Chord 5

C ----------- G7

F ----------- C7

Bb --------- F7

Eb -------- Bb7

Ab -------- Eb7

Db -------- Ab7

Gb -------- Db7

B ---------- F#7

E ---------- B7

A ---------- E7

D ---------- A7

G ---------- D7

You don't have to learn all of these chords, most camp songs
use the chords in the keys of C, G, D, A and E.

Camp song guitar chords in the keys of G,D,A and E are the
most guitar friendly keys.

Here are some tunes you can play and sing using the two basic
chords.

Try your choices in all the popular guitar keys: G,D A and E.
Experiment to find the best key for your voice. If you find a key
that is a little to low you can always use a capo to raise the
pitch while still retaining the chord shapes you prefer.

Many familiar songs use just these two chords. Here is a list of
some of them. Though you could get the chords out of a book, it's
good training to guess them for yourself. This type of guesswork
is part of life for any musician in "real life" situations, so
now is a good time to start training your ear to become a good
guesser.

Two-Chord Tune list:

Ida Red

Memphis

Kentucky

Jambalaya

Tom Dooley

Buffalo Gals

Casey Jones

Rye Whiskey

Barbara Allen

Skip To My Lou

Little Liza Jane

Deep In THe Heart Of Texas

Be Honest With Me Dear

Take Me Back To Tulsa

My Darlin' Clementine

Convict And The Rose

Pistol Packin' Mama

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Singin' In The Rain

Down In The Valley

Two Doors Down

Rancho Grande

Tulsa Time

Achy Breaky Heart

Handsome Molly

Shady Grove

John Henry

Little Birdie

Hot Corn Cold Corn

Katy Daley

Fire Ball Mail

Pretty Fair Maid In The Garden

I'm Going Back To Old Kentucky

Jimmie Brown the Newsboy

I'll Go Steppin' Too

You Are My Flower

Stay All Night

Someone Took My Place With You

Wild Bill Jones

My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains

Working On A Building

Somehow Tonight

Pretty Polly

On My Mind

The Old Crossroads

Mansions for Me

Where the Soul Never Dies

What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul

Old Gospel Ship

Kentucky Girl

I'm Gonna Love You Like There's No Tomorrow

It Ain't Gonna Rain No More

Reuben's Train /Train 45

Bringing In The Georgia Mail

Darling Corey

I Love You a Thousand Ways

Waltz Across Texas

Puttin' On The Style

Boll Weevil

Shortin' Bread

Will You Be Lonesome Too

Walking in my Sleep

Little Children's Tunes using two chords:

London Bridge

Three blind Mice

Farmer In The Dell

Polly wholly Doodle

He's Got The Whole world In His Hands

Merrily We Roll Along

Froggie Went A'Courtin'

Row Row Row Your Boat

Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me

Many guitarist's don't understand the importance of learning two
chord camp song guitar chords, although it should be obvious
if you can't play two chord songs "by ear", there's little chance
of playing three chord songs.

Now, you are probably thinking, "how do I know which chord to
start on and when do I change chords?"

It's helpful to know that almost all songs start and end with the
one chord, and that the next-to-last chord is almost always five chord.
See if your ear can tell you when to change chords and which chord to
change to. Since at any point there are just two chords to
choose from, a little trial and error might show you the way.

When you think you've got it, memorize it and when you get a
chance, check your chords with a book or a knowledgeable
musician. Remember, this type of guesswork is part of what being
a musician is all about.

Two chord camp song guitar chords are the very best way to
learn to play by ear, see if you can hear as many of the songs on
our list, get some recordings and start developing your ear,
regardless of what style of music you play there's a lot to be
learnt from these simple two chord songs.

Inversion of Chords

What are inversions in music?

There are inverted chords, inverted melodies and inverted intervals. A chords inversion describes the relationship of its bass to the other tones in the chord. For instance, a C major triad contains the tones C, E and G; its inversion is determined by which of these tones is used as the bottom note in the chord.

The term inversion is often used to categorically refer to the different possibilities, although it may also be restricted to only those chords where the bass note is not also the root of the chord.

The Root Position and Two Inversions of the C triad:

We have been studying three toned chords. You know a C chord, F chord and a G chord. Now the number of tones = the number of ways the chord can be played. Since a triad or a basic chord is three -toned, it can be played three different ways: the root, the first inversion and the second inversion.

When a chord is inverted, the order of the notes is rearranged so that either the 3rd and 5th or just the 5th is below the inverted root.

If the ROOT (the note that is represented by the chord) of a C Major Chord is the lowest tone of the chord, it is said to be in the root or fundamental position.

For an example, if you are playing a C major chord with C as the lowest note, it is being played in Root or Fundamental position.

If another tone of the chord is the lowest tone, the chord is inverted.

The first Inversion would have the third of the chord as the lowest note.

The Second Inversion would have the Fifth of the chord as the lowest note.

The Third Inversion would have the Seventh of the chord as the lowest note.

C Major Chord (Root) = C E G

Since C is the lowest note, it is said to be in its root position.

C Major (1st Inversion) = E G C

Since E (the third of C major) is the lowest note, it is said to be in the First Inversion.

Since G (the fifth of C major) is the lowest note, it is said to be in the

Second inversion.

When a chord is played in its root position, the keynote is always on the bottom. When a chord is played in its first inversion, the keynote is always on the top. When a chord is played in its second inversion, the keynote is always in the middle.

So, what are chord inversions?

We have been dealing with chords in root position. Root position simply means that the root is the lowest note in the chord-the remaining note are stacked on top. But, you can also change the order of the notes, thereby inverting a chord.

How can you invert a chord?

You can invert a chord simply by transposing (moving) the lowest note up an octave, while leaving the others untouched. You can also invert downwards by transposing the highest note down an octave.

Chords can theoretically have as many inversions as they have notes. I say "theoretically" because larger ones tend to be fussy about their inversions: some inversions definitely sound better than others. Triads and seventh chords can, for most practical purposes, be freely inverted, depending on context.

Why invert?

There are many reasons. Progressions sound better with root position chords mixed with inverted chords. So various notes of one chord lead smoothly to notes in the next chord, with others not moving at all. This is called voice-leading.

Another reason for inversion, especially important for string instruments, is to make the chord easier (or in many cases, possible) to reach. Many chords-especially ones with four or more notes-are virtually unplayable in root position on instruments such as guitar and mandolin.

Enjoy playing many inversions in three different positions that will give you more options to your piano playing!