Mel Bays Guitar Chords [Paperback]

Mel Bay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993

This book is considered to be the largest selling basic guitar chord book ever published! Twelve basic guitar chord types are shown in three ways: photograph, notation, and chord diagram. In addition, a special bonus section is contained showing in photo and diagram the essential moveable rhythm guitar chord forms. This special section contains the basics of Mel Bay's acclaimed Rhythm Chord Playing System showing the guitarist how to finger numerous advanced chord forms with a minimum of hand movement! Chords shown in photo, notation, and diagram form include Major, Minor, Dominant Seventh, Diminished, Augmented, Ninth, Major Seventh, Minor Seventh, Seventh #5, Seventh b5, Sixth and Minor Sixth. Chords are chown in the bonus Moveable Rhythm Chord section include Major, Minor, 7th, Minor 7th, 7sus4, 7b5, 7#5, Minor 7b5, Sixth, Minor 6th, Diminished 7th, Diminished add 9, 9th, Minor 9th, 9b5, 9#5, Minor 9b5, 7th b9, 7th b9#5, 11th, 9 add 6, Minor 9 add 6, 13th, 13sus11, 13 b9, 13th b9 b5.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mel Bay was born on February 25, 1913 in the little Ozark Mountain town of Bunker, Missouri. He bought a Sears Roebuck guitar at the age of 13 and several months later played his first "gig." (He recalled playing until his fingers were raw!) Mel took up the tenor banjo shortly thereafter and continued to play both instruments. During his teenage years Mel played with a wild assortement of bands and characters in rural Missouri. Perhaps no "gig" was as strange as the job he landed with, in Mel's words, "a snake oil salesman." This flamboyant peddler would pull his ostentatious Pierce Arrow automobile, complete with steer horns mounted on the grill, into the center of a small, rural town. Mel would sit on the car and play up a storm on the tenor banjo. After a crowd gathered, the peddler took over and began extolling the merits of his "wonder elixer." In 1933 Mel Bay moved to St. Louis and began his professional career. He played with numerous local and traveling bands. In addition, he landed staff guitar jobs on several radio stations. Mel fronted his own trio (piano, bass, guitar) and played steadily for 25 years! He was equally adept on most fretted instruments and played mandolin, uke, Hawaiian guitar, tenor and plectrum banjo professionally. While Mel was actively pursuing his playing career, he continued to teach as many as 100 students a week. He decided to begin writing instructional materials due to the difficulty encountered by guitarists at playing good sounding chord forms in rhythm sections and due to the poor note reading ability prevalent among guitarists. After the war Mel was asked to write instructional materials on guitar for GI's wanting to learn music under the GI Bill. In 1947 Mel formed his own publishing company and wrote his landmark initial book titled The Orchestral Chord System for Guitar. (This book is still in print under the title Rhythm Guitar Chord System and continues to be one the finest rhythm guitar chord texts available!) His Modern Guitar Method was penned shortly thereafter. For years Mel traveled from town to town talking to guitar teachers and players and showing them his publications. At one time Mel claims to have known virtually every guitar teacher in America on a first name basis! The guitar and Mel Bay books caught on in a big way in the 1950's. Things have continued to grow ever since. Mel used to sell D'Angelico guitars. At any given time he would have 5 or 6 "lying around the house." Mel played professionally on his New Yorker model but his favorite was the initial Mel Bay Model crafted as a gift for him by John D'Angelico. This famous guitar had all of the main features of the New Yorker but was a "cut away" model and had a slightly thinner neck. This instrument has been pictured on the Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method for decades. Someone once calculated that sales of guitar books written by Mel Bay have exceeded 25 million copies. When asked, Mel frequently said that he quit counting long ago. Sales of his Modern Guitar Method have alone surpassed the 7 million mark. It is safe to say that Mel Bay is one of the pivotal figures in the world of guitar music and instruction in this century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871660903
• ISBN-13: 978-0871660909
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Music > Instruments & Performers > Brass
  • #33 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Music > Instruments & Performers > Guitar

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faultless chord book, by this one and only this one, March 8, 2007

By 

Matt - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bays Guitar Chords (Paperback)

This is a great chord book, at first when I recieved it I was sure there wasn't going to be much in it because it was so thin but upon reading it I believe this is the only chord book you need.

Cons
- If you've bought multiple chord books in the past then this might not have anything new to offer, although it combines all others and makes it the only needed reference
- It's not small in size like those pocket or thin books, will fit in the body of your guitar case but its not small.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mel Bay guitar chord book, February 23, 2009

By 

Kevin J. Taylor "aria guitar" (camden, sc) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mel Bays Guitar Chords (Paperback)

I teach guitar lessons at a small town Fine Arts Center. This book is very helpful in that it shows the chord diagram, a picture of someone making the chord, and the notes that make up the chord for those that read music. It has proved helpful to all ages (6 to 75 that I teach) and I find myself referring back to it weekly myself...you can always still keep learning. The only things I would change are thet I wish it went further in the barre chords(it cals them moveable chords) and I wish it showed every sharp and flat as an either/or (A# is also Bb, C# is also Db, etc.). It shows this on some of them and it just confuses my students as to why it shows it on some and not all of them. Overall, it is still my favorite beginner book and one that even old timers like me can still refer back to as needed. KT

5.0 out of 5 stars 200 chords clearly presented, January 17, 2010

By 

harrythompson (Fort Knox Rox) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bays Guitar Chords (Paperback)

Excellent book, can be used as a reference or as a method of studying the chords since
1) they are presented in groups such as major, minor, dominant etc. and
2) there is a somewhat detailed section in the back of the book outlining how new chords are derived from existing chords.
Well worth the few dollars. There are many little known chord inversions scattered among the more popular chord voicings.