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Blackbird Fingerpicking
by Christopher Sung

So let's look at the harmony and what particular two-note chords work in this tune. As I said the key is G major, so ideally, our possible notes are:

G · A · B · C · D · E · F#

Each chord contains two notes. The high note is always an octave and a third (often called a 10th) above the low note. Because we're using the interval of a 10th, each two-note chord can be characterized as either a major or minor chord. So if we go up and down the scale, we get something similar to the example below, and each chord is either minor or major. However, in some places in this example, you might see an F instead of an F#, or a Bb instead of a B. There's no real rhyme or reason for this, other than it sounds good. There is a theoretical explanation about what other keys or scales are implied when you use an F or a Bb in your chord, but I'd rather not go into it. If you are interested in these technical details, send me feedback about this lesson (use the link at the top of the page), and I'll post a response...

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