I know what a Spanish guitar is: it is similar to the classical guitar, but the body is different.
However, I've never heard of an English guitar in my entire life. Is it a new kind of guitar that has just been invented?

For your information, the acoustic guitar, the electric guitar, the classical guitar and the Spanish guitar are all played using the same chords. I can't tell you about the "English" guitar, though, because I don't know what it is.

I don't think that Rachel meant to be asking about an English guitar, Lazarus, but rather about an English song.
@Rachel, just a quick note: in English, we capitalize the names of languages when we write the language name. I am curious, what song are you wanting to play?

lazarus1907 said:

I know what a Spanish guitar is: it is similar to the classical guitar, but the body is different.However, I've never heard of an English guitar in my entire life. Is it a new kind of guitar that has just been invented'For your information, the acoustic guitar, the electric guitar, the classical guitar and the Spanish guitar are all played using the same chords. I can't tell you about the "English" guitar, though, because I don't know what it is.

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just play it by the ear or what they call oido,that youll never forget it goes with your instinct just as you keep on practicing it.it comes out more like playing the lead or the bass lines.or try www.guitar tabs .com.
vamos a tocar amiga,
p.s.www.guitar world

Rachel, post the chords given (a few bars) and maybe someone will be familiar with the notation.

Sorry about that, the song I was trying to play is El Ultimo Vals..the link to the site I found with the chords was this : http://lacuerda.net/tabs/o/oreja_de_van_gogh/el_ultimo_vals-4.shtml but the chords are different so I don't know how to play them as I'm used to different ones =/

Hi Rachel,

The chords are written using the Do Re Mi system, called Solfège, starting with C = Do. They are the same chords you know but with alternate names:

Do = C, Re = D, Mi = E, Fa = F, Sol = G, La = A, Ti = B, Do = C
M = major, m = minor, 7 = 7th, and so on; sharp, flat, and natural, etc., notations are exactly as you know them.

The chords are DoM = CM (Cmaj or plain old C--I'm not terribly familiar with this system and don't have a guitar handy to hear how it sounds), Dom = Cm, Do7 = C7, and so on.

So, in your song, El último vals, por La Oreja de Van Gogh,
http://lacuerda.net/tabs/o/oreja_de_van_gogh/el_ultimo_vals-4.shtml, it follows that:

Lam = Am, Rem = Dm, SolM = GM, DoM-Mi7-Lam = CM-E7-Am, and so on.

Here is an explanation and chart from an article in Wikipedia about this system of musical notation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solfege
... ... ...
Fixed do solfège

In the major Romance languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian), the syllables Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Si are used to name notes the same way that the letters C, D, E, F, G, A, and B are used to name notes in English. For native speakers of these languages, solfège is simply singing the names of the notes, omitting any modifiers such as 'sharp' or 'flat' in order to preserve the rhythm. This system is called fixed do and is used in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Belgium, Romania and Latin American countries [including Mexico ~mj], as well as countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Greece, Iran and Japan where non-Romance languages are spoken.
The names of the notes in Romance languages.
Note name (English) Note name (Romance languages) Fixed do solfège syllable Pronunciation
C Do, Ut (French) do /do/
C? Do', Ut? (French)
D? Re? re /re/
D Re
D? Re?
E? Mi? mi /mi/
E Mi
F Fa fa /fa/
F? Fa?
G? Sol? sol /sol/
G Sol
G? Sol?
A? La? la /la/
A La
A? La?
B? Si? si /si/
B Si

The pattern shown above also applies to the less common sharps and flats (E', B', C', F') and to the double-sharps and double-flats: Accidentals do not affect the syllables used. There are no altered syllables. ....

If there are no B chords it doesn't matter, but in solfege B is Si. Ti is from another system based on solfege, which I believe is American but I'm not sure. That system is "movable Do" solfege, where Do instead of being C is the tonic note of whatever key you are in. A very confusing system and pretty much useless in any music that isn't tonal (in a key). The syllable Ti refers to a raised 7th degree of the scale(b instead of b flat in a c Scale)Which all major scales have anyway

MJ said:

Hi Rachel,

The chords are written using the Do Re Mi system, called Solfège, starting with C = Do. They are the same chords you know but with alternate names:

Do = C, Re = D, Mi = E, Fa = F, Sol = G, La = A, Ti = B, Do = C

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Yes, you are right, Steve, I should've written: Si = B.

On a side note, singers use solfege to sightsing notes rather than words - Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do - and it certainly is much easier to sing the syllable si than ti.....

steve said:

In solfege B is Si [not Ti]:

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I thought, I had seen every thing as far as music is concerned; but this wins the prize!

Not to blow my horn -- (get the funny') I have played the piano my whole life. I currently play rock and roll, with a jazz quartet, with a 21 piece big band, and give classical piano recitals, and have played all over from winning a piano competition award in Europe, to playing in New York. OK I blew my horn a little.

1st there are some small icons on the top right of the page. One shows the "Diagramas para Guitar" another the Diagramas para Piano" and another; "Cambio de Tono C D E -> Do Re Mi" (can you believe this') All these diagrams are shown in the key of C major -- you will have to transpose to your key or to the recorded key -- that is what "Cambio de Tono" is about.

Here is what is going on with this notation: (in the key of C major)

Do = I chord = C
Re = II chord = D
Mi = III chord = E
Fa = IV chord = F
La = V chord = G
Sol = VI chord = A
Ti = VII chord = B

Note: these are all listed and shown as "major triads" in 1st position.

The small "m" is used for minor, and the "7" is used for dominant 7th. There is no notation shown for "major 7th", "minor 7th" "half diminished" etc.......

Staying with the notation above the song is in the key of "A minor" which is the relative minor key of C major. The verse is in A minor, then a 4 bar transition with (F/ C/ G/ E/) and back to "A minor" for the chorus.

Good Luck.

Do = I chord = C
Re = II chord = D
Mi = III chord = E
Fa = IV chord = F
La Sol = V chord = G
Sol La= VI chord = A
Ti = VII chord = B

Don't go looking for a Ti string in a Spanish set of guitar strings. your second string (B) will say Si on its envelope, because that's the way the system works there.

Thank you Steve: What a dumb error I made. Have you ever seen music notated in this method? Also, do they note guitar strings as Mi for the E string, La for the A string ....?

steve said:

Do = I chord = CRe = II chord = DMi = III chord = EFa = IV chord = FLa Sol = V chord = GSol La= VI chord = ATi = VII chord = BDon't go looking for a Ti string in a Spanish set of guitar strings. your second string (B) will say Si on its envelope, because that's the way the system works there.

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Daniel, how observant to notice those little icons on the upper right of the sheet music page! Here is the page that comes up when you click on the little piano icon http://lacuerda.net/tabs/o/oreja_de_van_gogh/el_ultimo_vals-4.shtml

Well, I see it doesn't show the piano keyboard page from here, but click on the icon on the page that does come up and you will see it.

I choose the piano icon rather than the guitar icon for illustration here, because on piano the chords are so obviously laid out, and it is easy to see that they are the standard chords we who use ABC notation are familiar with, for this song the ones you name in your post above.

Although there is no notation shown for "major 7th", "minor 7th" "half diminished" etc. on the pages for this song, as I recall solfege uses the same notation as ABC for these chords, simply attaching these suffixes to Do Re Mi, etc. So Dm7, for instance, would be written Rem7. They are not listed here because they do not relate to this particular song.

Also, although Do is always C, solfege is no harder when one gets used to it, than using ABC notation. Because Do Re Mi etc., like C, D, E, etc. all are movable up and down the octaves-- again, easiest to see on the piano keyboard.

PS You can toot your horn a bit about music; you've earned the right. Wish I was hearing you play. ~mj

Daniel said:

... 1st there are some small icons on the top right of the page. One shows the "Diagramas para Guitar" another the Diagramas para Piano" and another; "Cambio de Tono C D E -> Do Re Mi" ... All...in the key of C major ... Note: these are all listed and shown as "major triads" in 1st position. The small "m" is used for minor, and the "7" is used for dominant 7th. There is no notation shown for "major 7th", "minor 7th" "half diminished" etc....... Staying with the notation above the song is in the key of "A minor" which is the relative minor key of C major. The verse is in A minor, then a 4 bar transition with (F/ C/ G/ E/) and back to "A minor" for the chorus. Good Luck.

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You mean that this is a common method of music notation for chord charts? If so, in what countries?

MJ said:

Also, although Do is always C, solfege is no harder when one gets used to it, than using ABC notation. Because Do Re Mi etc., like C, D, E, etc. all are movable up and down the octaves-- again, easiest to see on the piano keyboard.

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I never thought I would learn so much about a different way of music notation on a Spanish Language Forum. This forum amazes me!

According to the Wikipedia article, this system ... is used in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Belgium, Romania and Latin American countries [including Mexico ~mj], as well as countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Greece, Iran and Japan...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solfege

I was reintroduced to solfege in Mexico, but also, as I recall, when my sister studied opera at Juliard Music School, in NYC, in this country, USA, she had to learn to sightsing using this system. My understanding is that classical singers all over the world sightsing in solfege. There is fixed Do and moveable Do. The article I quoted from earlier, saying this is a fixed Do system, explains elsewhere that Do in fact is fixed only as far as Do = C goes. And I'm certain the different clefs translate in parallel fashion, as well. (I should've erased that part about fixed Do last night because it can be confusing, but the hour was waaaay past my bedtime.)

Daniel said:

You mean that this is a common method of music notation for chord charts? If so, in what countries?

MJ said:

Also, although Do is always C, solfege is no harder when one gets used to it, than using ABC notation. Because Do Re Mi etc., like C, D, E, etc. all are movable up and down the octaves-- again, easiest to see on the piano keyboard.

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