// Gospel guitar pack. Every shape's pitch classes were verified by note-spelling // against standard tuning (EADGBe) and the chord quality before authoring. // Voicing/comping references: hearandplay.com (gospel guitar comping, passing // chords), pianogroove.com (sus/add9 colour, hymn reharmonization), // jenslarsen.nl & jazzguitar.be (shell voicings, voice leading). // --- Shell voicings (root + 3rd + 7th, fifth omitted) — the gospel-comp backbone --- const SHELL_6 = { // root on the low-E string maj7: { rootStr: 6, offsets: [0, 'x', 1, 1, 'x', 'x'], fingers: [1, 0, 3, 4, 0, 0] }, // R–7–3 dom7: { rootStr: 6, offsets: [0, 'x', 0, 1, 'x', 'x'], fingers: [1, 0, 2, 3, 0, 0] }, // R–♭7–3 min7: { rootStr: 6, offsets: [0, 'x', 0, 0, 'x', 'x'], fingers: [1, 0, 2, 3, 0, 0] }, // R–♭7–♭3 } const SHELL_5 = { // root on the A string maj7: { rootStr: 5, offsets: ['x', 0, -1, 1, 'x', 'x'], fingers: [0, 2, 1, 4, 0, 0] }, // R–3–7 dom7: { rootStr: 5, offsets: ['x', 0, -1, 0, 'x', 'x'], fingers: [0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 0] }, // R–3–♭7 min7: { rootStr: 5, offsets: ['x', 0, -2, 0, 'x', 'x'], fingers: [0, 3, 1, 4, 0, 0] }, // R–♭3–♭7 } // --- 9th / colour voicings (the gospel "shine") --- const MIN9_5 = { rootStr: 5, offsets: ['x', 0, -2, 0, 0, 0], fingers: [0, 2, 1, 3, 3, 3] } // R–♭3–♭7–9–5 const MAJ9_6 = { rootStr: 6, offsets: [0, -1, 1, -1, 'x', 'x'], fingers: [2, 1, 4, 1, 0, 0] } // R–3–7–9 const DOM9_6 = { rootStr: 6, offsets: [0, -1, 0, -1, 'x', 'x'], fingers: [3, 1, 2, 1, 0, 0] } // R–3–♭7–9 const DOM9_5 = { rootStr: 5, offsets: ['x', 0, -1, 0, 0, 'x'], fingers: [0, 2, 1, 3, 4, 0] } // R–3–♭7–9 // --- add9 / sus colour for the modern praise vamp --- const ADD9_5 = { rootStr: 5, offsets: ['x', 0, -1, 2, 0, 'x'], fingers: [0, 2, 1, 4, 3, 0] } // R–3–(root)–9 const ADD9_6 = { rootStr: 6, offsets: [0, -1, 'x', -1, 0, 'x'], fingers: [2, 1, 0, 1, 3, 0] } // R–3–9–5 const SUS4_5 = { rootStr: 5, offsets: ['x', 0, 'x', 'x', 3, 0], fingers: [0, 1, 0, 0, 4, 1] } // R–4–5 const SUS4_6 = { rootStr: 6, offsets: [0, 0, 'x', 'x', 0, 'x'], fingers: [1, 2, 0, 0, 3, 0] } // R–4–5 // --- plain triads (the plagal "Amen" wants no extensions) --- const MAJ_6 = { rootStr: 6, offsets: [0, 2, 2, 1, 'x', 'x'], fingers: [1, 3, 4, 2, 0, 0] } // R–5–R–3 (E-shape) const MAJ_5 = { rootStr: 5, offsets: ['x', 0, 2, 2, 2, 'x'], fingers: [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 0] } // R–5–R–3 (A-shape) // --- the passing diminished 7th (#iv°7) --- const DIM7_5 = { rootStr: 5, offsets: ['x', 0, 1, -1, 1, 'x'], fingers: [0, 2, 3, 1, 4, 0] } // R–♭5–𝄫7–♭3 (symmetric) export default { styleIntro: 'Gospel guitar lives between the organ and the choir: short, voice-led grips that comp the changes without crowding the keys. The signature sounds are guide-tone shells for the moving 2–5–1 chains, 9th and add9 colour on the resting chords, sus tension in the modern praise vamp, and a single passing diminished that makes a plain hymn sound like church. Keep the fifth and often the root to the bass — your job is the 3rds, 7ths, and the colour note.', comping: [ { label: 'Triplet shuffle (12/8 church feel)', rhythm: '♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ (compound, lilting)', description: 'The default slow-gospel groove: a swung 12/8 with the chord landing on beat 1 and a soft stab on the last triplet partial of each beat. Let the long notes ring under the choir; chop the pickups.', }, { label: 'Anticipated push into the change', rhythm: 'tied from the "and" before the bar', description: 'Strike the next chord an eighth (or final triplet) early and tie it over the barline — telegraphs the move to the band, the same anticipation gospel organists use to lead the turnaround.', }, { label: 'Sustained pads (praise-vamp register)', rhythm: '𝅗𝅥 𝅗𝅥 (held, no chop)', description: 'For the sus/add9 vamp: let each grip ring its full bar high on the neck, no percussive damping — a guitar "pad" under the worship leader. Move only the changing voices between chords.', }, ], plays: { 'gospel-cycle-251': [ { label: 'Shell chain, guide-tone glue', level: 'intermediate', chords: [ { shape: SHELL_5.min7, note: 'iii7 — R–♭3–♭7' }, { shape: SHELL_6.dom7, note: 'VI7 — the ♭3 of iii falls a half-step to the 3rd of VI7' }, { shape: SHELL_5.min7, note: 'ii7 — back to the minor grip' }, { shape: SHELL_6.dom7, note: 'V7 — ♭7 leads down to the maj-3rd of I' }, { shape: SHELL_6.maj7, note: 'Imaj7 — home' }, ], tips: 'Roots alternate 5th-string → 6th-string at nearly the same fret; the two guide tones move 0–1 fret per change. Follow the D and G strings — that thread is the whole cascade.', }, { label: '9th-coloured cycle (upper register)', level: 'intermediate', chords: [ { shape: MIN9_5, extensions: ['9'], note: 'iii9 — R–♭3–♭7–9–5' }, { shape: DOM9_6, extensions: ['9'], note: 'VI9 — R–3–♭7–9' }, { shape: MIN9_5, extensions: ['9'], note: 'ii9 — same grip slid down' }, { shape: DOM9_6, extensions: ['9'], note: 'V9 — the dominant shine' }, { shape: MAJ9_6, extensions: ['9'], note: 'Imaj9 — resolve with the 9 on top' }, ], tips: 'Same harmony as the shells but each chord gains its 9th for the gospel "shimmer". The two dominant grips are identical shapes a 5th apart — learn one and transpose.', }, ], 'gospel-amen-625': [ { label: 'Shells through the turnaround + plain Amen', level: 'intermediate', chords: [ { shape: SHELL_6.min7, note: 'vi7' }, { shape: SHELL_5.min7, note: 'ii7' }, { shape: SHELL_6.dom7, note: 'V7' }, { shape: SHELL_5.maj7, note: 'Imaj7' }, { shape: MAJ_6, note: 'IV — plain triad: the plagal "Amen" wants no extensions' }, { shape: SHELL_6.maj7, note: 'Imaj7 — final resolution' }, ], tips: 'Comp the 6–2–5–1 with the small shells, then drop to bare IV–I triads for the Amen so the cadence lands clean and hymn-like. The contrast between busy turnaround and plain plagal tag is the whole effect.', }, { label: '9th turnaround, triad Amen high', level: 'intermediate', chords: [ { shape: MIN9_5, extensions: ['9'], note: 'vi9' }, { shape: MIN9_5, extensions: ['9'], note: 'ii9 — same grip down the neck' }, { shape: DOM9_5, extensions: ['9'], note: 'V9' }, { shape: MAJ9_6, extensions: ['9'], note: 'Imaj9' }, { shape: MAJ_5, note: 'IV — A-shape triad for the Amen' }, { shape: MAJ9_6, extensions: ['9'], note: 'Imaj9 — back home with colour' }, ], tips: 'A richer reading: 9ths through the turnaround, then a clean triad IV for the plagal cadence before the maj9 resolves it. Keep the Amen quieter than the turnaround — dynamics sell the cadence.', }, ], 'gospel-iv-passing-dim': [ { label: 'Open-string add9 with the passing diminished', level: 'intermediate', chords: [ { shape: ADD9_6, note: 'Iadd9 — R–3–5–9, low register' }, { shape: MAJ_5, note: 'IV — plain A-shape triad' }, { shape: DIM7_5, note: '#iv°7 — chromatic passing chord, bass walks 4 → #4' }, { shape: ADD9_6, note: 'Iadd9 — resolve up to I as the bass reaches 5/1' }, ], tips: 'The whole move is one bass walk: 4 → #4 → home. Hold the upper voices steady and let the diminished slide through underneath — that single borrowed chord is the gospel signature.', }, { label: 'Compact add9 voicing up the neck', level: 'intermediate', chords: [ { shape: ADD9_5, note: 'Iadd9 — R–3–(root)–9 on the A-string root' }, { shape: MAJ_6, note: 'IV — E-shape triad' }, { shape: DIM7_5, note: '#iv°7 — same diminished grip, one shape' }, { shape: ADD9_5, note: 'Iadd9 — back home' }, ], tips: 'A higher, tighter version of the same idea for when the bass and keys own the low end. The °7 is symmetric — the identical grip works from any of its four notes, so you can place it nearest the chords around it.', }, ], 'gospel-sus-vamp': [ { label: 'Praise-vamp pads (sustained, high)', level: 'intermediate', chords: [ { shape: MIN9_5, extensions: ['9'], note: 'vi9 — full ringing grip' }, { shape: ADD9_5, note: 'IVadd9 — R–3–9 colour, no chop' }, { shape: SUS4_6, note: 'Vsus4 — R–4–5; the 4th hangs, never resolving to the 3rd' }, { shape: ADD9_6, note: 'Iadd9 — R–3–5–9 to land the loop' }, ], tips: 'Let every chord ring its full bar like a synth pad — no percussive damping. The unresolved sus over V is what keeps the vamp lifting; loop it and the tension never closes.', }, { label: 'Two-voice movement vamp (different register)', level: 'intermediate', chords: [ { shape: SHELL_6.min7, note: 'vi7 — leaner shell to contrast the pads' }, { shape: ADD9_6, note: 'IVadd9 — R–3–5–9 low' }, { shape: SUS4_5, note: 'Vsus4 — A-string root, R–4–5' }, { shape: ADD9_5, note: 'Iadd9 — compact, A-string root' }, ], tips: 'Same vamp, sparser: a shell vi instead of the wide min9, and the sus voiced low. Use this when a second guitar or keys is already holding the pad — you supply motion, not width.', }, ], 'gospel-backdoor': [ { label: 'Shells through the back door', level: 'intermediate', chords: [ { shape: SHELL_5.min7, note: 'iii7' }, { shape: SHELL_6.min7, note: 'vi7 — soft diatonic drop' }, { shape: SHELL_5.dom7, note: '♭VII7 — the back-door dominant, a whole step below I' }, { shape: SHELL_6.maj7, note: 'Imaj7 — resolves UP by step, not down a fifth' }, ], tips: 'Listen for how ♭VII7 → I rises by a whole step into home rather than falling a fifth like V7 — a warmer, less expected cadence. The ♭7 of ♭VII7 is the ♭7 of the key: keep it under your fingers between the chords.', }, { label: '9th-coloured back door', level: 'intermediate', chords: [ { shape: MIN9_5, extensions: ['9'], note: 'iii9' }, { shape: MIN9_5, extensions: ['9'], note: 'vi9 — same grip slid up a fourth' }, { shape: DOM9_6, extensions: ['9'], note: '♭VII9 — back-door dominant with its 9' }, { shape: MAJ9_6, extensions: ['9'], note: 'Imaj9 — soft landing' }, ], tips: 'The two min9 chords are the identical shape a fourth apart — one of the easiest gospel moves to internalize. The maj9 resolution sounds especially plush after a back-door dominant.', }, ], }, improv: { scales: [ { over: 'ii7 / iii7 / vi7', scale: 'dorian', why: 'Minor 7 chords in a major key take Dorian — the natural 6 keeps them bright, not mournful, which suits gospel.' }, { over: 'V7', scale: 'mixolydian', why: 'The built-in ♭7 fits the dominant; over the praise-vamp Vsus4, stay on the 4th (suspension) and avoid the leading tone until you want to resolve.' }, { over: 'VI7 / ♭VII7', scale: 'mixolydian', why: 'Borrowed dominants are still dominants — Mixolydian off their own root. Over ♭VII7 that scale is the key\'s major scale starting on ♭7, so it stays diatonic-sounding into the resolution.' }, { over: 'Imaj7 / Iadd9', scale: 'major', why: 'The home major (or its pentatonic) sings over the tonic; the major 6th and 9th are the gospel sweet notes — lean on them.' }, { over: '#iv°7', scale: 'dim', why: 'A symmetric diminished (half-whole/whole-half) over the passing chord; it lasts a beat or two, so an arpeggio of its four notes usually says more than a run.' }, ], targetNotes: 'On the resting chords land the 6th or 9th, not just the root — those are the gospel colour tones. Through the 2–5–1 chains, target the 3rd of each new chord on the downbeat; the ♭7 of one dominant falls a half-step into the 3rd of the next chord, the same guide-tone rail as in jazz.', licks: [ { over: 'gospel-amen-625', description: 'Classic plagal turn over the Amen: walk the bass/lowest voice down from the 1 of IV to the 5 then 1 of I (e.g. degrees 4-chord root → 3 → tonic), letting the major 3rd of I ring on the resolution. The whole point is the smooth descent into the cadence.', source: 'hearandplay.com — "Who Else Wants To Learn The Famous Amen Cadence?"; Wikipedia: Plagal cadence', }, { over: 'gospel-iv-passing-dim', description: 'Over the IV → #iv°7 → I, run the diminished arpeggio (R–♭3–♭5–𝄫7, all minor-3rds apart) connecting the IV chord tones to the I chord tones — the symmetric shape lets you start it from whichever note sits nearest your IV grip and land on the 3rd of I.', source: 'hearandplay.com — "The [Extended] Resolution Of The #4-Diminished Seventh Chord"; pianogroove.com gospel passing chords', }, ], }, }