First chord shapes

You now have scales and tremolo. The other half of bouzouki playing is chords — fingering patterns that let you accompany a singer, strum a rhythm, or build the harmonic foundation for someone else’s melody.

This chapter gives you the six chord shapes that, between them, let you play along with a huge portion of the rebetiko and laïkó repertoire. Memorize these and you have a working chord vocabulary on day one.

Am — A minor

The single most common chord in rebetiko. Almost every song you know either is in A minor or visits it.

Notes: A, C, E. The root A is rust-colored.

Dm — D minor

The other minor chord you’ll use constantly. Many rebetiko songs alternate between Am and Dm as the i and iv of A minor (the home and subdominant).

Notes: D, F, A.

E7 — E dominant 7

The chord that finishes the rebetiko cadence. In A minor: Am – E7 – Am is the most foundational progression in Greek music. The G♯ in E7 (the third) is the leading tone that pulls the music back to A.

Notes: E, G♯, B, D. The G♯ is what makes this chord want to resolve to Am — that’s the whole point of dominant 7th chords (chapter 4 of Part III).

F — F major

The relative-major chord of D minor. Used as the III in A minor (a common “bright moment” in an otherwise dark key) and as the major chord in many laïkó songs.

Notes: F, A, C.

G — G major

Common in songs that move through the relative major (C major of A minor), and in many faster hasapiko pieces.

Notes: G, B, D.

C — C major

The relative major of A minor. Songs in A minor often visit C major for contrast, and many old rebetika modulate between the two.

Notes: C, E, G.

What you can play with these six

With Am, Dm, E7, F, G, C you have the vocabulary for hundreds of rebetiko and laïkó songs. The most common progressions:

• Am – E7 – Am — the foundational rebetiko cadence
• Am – Dm – E7 – Am — the extended rebetiko cadence (from chapter 5 of Part III)
• Am – F – G – Am — modal motion using the III and VII
• Am – F – C – G — a classic descending bass motion
• Dm – Am – E7 – Am — opening with the iv before settling home

You can play with the progression player from Part III (chapter 5) to hear these in action.

A note on these shapes

The shapes shown above are computed positions — one valid way to play each chord. They are not the only way, and they may not always be the most common shape used in songbooks. As you play through real Greek music, you’ll encounter alternative voicings — barre chords where one finger covers multiple strings, moveable shapes that you slide up and down the neck to play different chords with the same fingering, and partial chords that omit one or more notes.

For now, these starter shapes are enough. Memorize them. Practice switching between them cleanly. That’s the single most useful drill for the next few weeks of practice.

The final chapter of Part IV puts everything together: a complete short piece using these chords and the techniques you’ve now built.

Recap

• The six starter chords are Am, Dm, E7, F, G, C. They cover an enormous portion of the Greek song repertoire.
• Am – E7 – Am is the foundational rebetiko cadence; Am – Dm – E7 – Am extends it.
• The chord shapes shown here are starter voicings — alternative shapes exist and you’ll encounter them in real songs.
• The single most useful early practice: switching cleanly between pairs of chords.