Knowing where your fingers go isn’t the same as knowing why they go there.

I was yesterday years old when I realized how important it is for guitar players—especially tenor guitar players—to know where the root of the chord lives inside each chord shape.

I’ve heard and read this idea plenty of times over the years. I’ve tried to wrap my head around it, gotten a little confused, and then gone back to my usual self-taught system: memorize shapes, move them around with bar chords, and fly by the seat of my pants. Honestly, that approach has worked pretty well… until recently.

As our tunes have gotten more advanced, and we’ve been doing more jamming and sight-reading, I’ve realized I need to understand what I’m actually playing—not just where my fingers go. I know chord theory (mostly), but I’ll admit this new urgency is partly fueled by my current obsession with half-diminished chords and major and minor 6 chords. Ugh. They’re tricky. They test my theory knowledge first—do I really understand how the chord is built?—and then my instrument knowledge—do I know why this shape works on my tenor guitar?

I’m discovering that there are often two, sometimes even three, different shapes that cover all twelve keys. Wrapping my middle-aged brain around that takes time. I take lots of notes—basically making myself little flashcards—then try the chords out in real music. I pay attention to how they feel under my fingers and look for connections between “easy” chords and these more challenging ones. For example, barring across the fifth fret gives me both an Am7 and a C6. Same shape, different function. That still kind of amazes me.

I’m also lucky to play in A Joyful Little Band, where John lays down such a strong, musical bass line. His “concrete” sound helps my four-string inversions make sense in the bigger picture. Even when my chords are incomplete, they fit because the foundation is solid.

All of this has reminded me that chord theory matters. So. Much.

Knowing what I’m playing, understanding how chords relate to each other, and building those mental connections all start with theory and fingerboard knowledge. I’ve only been playing tenor guitar for about a year and a half, and I’m learning (again) that slow, patient progress is usually the best kind.

I tend to tackle new chords as I stumble across them, think them through, and work at settling them into my memory. If you’re working on these same skills, like I am, I think we’re on the right track.

And I’d love to hear from you. Share your learning style, your progress, and your questions. You may have six strings and I only have four, but we’re all approaching chord theory the same way—one thoughtful step at a time.