← Back to Skill Builders: Module 1
You have worked through triads, 7th chords, fretboard navigation, slash chords, inversions, minor-key harmony, and the 12-bar blues. This checkpoint helps you see how well those ideas are starting to connect.
This is not a pass-or-fail test. Try each section before reopening the lessons. If one part feels unclear, use the review link for that skill and come back when you’re ready.
The chord libraries in this module are reference material. You do not need to memorize every chord shape before moving on.
- Time: Approximately 5 to 10 minutes
- You need: Your guitar
Part 1: Check your understanding
Choose your answer first, then select Show answer to check it.
1. What changes when you turn a Major triad into a minor triad?
- A. Lower the root by one fret
- B. Lower the 3rd by one fret
- C. Lower the 5th by one fret
Show answer
Answer: B. A Major triad uses 1, 3, 5. A minor triad uses 1, b3, 5.
Review if needed: Major Triads · Minor Triads
2. Which chord keeps the 3rd, add 2 or sus 2?
- A. Add 2
- B. Sus 2
- C. Neither one
Show answer
Answer: A. An add 2 chord keeps the 3rd and adds the 2nd, giving you 1, 2, 3, 5. A sus 2 chord replaces the 3rd with the 2nd, giving you 1, 2, 5.
Review if needed: Add 2 Chords vs Sus 2 Chords
3. Can you match these 7th-chord qualities with their formulas?
- Major 7
- Dominant 7
- Minor 7
- Minor 7 b5
Show answer
Major 7: 1, 3, 5, 7
Dominant 7: 1, 3, 5, b7
Minor 7: 1, b3, 5, b7
Minor 7 b5: 1, b3, b5, b7
Review if needed: Essential 7th Chords · Minor 7 b5 Chords
4. Which three chord tones do shell chords usually focus on?
- A. Root, 3rd, and 5th
- B. Root, 3rd, and 7th
- C. Root, 5th, and 7th
Show answer
Answer: B. Shell chords usually focus on the root, 3rd, and 7th. The 5th is often left out.
Review if needed: Shell Chords on Guitar
5. What does G/B mean, and what inversion is it?
- A. G chord with B in the bass, 1st inversion
- B. B chord with G in the bass, 2nd inversion
- C. G chord with B in the bass, root position
Show answer
Answer: A. G/B means to play a G chord with B as the lowest note. Because B is the 3rd of a G Major chord, this is a 1st inversion G chord.
Review if needed: Slash Chords · Chord Inversions
6. In a natural minor key, what chord qualities appear on the 1, 4, and 5 scale degrees?
- A. Major, Major, Major
- B. Minor, minor, minor
- C. Minor, Major, Major
Show answer
Answer: B. In the natural minor scale, the 1, 4, and 5 triads are minor.
Review if needed: Chord Progressions in Minor Keys
Part 2: Play it
The goal here is not a perfect performance. A short pause or correction is fine if you can recover and keep going.
7. Move a progression beyond first position
Play this progression once using familiar first-position chords:
C – A minor – F – G
Now play the same progression again using chord shapes higher on the neck. Try to keep the shapes within one general fretboard area instead of jumping back to first position.
You can use triads, shell chords, 7th chords, or other shapes you worked on in this module.
Check the goal
You’re on track if you can use root notes on the 6th or 5th string to find the chords and complete the progression somewhere beyond first position.
If you need to pause briefly to find one shape, find it and continue.
Review if needed: Navigate Chords on the Fretboard
8. Play a complete 12-bar blues
Play one complete 12-bar blues in A using:
- A7 as the 1 chord
- D7 as the 4 chord
- E7 as the 5 chord
You can use full 7th-chord shapes or shell voicings. Focus on keeping your place through the 12 measures.
Check the goal
You’re on track if you can follow all 12 measures, change between the 1, 4, and 5 chords in the correct places, and finish the form without having to restart.
If you briefly lose your place but can recognize where you are and continue, keep going. Being able to recover is part of learning the form.
Review if needed: 12 Bar Blues: 3 Levels of Chords
Part 3: Put it together
Choose a short chord progression you already know. It can be from a song or one of the progressions from this module.
See if you can do these three things:
- Identify the chord qualities you are playing, such as Major, minor, dominant 7, or minor 7.
- Play at least one chord using a different voicing, inversion, slash chord, or position farther up the neck.
- Play the complete progression while keeping the chord changes connected.
Check the goal
The goal is to make one intentional choice beyond the familiar shape you would normally use and understand what you changed.
If you can explain the chord, find the shape, and keep the progression moving after a short correction, you’re using the material rather than simply memorizing it.
Readiness check
You’re ready to begin Module 2 when:
- You understand how changing chord tones creates Major, minor, and common 7th-chord qualities.
- You can read a slash chord and identify the chord and bass note.
- You understand root position, 1st inversion, and 2nd inversion.
- You can find and use at least a few familiar chords beyond first position.
- You can use scale-degree numbers to understand a simple minor-key progression.
- You can keep your place through a complete 12-bar blues using the 1, 4, and 5 chords.
You do not need every triad, 7th chord, inversion, or chord-library shape memorized. The goal is to understand how these chord ideas connect and be able to use them when you need them.
If you need another practice round
- Triads still feel disconnected: Review Major Triads and Minor Triads.
- 7th-chord formulas or shapes are unclear: Review Shell Chords, Essential 7th Chords, or Minor 7 b5 Chords.
- You keep defaulting to first position: Review Navigate Chords on the Fretboard.
- Slash chords or inversions are confusing: Review Slash Chords and Chord Inversions.
- Minor-key chord numbers are unclear: Review Chord Progressions in Minor Keys.
- You lose your place in the blues form: Review 12 Bar Blues: 3 Levels of Chords.
Then return and try only the section that gave you trouble.