The Chord Factory: Build Your Own Guitar Chord Dictionary by Jon Damian is an instructional guitar harmony reference that explores chord construction, harmonic relationships, and creative musical expression through guitar tablature. Rather than functioning as a traditional chord chart collection, it presents practical concepts for understanding how chords work together, helping guitarists expand their harmonic vocabulary for composition, improvisation, arranging, and performance.
This guitar reference focuses on the principles behind building and understanding chords instead of simply memorizing shapes. Readers are guided through topics ranging from single-note harmony to extended and altered chord structures, encouraging exploration of how chords function within musical settings while combining theory with practical application in an engaging and approachable way.
By developing a deeper understanding of chord relationships across the fretboard, guitarists can strengthen songwriting, accompaniment, improvisation, arranging, and overall musical creativity. Endorsements from respected musicians and educators including Jim Hall, Bill Frisell, James Valentine, Wayne Krantz, and Allan Chase recognize the book's thoughtful approach to harmony, creativity, and guitar education.
Whether you're expanding your chord vocabulary, exploring harmony, composing original music, preparing for rehearsal or performance, or searching for a thoughtful gift for a guitarist, The Chord Factory offers an in-depth exploration of chord construction and musical creativity. Its clear explanations, guitar tablature, and practical approach make it a valuable long-term reference for developing harmonic understanding and discovering new musical possibilities.
Author Jon Damian is an active international performer, composer, arranger, lecturer, clinician, and author. His varied career has included performances with performers ranging from Howard McGhee to Bill Frisell, Linda Ronstadt to Johnny Cash, Luciano Pavarotti to Leonard Bernstein and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and many others. He is considered among the world's foremost thinkers about guitar theory and pedagogy, and is author of The Guitarist's Guide to Composing and Improvising (Berklee Press: 2000). Many of his students have become guitar luminaries, such as Bill Frisell, Wayne Krantz, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Leni Stern, James Valentine, and Mark Whitfield.
