Guitar Chords to accompany the Native American Flute

Native American Flute and Guitar make a great combination. Just a few basic chords are usually enough to get a great improv jam going. This pages suggests chords that work well with various keys of flutes ... "Three chords and the truth".

Mode 1 is the common pentatonic minor tuning on NAFs. On 6-hole mode 1/4 flutes, you typically play these notes by keeping the third hole from the top closed.

Mode 2 is a scale that sounds major on most NAFs with pentatonic minor tuning. Play the same as mode 1, but begin on the second note of the scale (bottom hole open).

Mode 4 is easy to play on 6-hole mode 1/4 pentatonic minor NAFs. You typically play mode 4 notes by keeping the fourth hole from the top closed.

Of course, you can switch between modes and the guitarist can try out the chords for all the modes.

These tables list chords that work with a capo on different fret positions. I've highlighted in red what I consider the simplest chords to play on the guitar.

Guitar Chords to accompany the Native American Flutes
NAF
Key		 Mode Primary
Chord		 No Capo Capo
fret 1		 Capo
fret 2		 Capo
fret 3
E mode 1 Em Em Am Bm7 Ebm Abm Bbm7 Dm Gm Am7 C#m F#m Abm7
mode 2 Gmaj G C D7 F# B C#7 F Bb C7 E A B7
mode 4 Am Am Dm Em7 Abm C#m Ebm7 Gm Cm Dm7 F#m Bm C#m7
F# mode 1 F#m F#m Bm C#m7 Fm Bbm Cm7 Em Am Bm7 Ebm Abm Bbm7
mode 2 Amaj A D E7 Ab C# Eb7 G C D7 F# B C#7
mode 4 Bm Bm Em F#m7 Bbm Ebm Fm7 Am Dm Em7 Abm C#m Ebm7
G mode 1 Gm Gm Cm Dm7 F#m Bm C#m7 Fm Bbm Cm7 Em Am Bm7
mode 2 Bbmaj Bb Eb F7 A D E7 Ab C# Eb7 G C D7
mode 4 Cm Cm Fm Gm7 Bm Em F#m7 Bbm Ebm Fm7 Am Dm Em7
A mode 1 Am Am Dm Em7 Abm C#m Ebm7 Gm Cm Dm7 F#m Bm C#m7
mode 2 Cmaj C F G7 B E F#7 Bb Eb F7 A D E7
mode 4 Dm Dm Gm Am7 C#m F#m Abm7 Cm Fm Gm7 Bm Em F#m7

Web site by Clint Goss - Last updated September 19, 2008.