Hi Chuck,
Your'e a beginner??? What are we going to hear from you when you become an expert?
This has been a fascinating thread and your very clear exposition has taught me a lot. I confess that I know little about music theory/chord construction. I just look at the chord symbols, go to my trusty chord chart and play. After a few years, most chords were memorised. A couple of years back I got interested in alternative/substitute chords and discovered two books with around 200 "converted" tunes done by Dick Hyman (published by Ekay Music Inc) and one book by Champ Champagne (pub. by Hal Leonard). These substitute chords add considerable interest to the music. If anyone knows of other published volumes of music on same subject, please let me know.

Congratulations to all who contributed to this thread. Great stuff.

Ogre