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Open
Guitar Chords - Part
4
More Open Guitar
Chords
If you've been through the first 3 parts of this
basic guitar chords
series, you'll have learned quite a large library of chords to play
around with. We know the major and minor open shapes, plus
the various
open 7th chords that add some
depth to those basic chords. This lesson
we'll explore even more interesting variations on those basic
major/minor chords. That's really how you should look at chords -
adding and changing notes to modify
chords and finding a new sound. It gives your chord learning
a touch of
experimentation and individuality.
First, a short introduction, then we'll be looking
at and listening to some
very nice sounding chords.
Modifying those basic
major and minor open chords
There are many chords you can create using the
basic E, A, D, C, G
shape chords (major and minor) as the foundation. The idea is, when
creating your own music, that instead of just playing a straight
A major chord (for example), you'll
think about other options that might sound more interesting, such as
A7 or Aadd6 (more
on "add" chords in a minute!)
Just to be clear, though, don't feel like you MUST use a more
complex chord through every chord change in your song. Sometimes those
basic open chords are the perfect chord to use. It's ultimately down to
your creative ideas and choices. I'm just helping you build a wider
range of those choices!
Open major add chords
Not wanting to go into too much heavy theory right
now, "Add" chords
are basically chords with notes added to them (yep!). So all we're
doing is adding notes to the basic major and minor chords we learned in
the first and 2nd parts of this series. Let's take a look at some
examples, but don't worry about what the numbers after the "add" mean
right now. Just learn to associate the name of the chord with the shape
it creates on the fretboard.
Click
the diagrams to hear
the chord
Eadd6 open position chord
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Eadd9 open position chord

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Aadd6 open position chord

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Aadd9 open position chord

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Dadd6 open position chord

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Dadd9 open position chord

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Cadd6 open position chord

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Cadd9 open position chord
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Gadd6 open position chord

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Gadd9 open position chord

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Also try using the same add
chords but with the 7th chords we learned
in part
3. Start with the basic 7th chord (e.g. A7, Amaj7) and add
the same
notes/strings as we did with the basic major chord above. You'll have
to work out the
fingerings you find most comfortable as you'll be
using all 4 fingers in most cases!

Open minor add chords
Notice how it's exactly the same notes we're
adding, the only difference being we're adding them to the basic
minor chords (from part 1)! With the
minor chords, there's not as many
"add" chords we can play because of fingering restrictions (for
example a Dmadd9 requires exceptionally long, spidery fingers!). Also,
I've
deliberately left out the "add6" for minor chords, because they become
more useful when you learn about more complex chord progressions.
Click
the diagrams to hear
the chord
Emadd9 open position chord
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Amadd9 open position chord
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TIP:
You can also add the same notes to the dominant 7th major and minor
chords we learned in
part
3!
Suspended
(sus) open chords
Again, I don't want to get
caught up in what "suspended" means right now, but it has a
particular sound you should get to know. Don't forget you can also
apply the "sus" to dominant 7th chords from part 3 and, where
possible, the "add" chords from above.
Suspended 4th (sus4) chords
Click the diagrams to hear
the chord
Esus4 open position chord

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E7sus4 open position chord

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Asus4 open position chord

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A7sus4 open position chord

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Dsus4 open position chord

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D7sus4 open position chord

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Csus4 open position chord

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C7sus4 open position chord

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Gsus4 open position chord

I find the Gsus4 chord sounds cleaner without
the A string included. This means you have to block the A
string using your
2nd finger.
Simply angle your 2nd finger so that it just touches the A string and
mutes it.
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G7sus4 open position chord

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Suspended 2nd (sus2) chords
Asus2 open position chord

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A7sus2 open position chord

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Dsus2 open position chord

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D7sus2 open position chord

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Csus2 open position chord
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Gsus2 open position chord |
Now
assess your confidence with open chords
Well, that's it - You've
completed the basic guitar chords series! Ask
yourself how confident you feel with open chords
now.
If you've followed this course closely and really made the effort to
KNOW
these chords and experiment with their variations, you will now have a
huge
library of chords to use in your own songwriting. Just enjoy and use
the
knowledge you now have, because many guitarists get stuck using the
same
old chords over and over again. That won't be you!
Want to take things to the next level? If you enjoyed the simple,
clear
style of this course, you'll also really benefit from both the
barre chord series
and floating
chord lessons on this site, which looks at using the chord
shapes
we've learned all over the fretboard. This is your next major
step in guitar
chord learning. Hopefully I'll see you at the next level some
time!

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