[gman17]

can anyone suggest some cool sounding chords other than the same old same old E,A,D,F,C. im looking to write some songs just with some differnt flavor than the basic chords and bar chords. any suggestions?

[wannalearn01]

Sevenths are very popular:

Like try a C-G7-C...and compare it to a C-G-C.

Or...E-A7-E....another way you can use it.

Try and learn some 12 barre blues and you can come up with a lot of good things.

There are so many different voicings for things...you can move things up and down the fretboad...you jsut have to figure out whicih ones you like the sound of.

First write a progression...then change out chord(different voicings means different point on the fret board...higher or lower) till you find a combo you like.

T^roy

[goldrush]

Try minors, minor sevenths, ninths, add9, major sevenths. Learn songs that you like and find out what chords or fingerings they're made of. It's a good way to learn new stuff while immediately applying what you learn.

[haggis]

Yeh, minors and minor 7ths will keep you amused; you could also try major/minor changes...just hit stuff, and see how it sounds...

[HIMlovemetal]

about cords that are mixed like G#/B or summat!

[acousticblues]

--4------------------------------------
--2----8----8----7----5----5----5-----
--2----9----7----6----5----7----6-----
--x----7----5----7----4----7----5-----
--x----8----7----5----5----x----x-----
--2--------------------------7----5----

you can move these up and down the neck or change them however you like. i play them in these positions because i like the way the sound there. feel which ones you like better and which ones fit what you are playing.....

This post has been edited by acousticblues: 07 August 2004 - 07:16 AM

[dadfad]

Try some of these SHAPES moved up and down the neck. I'm going to give an example of the SHAPE of a typical chord, but that shape isn't limited to the frets I've shown it on of course. Just move that shape up or down the neck to put it into whatever key or chord position you need it in. Of course you can add another note(s) to that shape if you want to change it, add bass or treble, etc.

XX2223=7th

XX565X=7th

XXX212=7th

X756XX=7th

XXX231=minor

X5767X=maj7

XX2444=maj7

X7767X=6th

XX2323=dim (this chord repeats as another voicing of itself if moved up or down 3 frets)

X22XX2=sus2

XX223X=sus4 (often used in conjunction with the major chord XX222X)

0241XX=add9

X32333=9th

X32343X=7th#9th

Anyway, there are a few to mess with. I didn't show any of the more really common ones coming off of simple barre-chords (although these can be used with partial barre chords in many cases). Anyway, like everyone said, just mess around and see what you can come up with. Thinking in moveable SHAPES as opposed to exact chords with exact fingerings gives you the ability to take the voicing or feeling one of these chord forms can add and put it into any key or chord-position. It's sort of like the next level of the CAGED concept of the fret-board for major chords. Anyway, these shapes might help get you going.

[gman17]

thanks a lot everyone that helps!