Blues Chords-reprise

[Guitar Toad]

I blew-up a thread earlier in which I tried to say too much and became a mess. :smack:

What are the usual blues chords, in the movable forms. What are they called?

I have a couple that I use but don't know what to call them. In the attached files assume the 4 chords are played at the same 3rd fret.

Are there more blues chords forms that you could share with me?

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Blues Chords-reprise

I found this great site finally: http://www.gootar.com/guitar/index.html

It will tell you what the name of any chord is.

For the chords I asked about it says that they are:

C1 F add9 flat5 sus4
C2 F add9 flat5 no3

C3 C ninth no5
C4 C 7th sharp 9th w3 no5

I do know that they are some good blues chords.

 

[tone4days]

Re: Blues Chords-reprise

i've always called C3 a "C9th chord"
i've always called C4 a "C7#9 chord", but of course any guitarist knows it as the "purple haze chord in C"

C1 and C2 are interesting ... i'll have to give them a try .... the guitar is really gonna have to be 'just right' to voice all those bass notes without getting boomy or muddy ...

i like this chord for bluesy comping ... it's a 13th chord with the root on the low E string (e.g. G13)

-5-
-5-
-4-
-3-
-x-
-3-

i like this one too ... very standard, but useful ... it's a 7th chord with the root on the 5th string (e.g. E7th)

-x-
-5-
-7-
-6-
-7-
-x-

this one can be useful too .. 7th chord .. root on the 3rd (open G) string (e.g. A7th)

-3-
-2-
-2-
-2-
-x-
-x-

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Blues Chords-reprise

Thanks, Tone4Days. Your second chord I have used, but the other two are new. I'll try them out.
The chords I called C1 and C2, I think I got those from a book I had a long, long time ago called the Rock Guitar Bible.

 

[drp555]

Re: Blues Chords-reprise

I found this great site finally: http://www.gootar.com/guitar/index.html

It will tell you what the name of any chord is.

For the chords I asked about it says that they are:

C1 F add9 flat5 sus4
C2 F add9 flat5 no3

C3 C ninth no5
C4 C 7th sharp 9th w3 no5

I do know that they are some good blues chords.

C1 is the exact same as C4 just on a different set of strings, I'd call it G7#9, so if you move it up to the 8th fret you'll have C7#9 (C4)

C2 I would just call a G7...

both C1 and C2 have the 5th omitted... this is pretty common once you get into 7th,9th, 13th chords.... most likely in a band setting the bass will take care of the 5th and the root....

the notes for G7 are: G B D F (1 3 5 b7)

In (C2) the D (the 5th) is left out and the B (the 3rd) is doubled: G B F B (1 3 b7 3)

In C1 the D is again left out and a #9 is added (9 is the same as 2, which is A, so A#) so you get:
G B F A# (1 3 b7 #9)

C3 is a C9 like you said, without the 5th....if you want the 5th, just add the note on the 1st string 3rd fret (G)

Notes of this C9 shape: C E Bb D ( 1 3 b7 9) if you add the fifth: C E Bb D G (1 3 b7 9 5)

I hope this helps....

 

[drp555]

Re: Blues Chords-reprise

here's some chords you might like

a movable 7th chord shape, root on 2nd (open B) string (e.g. A7) very cool for funky riffing....

-12-
-10-
-12-
-11-
-x-
-x-

another 7th chord shape (based off the open D7 shape), root on 4th (open D) string (e.g. G7)

-7-
-6-
-7-
-5-
-x-
-x-

The next one adds a suspension to the previous chord...
7sus4, root on 4th (open d) string...(e.g. G7sus4)

-8-
-6-
-7-
-5-
-x-
-x-

A 13th chord shape (based off the 9th chord shape from your C3 chord...) root on 5th string, (e.g. D13)

-7-
-5-
-5-
-4-
-5-
-x-


Here's one of my favorites, a 6/9 chord, more of a jazzy chord, sounds good at the end of a tune....
root on 5th string (e.g. C6/9 )

-3-
-3-
-2-
-2-
-3-
-x-

Here's a 9th shape...I think SRV used it in Tight rope... root on 6th (low E) string....(e.g. B9)

you can use your thumb to play the 6th string note, ala SRV, or do a barre with your 1st finger and get the 6th string note with your middle finger...

-x-
-7-
-6-
-7-
-6-
-7-

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Blues Chords-reprise

Thanks drp555, I will try those out. Are the chords I called C1 and C2 commonly used or did I just make those up? (I know that I didn't, I learned them somewhere for rock/blues stuff)

 

[drp555]

Re: Blues Chords-reprise

Thanks drp555, I will try those out. Are the chords I called C1 and C2 commonly used or did I just make those up? (I know that I didn't, I learned them somewhere for rock/blues stuff)

C1 I've seen used before,more in clean jazz then blues I'd say..... but most likely if you're going to play a 7#9 chord, you'd use the shape in C4, it will sound less muddy/mushy IMO, than C1 because it's on higher strings...

Here's another shape to do the same 7#9 chord but this time on the top 4 strings...so you'll have 3 places to play the same chord now!

C7#9

-11-
-11-
-9-
-10-
-x-
-x-

C2 I don't think I've ever used before....again I think because it's on the lower strings so it's kinda boomy...plus I don't care for the doubled 3rd....

If I was going to play a G7 around that part of the fretboard I'd go with this more common shape:

-x-
-3-
-4-
-3-
-x-
-3-

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Blues Chords-reprise

Wow, DRp555, you sound like one sharp cookie. Thanks again.
By the way, I noticed your American Strat pups, must be sweet sounding strat.

 

[drp555]

Re: Blues Chords-reprise

Wow, DRp555, you sound like one sharp cookie. Thanks again.
By the way, I noticed your American Strat pups, must be sweet sounding strat.

Thanks man, glad I can help....I took some music theory classes in high school and college, and studied jazz guitar for a bit,..never really was that great of a jazzer :smack: .....I was always pretty good at theory, it's actually applying the theory that's a bitch

Yeah, I think my strat is pretty sweet ...the SSL-1s are great and the Twangbanger just flatout kicks ass