Monday 31 May 2010

C Major 9 Guitar Chord

Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is C Major 9. Major 9's are great sounding chords, we've featured a few more of these Major 9 guitar chords here. As with yesterday's chord of the day, this guitar chord can be played with just two fingers - however this one involves much more of a stretch than yesterday's guitar chord.
C Major Guitar Chord
Cmaj9 guitar chord

Major 9 guitar chords can be replace major 7th chords replacing chords I and IV chords in major keys.
Major 9 guitar chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9

The C Major 9 guitar chord uses the notes: C, E, G, B, D
Our C Major 9 chord uses the notes in this order: C, D, G, B, E

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Sunday 30 May 2010

A add9 guitar chord

I love the sound of close voiced chords, particularly when they mix fretted and open strings. Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is A add9. This is probably the easiest guitar chord to play that we've featured, but it still sounds great.
A add9 Guitar Chord
A add9 guitar chord

Check out some different add9 guitar chords here.
Aadd9 guitar chord


Add 9 chords can replace almost all major chords. It can replace chords I, IV and V in major keys.
Add 9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 9
A add9 uses the notes: A, C#, E, B
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: A, A, C#, B, E

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Saturday 29 May 2010

E7#5#9 | The Hendrix Chord Variation

A little while ago we featured a small mini-series of Hendrix Guitar Chords. Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is a much less known fingering of the famous Hendrix Chord that you can throw in for some more variation.
E7#5#9 Guitar Chord Hendrix
E7#5#9 guitar chord

This guitar inversion involves more of a stretch than some of the other inversions of this chord we've featured before, though even more stretching is needed to play these stretch guitar chords.
E7#5#9 guitar chord

7#9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, #5, b7, #9
E7#9 uses the notes: E, G#, B#, D, F## [G]
Today's guitar chord uses the notes in this order: E, G#, B#, D, F## [G]

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Friday 28 May 2010

E 69 Guitar Chord Harmonics

Following on from yesterday's Guitar Chord of the Day that introduced the idea of mixing fretted and harmonic notes to make nice sounding guitar chords, today's Guitar Chord of the Day is E69.
E69 Guitar Chord Harmonics
E69 Guitar Chord Harmonics

Fret the D and G strings as normal on the 6th fret while lightly resting your finger(s) on the string of the guitar's B and E strings just above the fret to play this chord.

We've looked at other 69 Guitar Chords here and other Guitar Harmonics Chords here, but remember you can use the labels on the right as a chord dictionary.

69 chords can be played in place of major chords. It can replace chords I, IV and V in major keys.
69 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 6, 9
E69 uses the notes: E, G#, B, C#, F#
Today's guitar chord uses the notes in this order: E, G#, C#, F#, B

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Thursday 27 May 2010

E add 9 - Guitar Harmonics

Today we start a new occasional mini-series on Guitar Chords that mix fretted notes and harmonics , today's Guitar Chord of the Day is E add9.

Mixing fretted notes and guitar harmonics is a great way to add some more tonal color to your guitar chords. As mentioned in our previous post on guitar harmonics chords, the harmonics are indicated by the diamond shapes and are played by resting your finger lightly on the string and removing it once the string is sounding.
E add9 Guitar Chord Harmonics
Guitar Chords with harmonics Eadd9


The two harmonics on the 12th fret above are both played with the little finger.

Add 9 chords can replace almost all major chords. It can replace chords I , IV and V in major keys.
Add 9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 9
E add9 uses the notes: E, G#, B, F#
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: E, G#, B, F#, B, E

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Wednesday 26 May 2010

E minor add9

Learning new guitar chords is a great way to come up with new song ideas and to spice up regular rhythm playing. Following on from yesterday's Am add9 inversion, today's Guitar Chord of the Day is E minor add9. Although in this diagram the guitar's E strings are muted to allow for transposing the chord to other keys, you can include them for an Em/9 (Em add9 can also be written as Em/9).
E minor add9 Guitar Chord
EmAdd9 guitar chord

Minor add9 chords can be played in place of most minor chords and are a great way to add interest to regular chord progressions.
Check out some of the other minor add9 guitar chords from previous posts and remember you can use the labels on the right to explore lots of different guitar chord types.
Eminor add9 guitar chord

Minor add9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, 9
E minor add9 uses the notes: E, G, B, F# and our inversion uses the notes in this order.

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Tuesday 25 May 2010

A minor add9 Guitar Chord

Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is A minor add9. This guitar chord is simply to play: just two fingers needed, but is a great sound variation on a regular Am guitar chord.
A minor add9 Guitar Chord
Amadd9 guitar chord

Add 9 chords can also be written /9 (Ted Greene is a fan of writing add9 chords this way). So today's chord can also be written as Am/9.
Am add9 guitar chord

Minor add9 chords can be played in place of most minor chords. It can replace chords ii, vi and iii in major keys (although using it instead of chord 3 introduces a non-scale note it still sounds good).

Minor add9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, 9
A minor add9 uses the notes: A, C, E, B
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: A, E, C, B, E

We've featured an alternative inversion of this guitar chord here: C minor add9

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Monday 24 May 2010

B9 Guitar Chord

Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is B9. Dominant 9th guitar chords are simply extended 7th chords, so they work great as blues guitar chords. This chord has its root note on the guitar's top E string.
B9 Guitar Chord
B9 guitar chord

Dominant 9th chords use these scale degrees: 1, 3, 5, b7, 9
B9 guitar chord

B9 uses the notes: B, D#, F#, A, C#
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: A, C#, D#, B

Hook this 9th chord up with 13th chords, or other Dominant 7th chords to spice up you blues rhythm guitar playing.

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Sunday 23 May 2010

C Major7#11 Guitar Chord

Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is C Major7#11. This guitar chord has its root note on the 3rd fret of the A string. This guitar chord can be written in several ways: C major 7#11, C maj7#11 and CΔ7#11 all mean the same thing. 

Both the 3rd fret on the guitar's A string and the 2nd fret on the guitar's E string are played with the first finger. It's an interesting chord to play- slightly curving your finger to play a barre across two frets:
C major7#11 guitar chord
Cmaj7#11 guitar chord

We've featured an alternative C Major7#11 guitar chord here.
Cmaj7#11 guitar chord

The #11 in the C major7#11 chord gives this guitar chord a nice sound based on the lydian mode. It can replace chord IV in major keys, though many jazz guitarists prefer the sound of #11 chords to ordinary major7 guitar chords so it can replace chord I if you want to add harmonic interest.

Major 7#11 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 7, #11

C Major 7#11 uses the notes: C, E, G, B, F#

Our inversion uses the notes in this order: C, G, B, E, F#

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Saturday 22 May 2010

C minor 9 Guitar Chord

Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is C Minor 9. This guitar chord can be played in the place of most minor chords. It can be a bit of a stretch in some positions, but it's a great sounding chord to play so well worth stretching those fretting fingers for.
Cm9 Guitar Chord
Cm9 guitar chord

We've featured an alternative inversion of this guitar chord here.

Minor 9 chords can be played in place of minor 7th chords, and almost always in place of minor chords. It can replace II, III and VI chords in major keys.

Minor 9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, b7, 9
C minor 9 uses the notes: C, Eb, G, Bb, D
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: Bb, D, Eb, C

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Friday 21 May 2010

B Major 9

Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is B Major 9. Major 9 chords are nice sounding extensions and alternatives to play in place of ordinary major 7 guitar chords. Major 9 chords can also be written Δ9, so B major 7, B maj9 and BΔ9 would all be played on the same way on the guitar.

This chord has the root note on the guitar's A string as indicated by the box on the chord diagram.
Guitar Chord B Major 9
Bmaj9 guitar chord

Major 9 guitar chords can be replace major 7th chords, and can often be played in place of major chords. It can replace I and IV chords in major keys.
Major 9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
Bmaj9 guitar chord

The B Major 9 guitar chord uses the notes: B, D#, F#, A#, C#
Our B Major 9 chord uses the notes in this order: D#, B, C#, F#, A#, D#


Don't forget you can use Guitar Chord Of The Day as a chord dictionary by looking up different inversions and types of chords using the labels and tags. Learn a new guitar chord every day by subscribing to the RSS feed - tune up and tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day

Thursday 20 May 2010

Dissonant Guitar Chords

We've played a lot of beautiful sounding guitar chords recently, we'll get nasty with today's Guitar Chord of the Day and have another post in our occasional series of dissonant guitar chords. As with our other dissonant guitar chords this one has 6 semitone halfsteps and no root note. Use these chords only when you want a harsh clashing dissonant sound!
Dissonant Guitar Chord
Dissonant guitar chord

Today's dissonant guitar chord uses these notes: C#, D, D#, E, F, F#
Dissonant guitar chord

Learn a new guitar chord every day by subscribing to the RSS feed and tuning in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day

Wednesday 19 May 2010

A Major 9

Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is A Major 9. This guitar chord has it's root note on the guitar's D string.
A major 9 Guitar Chord
Amaj9 guitar chord

Major 9 guitar chords can be replace major 7th chords, and can often be played in place of major chords. It can replace I and IV chords in major keys
Major 9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
Amaj9 guitar chord

A Major 9 uses the notes: A, C#, E, G#, B
Our A Major 9 chord uses the notes in this order: C#, A, B, E, G#

As this chord has a C# as it's lowest note, this guitar chord is known as a first inversion chord:
  • Root note lowest - root position
  • 3rd lowest - first inversion
  • 5th lowest - second inversion
Using different inversions when playing guitar chords allows the chords to flow much better from one to another. This is good voice leading - how one note moves to the next.

Don't forget you can look up different guitar inversions and chord types on Guitar Chord Of The Day by using the labels and tags. Learn a new guitar chord every day by subscribing to the RSS feed and tuning in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day

Tuesday 18 May 2010

C major 7#11

Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is C major 7#11. The #11 adds a nice lydian flavour to the major guitar chord. Lydian mode is a favourite of guitarists Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. This guitar chord can replace chord IV in major keys and to add harmonic interest also replace chord I.
C major7#11 Guitar Chord
Cmaj7#11 guitar chord

The #11 in the C major7#11 chord gives this guitar chord a nice sound based on the lydian mode. It can replace chord IV in major keys and if you want to add harmonic interest replace chord I.

Major 7#11 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 7, #11

C Major 9#11 uses the notes: C, E, G, B, F#

Our inversion uses the notes in this order: G, C, E, F#, B

Record a vamp using this #11 guitar chord and the major9#11 guitar chord and practice your Lydian guitar solos over the top.

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Monday 17 May 2010

E minor 69

Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is E minor 69. We've played other minor69 guitar chords here. This chord has it's root note on the the G string of the guitar and uses the first finger to barre across the B and top E strings.

E minor 69 Guitar Chord
Em69 guitar chord

Minor 69 chords are created by playing a minor triad together with the natural 6th and 9th: 1, b3, 5, 6 9

E minor69 uses these notes: E, G, B, F#, C#
Today's guitar inversion uses the notes in this order: G, C#, E, F#, B

Minor 69 chords are usually used as chord i in minor keys, but can also be played as chord ii in major keys.

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Sunday 16 May 2010

F add9 Guitar Chord

Following on from yesterday's D minor 13 chord, today we have another guitar chord that involves a large stretch: an inversion of F add9 (we've featured a number of different ways to play this chord before so there are some easier ways to play add9 guitar chords here).
F add9 Guitar Chord
Fadd9 guitar chord
Add 9 chords can be played in place of pretty much all major chords. It can replace chords I , IV and V in major keys. F add9 could also be considered an inversion of D minor11.

Add 9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 9

F add9 uses the notes: F, A, C, G

Our inversion uses the notes in this order: C, F, G, A.

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Saturday 15 May 2010

D minor 13

Today's Guitar Chord of the Day is D minor 13. This chord sounds nice and is great practice for the left hand as it involves quite a stretch. If the stretch is a little too much to start with, play the chord higher up the neck of the guitar and move the chord lower down the fretboard as you get more used to the stretch.
D minor 13 Guitar Chord
Dminor13 guitar chord
Minor 13 chords are usually played as chord i in minor keys, can also be played as chord ii though do experiment substituting this chord for other minor chords to add some harmonic interest.

Minor 13 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, b7, 9, 11, 13

D minor 13 uses the notes: D, F, A, C, E, G, B

Our guitar inversion uses the notes in this order: D, F, B, C, E, A

To solo over this chord, try the D dorian mode, the D blues scale or the D melodic minor scale for added harmonic tension.

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Friday 14 May 2010

E major7

Today's guitar chord of the day is a standard root position fingering of E major7. This chord is the sustained ringing chord used in the famous Red Hot Chilli Pepper's song Under the Bridge from the Blood Sugar Sex Magik album.
E major7 Guitar Chord
Emaj7 guitar chord

As mentioned in a previous post, major seventh chords can be written in a few different ways. E major 7, E maj7 and EΔ7 all mean the same thing. 

Major 7 can replace Major triads for chords I and IV in Major keys.

Major  chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 7

E Major 7 uses the notes: E, G#, B, D#
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: E, B, D#, G#

This major 7 inversion can be created by taking this dominant 7th chord (from the series 12 dominant 7th guitar chords every guitarist should know) and lowering the 7th one fret.

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Thursday 13 May 2010

Guitar Harmonics Chords | B minor

In a previous Guitar Chord a Day post we introduced the idea of playing guitar chords with harmonics.
Bm Harmonics Guitar Chord
Guitar chord harmonics B minor

Today's guitar chord is a simple B minor triad. Play this chord with harmonics by lightly resting your finger touching the strings over the 7th fret, once you've plucked them you can remove your left hand to let them ring.

Guitar harmonics have a beautiful chime like sound and are a simple way to add some tonal variation to common chords.

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