I Wanna Play Those TV Chords.....

[jeffoest]

This may be one of the dumbest questions but I need to ask it anyways because it is absolutely driving me nuts and has been for months.

Whenever I see a guitarist on TV (most recently Beck on acoustic) playing either acoustic or electric they are playing chords positions that I don't know. Maybe it's alternative tuning but I just don't really think so.

Now, I know most of the open position chords, most of the barre chord pattern shapes, some upper string shapes and even figured out some middle shapes for my own use. So - I'm not the 'king' of guitar, but I know a lot of chords. OH yea, I know all the power chords....

What I see from these guitarists is something like this: 1) thumb is curved around - maybe deadening the bottom string, maybe not? 2) four fingers engaged - seems like usually the first and second finger are on the 2 and 3rd string, 3rd and 4th a combination of the 4,5,and 6th string - but it never looks like a huge stretch or awkward. They are playing these patterns all over the neck...

Any ideas, what it is??? It looks VERY common but I can't find it in any of my books...

[zook250]

try checking some of the tab sites. there might be somthing there that resembles these chords.

[tjohnston]

There is no telling what Beck is doing.

[Uncle Roel]

What you describe is the basic C-chord moved up the neck. So, if you'd take a D-chord with that voicing, you'd play (from the upper E string down to the lower E string so EADGBE) these frets:
x 5 4 2 3 x
Both E strings are damped in this position, you do this with placing the fingers nearest to those strings right next to them.

If you wanna learn more about chords; you gotta figure out which note is what in which chordposition. Which is the root, which one is the third, the fifth, the seventh? Where is the minor or major third if this is your root? Where is the seventh if this note is the root? Before you know, you are 'making up' your own chord positions. After all, a chord is just a few notes in a certain relation to the root played together...

[hixmix]

Probably open tunings so you're not seeing standard fingerings.

[Aaron Cheney]

Many people use their thumb to fret with over the top of the neck as you described. I do it all the time...

Another thing.... I'm a child of the '80's, and I remember seeing shredders on all the guitar mag covers that posed for the camera with these incredibly freaky chord fingerings just because they figured it made them look really cool. Could that be going on here?


Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

[jeffoest]

Good responses all, appreciate your trying to help. I don't think it's the C chord moved up the neck because the first and second finger seem to be on the lower strings (not the higher ones). I apologize if I gave you the wrong order of strings! Though I have played that D chord with the upper string E for a nice D2 sound.

Reading your inputs, I'm now thinking maybe your right - perhaps it is an open tuning deal. It's just that I seem to see it EVERY time I watch a guitarist on TV. lol

Thanks,
Jeff

[Uncle Roel]

To fret the chord I noted, you have to put your index and middle finger on the G and B string, which is the 4th and 5th string, counting from the highest (the thick) E string. Thus the lower strings...

Or do you mean lower strings as in sounding low?

[jeffoest]

Yea - I'm sorry for being confusing - I meant

fingers 1 and 2 on the lower (as in thicker) strings.....

[Aaron Cheney]

That brings up an interesting point.....

I think I'll start a new thread on what is higher/ lower.

Thanks for the idea!

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

[SHEPPARDB.]

Originally posted by Aaron Cheney
Many people use their thumb to fret with over the top of the neck as you described. I do it all the time...

Another thing.... I'm a child of the '80's, and I remember seeing shredders on all the guitar mag covers that posed for the camera with these incredibly freaky chord fingerings just because they figured it made them look really cool. Could that be going on here?


Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

Man,I remember sitting in my bedroom as a teen saying to myself:
what the fuck kinda chord is that?It must be awesome because it looks real hard to do.Even though I took the time to learn those
chords, I dont think I ever used any of them.

[jeffoest]

LOL

Actually in the one that I am talking about it, the reason I'm so interested is that looked very easy to play.....

I'm going to see if I can find a picture.

Jeff

[Dethska]

G?


EADGBe
320033

[Outlaws]

Standard minor chord
--7 or finger muted with palm part of index finger
--8 or muted with the middle finger
--9 via pinky
--9 via ring finger
--7 via index finger
--thumb mute

or

--mute with combination of index and middle
--8 via ring finger
--7 via index finger
--either thumb mute or ring/pinky mute
--either thumb mute or ring/pinky mute
--thumb mute

The later just looks like they are finger with the ring and pinky, but they are just holding it up there for the hell of it. I do. Comfort

But anyways...the later is very suitable for a second guitar (Beck) to do over the main guitar who is playing the chord. Its kind of a rhythm/lead/harmony/thickness thing.

[jeffoest]

Thanks for the good responses all. Outlaws - I think you may be on to something.

Here are a couple of pictures that sort of how it...

Chord Picture 1
Chord Picture 2

These are two different chords - but it still is the general idea - but I see everyone playing them...... (i'm sure the answer to this is obvious and I should know better - but if you can clue me in, much appreciated!).

Thanks,
Jeff

[jeffoest]

Thanks for the good responses all. Outlaws - I think you may be on to something.

Here are a couple of pictures that sort of how it...

Chord Picture 1
Chord Picture 2

These are two different chords - but it still is the general idea - but I see everyone playing them...... (i'm sure the answer to this is obvious and I should know better - but if you can clue me in, much appreciated!).

Thanks,
Jeff

[Dakota]

I'm about 90% sure the first one is an Ebarre form on the 3rd fret, making it a G in standard tuning.

3-5-5-4-3-3

The index finger is barring the highest 2 strings.
The ring finger is barring the 2 strings on the 5th fret.
Middle on the 4th fret, and thumb on the low string, 3rd fret.

The pinky is floating, ready to hit/hammer on, and make this chord into G7, 3-5-5-4-6-3 or G6, 3-5-5-4-5-3, or the G major/minor combo, 3-5-5-4-6-6, by barring the high 2 strings on the 6th....Or 3-5-5-4-3-5, which is a G2 (Gsus2).

[Dakota]

55.1% sure the second pic is a G5, 3-5-5-x-3-3, often referred to as a 'power chord'. also played 3-5-5-x-x-x

Thumb on the low string 3rd fret.
Ring finger on barring the 2 strings on the 5th fret, AND muting the G string.
Index finger is barring the high 2 strings.
Pinky is a floater again.

I usually play this chord by barring across all 6 strings with my index finger. this makes it easy to transition to a C5: x-3-5-5-x-3, or x-3-5-5-x-x

[Outlaws]

My opinion on the first chord is either one of two things.

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

or

--5 optional but with index
--5 index
--6 middle
--7 ring
-------
--------

The later on this suggestion is a moveable F maj chord that we all learned in out first or second guitar lesson. And as Dakota said in his post, the pinky is available for extra notes when needed.

[Outlaws]

The second one. Don't know...but I would guess this, just for the hell of it.

------
--3 index
--4 middle
--5 pinky
--5 ring
-------

Just another variation of the F chord.

[Armistice]

Speaking of thumbs, has anyone ever used their thumb on the high (pitch) strings? I often make up my own bizzarre chords and recently found that the only way to play a particular not as I was moving through this sequence was to actually bring the thumb around the low (position) side of the fretboard and use it to fret the 2nd fret on the high (pitch) E string.

Looks weird but not as hard as I thought, although if you have a low slung guitar you can't do it.

I started out with a barre chord version of Cmaj7 only alternating between fretting the high (pitch) E string at the third fret with the side of the barre finger and leaving it open (OK, so it's not a barre in that it's curved to do this) - then I discovered that there was a nice change if I then fretted the high (pitch) E string on the second fret, and while I could just about stretch the fingers so that I could use the side of the pointer again, it was actually easier to bring the thumb around.

Mind you, I do have double-jointed thumbs! Looks appalling in the mirror! Like something from a contortionist horror movie - but it works

[Gidge]

Originally posted by Outlaws [/B]
or

--5 optional but with index
--5 index
--6 middle
--7 ring
-------
--------

[/B]

not sure about the position, but that looks like the fingering.....then the thumb can fret the 5th fret on the bass E string.....Hendrix did that alot.......if you fret the A chord as shown above, it frees up your pinky to embelling chords in a way that cant be done with the traditional fingering of that barre chord.....

[sm2k]

You're being fooled!

I wondered these same things myself for the longest time...then I watched myself play in the mirror. Things look a lot different from that perspective! Fingers may appear to be fretting when they're just hanging there. Consider a standard power chord...where is your middle finger? To the layperson sitting across from you, it might appear as though you were using three fingers.

If it was easy to tell exactly how somebody was fingering, nobody would use the drop d tuning

Slackmaster 2000

[Dakota]

Originally posted by sm2k
Fingers may appear to be fretting when they're just hanging there. Consider a standard power chord...where is your middle finger?

:-) Exactly!