If you watch the video , you ’ ll discover that at the bottom of each of the voicings , we have Root , 5 th , Root , and then we have the 3 rd , rather than Root , 3 rd , 5 th , etc .
Those chickens , er , notes , have room to roam .
So how can we give our muddy G Major chord a more open voicing ? Would you believe me if I told you , it only takes two fingers ?
Here ’ s the voicing I recommend :
Want to know how to play it on the guitar ? Gently curl your fretting hand pinky ( your 4 th finger ) in toward your hand without bending any of the other fingers . Then , lay your hand across the guitar so you only fret the 3 rd fret of strings 6 and 1 . Let your 3 rd finger mute the 5 th string . And soon you ’ ll have it .
Are there additional benefits to this voicing and fingering ? Yes . We have much more economy of movement from this new G chord to a C chord .
Still not convinced ? When the 1 st and 2 nd fingers are freed up with this new paradigm , they can play part of a C Major chord on top of this G chord . It ’ s called a C over G chord , which works great for folk or fingerstyle guitar .
I hope this has given you a sense that even something as basic as an open G Major chord can be retooled just a bit to be made much more artistic . It sounds clearer , more elegant , and more pleasing to the ear .
See ? We can always go back to the basics . Even those of us who have been playing for decades . So , yes , guitar voicings really do matter .
Now , I ’ m not asking you to completely unlearn and relearn this chord . You can still use the other G chord shapes if you prefer . But finding different voicings for the same chord gives us more options , which leads to greater artistry .
The notes are G , I mute and skip the 5 th string , then D , G , B and G . The voicing at the bottom of the chord is now Root , 5 th , Root , and then we continue with the 3 rd and the Root , much like the other open chord voicings I show you on the video that accompanies this article .
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David Harsh David is a nationally touring worship leader , songwriter and performing artist . He is passionate about equipping guitarists to discover their potential . Learn more and join now at www . GuitarSuccess4U . com .
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