Incomplete 7th chords January 24, 2015 No CommentThis idea makes 7th chords easier to play, and creates new possibilities. Instead of making them four-note chords, make them three-note chords. How? Eliminate a note, of course, but which one? We can’t really get rid of the root or the 7th because they define the sound of the chord. The 3rd also plays an important role in defining a 7th chord’s sound. But the 5th? We can lose that. Here’s what you do. Just take any 7th chord, say a G major 7, and build the chord: G, B, D, F#. Now get rid of the 5th, and you’re left with G, B, and F#. Now the fun part. Find those notes on the neck of the guitar, and build some chords. Root in the bass Keep the root in the bass for now. Put the G of the G major 7 chord on the 3rd fret of the low E string. Now find a place for the B and the F#. You have three practical choices for the B: 2nd fret, A string 4th fret, G string open B string There are two practical choices for the F#: 4th fret, D string, 2nd fret, high E string. If you put the B on the A string, the F# can go in any of its two locations. Try both. Which is easier to play? Which sounds better? Put the B on the G string and, again, the F# can go in any of its two locations. Again, try both. Always ask which is easiest to play and which sounds better. And finally, the open B. Again, the F# can go in either location. The root on other strings Now go through this process with the root on the A string. As before, identify where you can play the other two notes (put them on higher strings than the A), and figure out how many chords you can make. Then place the root on the D string, and find the other notes. Finally, put the root on the G string. Remember that, in all these cases, the root is the lowest sounding note. And make sure that you’re writing down all the chords that you like. The ones you don’t use now, you’ll use later. You keep ideas fresh by making sure that you have materials you like, and by making sure that those materials aren’t all the same. Some people never use anything but standard, open string chords… The 3rd in the bass If you feel like making more chords, put the 3rd in the bass, and then find the root and the 7th on the other strings. So the B (if you’re using the G major 7th chord) goes on the 7th fret of the low E string. Then find the other notes (G and F#) on the other strings. Same process as before. Other things to try I know. It never ends. Use the 7th (F#) in the bass, and put the root (G) and the third (B) on the other strings. Do the entire process from the beginning of the post, but get rid of the 3rd instead of the 5th. guitar, songwritingShare : Tweet ‹ Pedal Changing 7th chords ›