Why don’t you play the low E string on a C chord?

Quick question this week –

Hey…one question that just popped into my mind…why isn’t the low E (open 6th string) played on a C chord? It seems as is it should be played, since we play the high E.

Technically you can play it. Many people do. But it just sounds “wrong” for lack of a better word. Here’s why –

Your basic major and minor chords are made up of three different notes – the root, the third and the fifth. For a relatively brief and painless run down on how this works, give Theory Without Tears a quick read. The C major chord, for instance, has the notes C (the root), E (the third) and G (the fifth). When a note other than the root note is the lowest note of the chord, that is called an inversion. When one plays a C chord with the E in the bass, this is called the first inversion. If the G is in the bass, it’s the second inversion.

Typically, and especially when it comes to chords being played on a guitar, we are used to hearing the root or the fifth as the bass note (or lowest in tone) of a chord. Of the three notes in any given major or minor chord, having the root gives the chord the strongest overall impression and the fifth comes second. At least as far as most people’s ears are concerned. This is why alternating bass lines (like in the “Margaritaville“ lesson) use both the root and the fifth.

The third, while incredibly important to the chord (it defines a chord as being either major or minor), is the weakest of the three notes when used as the bass note. And when you figure that the bass note of any given chord is, in all likelihood, going to be the first one you strike in a downstroke and left ringing the longest, it’s important that it give a strong impression. Thirds are often used as passing tones in bass lines, but rarely as the bass note in a full chord.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the open position C chord, when played on the guitar, already has two strings playing the third. The root note of C is C, of course, the fifth is G, which is played on the open G string. The third is E, which is played on both the open high E string and at the second fret of the D string. Not counting G, most other guitar chords have only one third in them. Even though the note of the third determines whether a chord is major or minor, having just one note being the third of the chord, out of the five or six strings being played, really cuts through the sound of the other strings. So playing the low E string may also sound muddy simply because it’s a bit of overkill.

There are times, though when you can get away with putting a third in the bass. As mentioned earlier, one of the most common reasons for doing so it in order to create a walking bassline. Going from G to Em, for instance, you’ll often hear people play D/F# (a D chord with the F# note in the bass – usually played with the fingering 200232). Since the third of the D chord is F# and the other F# is on the high E string, which is two octaves higher in tone than the F# on the low E string, it doesn’t sound quite as muddy as the C chord does. And you might occasionally find use for this chord when a song ends on a D chord.

None of this is to say that you can’t have a third as the bass note of your chord or that you can’t play the open low E string when you play a C major chord. For most people, though, the sound of the C chord seems a lot cleaner and clearer when you don’t.

I hope this helps.

If you’ve got any questions, we at Guitar Noise are always happy to answer them. Just send any of your questions to David at [email protected]. He (or another Guitar Noise contributor) may not answer immediately but he will definitely answer!