C9?!

Play the slide at the 3rd fret and use one of your fingers to fret the 2nd fret. By fretting it it gets below the slide and won't be affected by it.

Yeah, the fingering is possible. There are two different ways to do it, and one common 'cheat' to get the same result.

Some guitarists will use the thumb to fret the low E string (or even the E and A strings) which makes the fingering T21333 or TT1333. I think Chet actually did it this way from time to time.

The other takes a bit more practice, and it helps to have fat fingers. Instead of placing the second finger on a string, place it between the fifth and sixth strings. If you're really careful about the placement, you'll find that you can press down on against the fretboard and get both strings to fret - resulting in 221333 fingering. (Some of the tougher voicings are impossible without developing this technique)

The most common way people will cheat their way through this particular ninth is by deadening the fifth string (2x1333), even though that's eliminating the root. Since you're working on an Atkins style piece, that might not be a practical way - you might need to bounce your second finger back and forth between the E and A strings depending on what your picking hand has to do at that point in the score.

And yes, that particular cheat results in a voicing without the root.

Like Arjen said, if you're playing with a slide it's a piece of cake to fret one string one or two frets behind the slide, which barres all other strings. But a slide takes one finger out of commission for fretting. Unless you use something like a Jet Slide: http://jetslide.com/

Hi,

It may also depend on the degree of backward bend you can get on the top joint of your middle finger.

I had a fiddle about and sometimes managed to fret the E and the A string with the top joint of my middle finger, without muting the D string. The index took the D and the ring finger 'barred' the G and B. If I really got lucky the ring finger could catch the high E too, but mostly I got that with the pinkie.

So (finger numbers not frets) it looked like this - 221334

There's absolutely no way I could do it 'on the fly', but then I'm not Chet Atkins and my fingers haven't been doing it for all the years that his have. :)

I've seen several posts from players who have said that they are able to bend various joints more effectively than I can and can therefore clear strings that I'd be muffling, so maybe that's what he's doing?

When you say "it looks like he's playing and sounding all the strings.." do you mean you've got a video of it? Can you see what arrangement of fingers he seems to be using?

Cheers,

Chris

Might play around with that chord here and figure out a good way you can do it: http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/guitar/index_rb.html

Those chords are usually only played on 5 strings, not 6. That makes it far more difficult.

C9 B9

e---3r---2r-----
b---3r---2r-----
g---3r---2r-----
d---2i---1i-----
a---3m---2m-----
e---------------


So you are holding the Root note on the 5th string (A string) with your middle finger. The bottom 3 strings are played with a barre with your ring finger. But you can use your middle finger to play the 5th tone on the 6th string as well.

You can do some cool rhythm things with the 5th tone on the 6th string.


Changes as played by Hendrix on Band of Gypsies album

Just pick up your middle finger to play the 5th tone on the 6th string. It is a bouncy feeling going between the Root and 5th tones. You have to come out of the chord and play the last 3 note run freestyle.

This is a great chord to strum fast and move up the fingerboard one fret at a time, used by Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan often.