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which chord is correct?

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(@uponmyfeet)
Active Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 3
Topic starter  

i'm a beginner and am confused as to how to play some chords.

book 1 says this is how you play G:

E A D G B E
3 2 0 0 3 3

book 2 says this is how you play G:

E A D G B E
3 2 0 0 0 3

book 1 says this is how you play Em7:

E A D G B E
0 2 2 0 3 3

book 2 says this is how you play Em7:

E A D G B E
0 2 2 0 3 0

WHO DO I BELIEVE? aren't chords supposed to be standard? :?:

some are only born to try


   
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 huey
(@huey)
Active Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 9
 

look, a G chord consists of G,B and D.

the first chord would be G,B,D,G,D,G from the bottom
the second would be G,B,D,G,B,G

the first chord may sounds a bit stronger (more like a power chord) since the major third (B) is omitted (see chord 2) and vice versa.

same goes for the Em7 chord (E,G,B,D)

in time you may be able to create your own voicings reflecting your thoughs on what would possibly fit best into the musical context


   
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(@musenfreund)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 5108
 

Yes, the more you play, the more you'll find the different voicings of a chord to be intriguing. Different voicing often lend the sound of a song much of its color or timbre.

Just for fun, check out Howard's List of Chords. It's a great resource showing many, many chord voicings.

Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon


   
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(@burgermeister)
Eminent Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 45
 

WHO DO I BELIEVE? aren't chords supposed to be standard? :?:

The only thing that is "standard" would be the notes that make up the chord. Because you can play the same note in three or four places on the guitar neck and you can also play notes in three or four different octaves, you end up with a number of different chord "shapes" and chord positions on the neck. The link Musenfreund provided will show you a number of different ways you can play a G Major chord for instance.

The two books you're looking at are providing two different "voicings" of the G and Em7 chords. If you take the time to figure out what note each string is playing with the different chord "shapes" you'll see that you are playing the notes of the chord in both cases. As Huey showed, you're playing the notes G,B,D to make up the G Major and you're playing E,G,B,D to make up the Em7. When you double up on some of the notes in different Octaves, or play the notes in a different order, you get a slightly different sound - or different voice - to the chord.

So they're both right.


   
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(@call_me_kido)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 179
 

If a chord consists of the correct notes the voicing is relavant to your opinion of the sound and where your going to next. The first voicing of G adds a D on the second string, if you were resolving to d major this may sound better, its all about opinion.


   
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(@uponmyfeet)
Active Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 3
Topic starter  

thanks for all the info guys! immensely helpful.

some are only born to try


   
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