Open Chords On Guitar

The open chords end up being one of the first thing most guitarists learn when starting out. They don’t really require the same level of finger independence that single note lines require and they don’t need the same amount of finger strength the bar chords need. They can be a little complicated to learn all the shapes at first (as opposed to bar chords where all chords of the same type use the same shape), these chords do allow a guitarist to use them to some rather neat effect. The ability to easily swap into sustained chords can be found in numerous songs to liven up what might be an otherwise dull chord progression. The issue is that open chords are only useful in a few keys and chord progressions, and only a few chords are very easily manipulated does limit their usage, but sometimes it is quite worthwhile.

Open A Chords

The open A chord does offer a few different options, but it doesn’t really transition very well into them. Both ways of holding the A major chord (barring the first four strings on the second fret or using one finger per string) makes swapping to the sustained chords a little tricky to do cleanly. However, the A minor chord can make those changes pretty easily, which can make it very useful to keep in mind.

Open C Chords

The open C to Cadd9 switch pops up occasionally in songs, but more often it seems that the Cadd9 chord is used to replace the C chord entirely. It usually fits quite well in the progression in place of the C, and it is very easy to swap from the G to Cadd9 chord in comparison to switching from G to C.

Open D Chords

The open D chord is the easiest open chord to play around with. It is a pretty easy chord to hold, both the major and minor variations. The nicest aspect is that both D and D minor swap to Dsus2 and Dsus4 with very little effort. It has the same flexibility as the open A chord, but without the sometimes tricky fingering.

Open E Chords

The open E chords really don’t lend themselves very well to swaps like some of the other chords. It is fairly low register, which means dissonance is much more apparent, and the simple fingering swaps don’t really lead to anything that useful chord wise.

Open G

The open G chord is another chord that doesn’t lend itself to much playing around with. The second variation is very useful for G – Cadd9 chord progressions, but both variations above are still G major chords.

B and F Chords

A good demonstration of just how limited open chords are in terms of what can be formed is shown quite clearly as B and F chords. In order to form chords for all the natural notes, two bar chords had to be added to the basic chords. If you are already familiar with the bar chords, you should be familiar with these shapes. If not, then you will have a head start learning the bar chords by realizing these are actually bar chords. Don’t be surprised if it takes awhile to be able to hold these chords clearly, they do require a lot more physical strength than the open chords. Changing into and out of these chords can also be tricky, so just practice, practice, and practice, and eventually it won’t be a problem.

Keep on rockin'!