Chapter 6
Add variations to the chords
I mentioned earlier that I like to start with keys that can be played with open chords on the guitar. The great thing with open chords is that you can play around with removing some fingers on the fretboard to change the sound of the chord.
It really is just about small details that will make your song come to live. We are now going to apply this concept of small change on the chords that you have chosen before, to spice them up.
This technique will work very well on open chords. Starting with a standard chord shape and play around with removing one finger from the fretboard and let the open string sound instead. Here’s an example: play a D chord and now remove your finger on the high e string. Or move a finger when you play the G major chord. The chord shapes will change like this
As I said I don’t want to focus on the music theory behind it. The new chord you created has still the general feel of the D chord in the first case, but it sounds more open, creating tension and excitement.
I also like to try the following: If you have a chord change (for example G – C) try so substitute some of the notes of the latter with notes of the former. This could lead to something like this:
Put this in the context of a chord progression like Am – G – C. Try it out… this does sound interesting, doesn’t it?
You get the idea. Don’t be afraid to experiment and mix the notes of different chords. There are good examples of songs that take advantage of that technique (Oasis – Wonderwall) that play the same two notes throughout all chord changes in the song. It really can spice up your progression tremendously.