What Chord is This???

[Shelby21]

He seems to play that chord alot, i dont care about the Capo being on, forget that Im just really curious as to what chord is he playing, is somewhere in the lines of a G ??? Any help thanks

[Wally]

That looks like a 'photo chord'....just grabbing strings during a picture. IT is roughly in position to form a G. IF he was playing a G form with the capo at the 5th fret as it is, that chord would be a C.

[gtrplr]

Hard to tell from the picture, but he could be playing a G chord with his little finger on the high E string, ring finger on the low E string, looks like the might be muting the A string. If he's not muting it, he's using his middle finger to play the A string. If his little finger isn't touching the high E, then his index is playing the high E at the first fret, giving a G7 chord.

Hope that's clearer than mud.

Love the Ric that Little Stevie's playing.

[Shelby21]

Originally Posted by Wally

That looks like a 'photo chord'....just grabbing strings during a picture. IT is roughly in position to form a G. IF he was playing a G form with the capo at the 5th fret as it is, that chord would be a C.

Well even in videos I always see him play that chord, not sure if it was just for the photos

[Wally]

I understand, Shelby. IT is very difficult to see what those fingers are actually pressing down..if anything. He is just posing, imo. If he is playing a chord, he is playing the C on the 6th string, muting the 5th string, maybe hitting the 3rd frets on the B and E string and the first finger is above the strings..notplaying anything.....
or he is playing the C on the 6th string, muting the 5th string, playing the 4th and 3rd string open, playing the suspended 4th(C) on the secodn and the pinky is not playing anything..is above the strings...
I think it is a 'photo chord'.....
That said, now you know what he is doing when he is actually playing in that form...a G pattern capoed at the 5th fret...C chord. The reason for capoing is that he wants to use all of those tonalities and forms that one can use in the basic G chord...suspend the 4th on the second string....rock into and out of the C form on the 4th and 2nd strings....move the bass note down into the relative minor Amin in the Emin form.
BAsic folk/rock thing....you can do the KEith Richards rhythm things from this pattern...just mute that 5th string.
And....you can smile for the camera with your long time guitar playing buddy....

[danocaster]

I see a lot of frontmen playing that chord actually.. ( assuming it's not just a pose )

Its a G- formation - the A string isnt played at all and avoids the 3rd completely ( allowing it to work -in a band situation- as both minor or major )

The index finger is then free to hammer the "c" note on the b string to suspend the chord

it actually sounds great - I use it myself in the studio when laying simple bed tracks. The fact that the 3rd is avoided is actually really great sounding - as long as OTHERS are defining the chord a bit

[Tim Bowen]

What danocaster said. I use that grip all the time for 'G' shapes; third and fourth finger down on the E strings, back of the third finger mutes the major 3rd from ringing on the A string. 1st finger is free to grab a sus4 on the B string, and both the first and second fingers are available to grab a C/G (shape), among other things.

I use the third and fourth finger G grip with a fifth fret capo, along with the first finger sus thing, for a cover of Steve Earle's "Goodbye", which is of course in the key of C. Like I said though, I avoid the major 3rd on the A string at least as often as I choose it... depends on the song, and upon what's being played by others.

[Cheesecaster]

i use that alot

3X0003
3x2013
3x3013

sweet chords

[octatonic]

Van Zant is playing B Fat.

[tjalla]

Originally Posted by danocaster

I see a lot of frontmen playing that chord actually.. ( assuming it's not just a pose )

Its a G- formation - the A string isnt played at all and avoids the 3rd completely ( allowing it to work -in a band situation- as both minor or major )

The index finger is then free to hammer the "c" note on the b string to suspend the chord

it actually sounds great - I use it myself in the studio when laying simple bed tracks. The fact that the 3rd is avoided is actually really great sounding - as long as OTHERS are defining the chord a bit

That open b string is also a third, gotta raise that to a 5th (ring finger 3rd fret, above pinky) if you wanna play a minor chord over it.

+1 on the index finger to raise Gmaj to Gsus4

Another good use this shape is to raise Gmaj to Gadd2 by fretting the G string at the 2nd fret with that free index finger, or even a G6 on the D string 2nd fret. Check out Sheryl Crow's intro here... IMO sounds great when a good amp is cranked up a bit.