Beginners looking to pick up guitar can benefit from starting off with an open C chord shape; it is simple yet sounds fantastic!
Remind yourself to mute the E string with the edge of your fretting hand to prevent an untidy-sounding chord from developing. Doing this will prevent it from sounding too muddy.
The open C chord consists of three separate tones – C (1), E (3) and G (5) – that can be played individually or combined to form various chords.
C Major
C Major is one of the first chords most guitarists learn and is used in many popular songs such as Imagine, Hallelujah and Blowin’ in the Wind. Additionally, its distinctive sound complements heavier music such as metal and flamenco very well.
Typically, major chords contain the root, third, and fifth tones from their corresponding scale – in C Major these would be C, E and G respectively.
Play this chord using either your index finger or pinky, but most players opt to barre the second and third strings at the fifth fret as an exercise for their fingers and dexterity. This method also makes playing with another guitar player easier as it reduces finger movement; furthermore, leaving only high E and low A strings free to ring will give more body and full sound to this chord – perfect for creating the fullest possible sounding chord. Use this technique with any chord!
C Minor
C minor is an emotive key that can evoke both sadness and jazziness in equal measures.
To play a C minor chord, use palm-muting techniques in order to avoid accidentally hitting an open string with your fretting hand.
Minor scale intervals are similar to that of major ones, yet use minor third intervals instead of major second ones, creating chords with a more melancholic sound than major ones.
These chords can help create harmonic rhythm and progressions. Try out this progression: C minor-F minor-G minor (7) to see how it sounds and practice a few times before listening out for how the chords change the mood of a song – it’s incredible how small changes can have such a great impact on music you make!
C Sus4
C Sus4 chords are ubiquitous in jazz music. Most chord progressions will incorporate them at some point as they add tension and ambiguity to progressions. Contrary to regular chords that contain only three notes, sus4s contain four notes which “suspend” from one another for a sense of dissonance or discordant sound, creating dissonance or even dissonant sounds which add tension or dissonance into progressions.
Sus4 chords are known for their dramatic sound, making them popular choices in songs like Queen’s ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’. Sus4 chords can also add tension and urgency to songs when used alongside diminished or major seventh chords.
As with its counterpart, the Sus2 chord, these are relatively straightforward to learn. Based on familiar major shapes, they can easily be added into riffs with other chord types; for instance, using Csus4 chord with Gmaj7 chord will produce a vibrant sound perfect for fast improvised soloing.
C Sus5
Sus Chords consist of a root, fourth and fifth chord that lacks the major third that normally tells our ears whether they are major or minor chords. Instead they create harmonic tension or ambiguity that leaves an impression of harmonic ambiguity that could eventually change to either major or minor chord. Sus Chords can transition easily between them or remain static – giving tunes more movement while creating cadences that seem less rigid.
These chords can be used similarly to V7 or ii chords and work well in most circumstances. Led Zeppelin’s “Tangerine” begins with a G sus4 to G major progression while Herbie Hancock also used this type of chord in his composition “Maiden Voyage.”