This song is suitable for beginner guitarists, while still offering enough challenge as they advance. The chord progressions and strumming patterns allow for various playing styles – try adding percussive hits or muted strums for additional rhythmic texture!
1. E Minor 9
E Minor 9 chord is a five note chord composed of E Minor (b7) and 9th (2nd) interval notes added to its base minor chord, creating a unique sound popularly found in jazz and R&B music. Guitarists may play these chords “suspended”, replacing third note with its adjacent neighbour for a more dissonant sound.
These chords, often known as dominant seventh with a minor ninth (Dm9 or Cm9), feature more bluesy and jazz sounds than traditional dominant seventh chords, giving your songs an edgier sound. James Brown famously used these chords on his classic tune “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag.”
A variation on this chord is the six-ninth chord, which consists of an E minor seventh with its fifth and sixth notes lowered by one note each, creating Dm6/9. This melancholy sounding chord can add tension and drama, as it resembles E minor seventh chord.
2. Cmaj7#11
Cmaj7#11 (also called Lydian Chords) is a major seventh chord with an added augmented eleventh. This chord can be found frequently in pop music to create a warm, open-ended sound; you’ll also find it used in funk and jazz tracks such as Frank Sinatra’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” or Lukas Graham’s “7 Years”.
This guitar chord shape is easier for beginners to play than its predecessor; however, more stretching between middle and ring fingers may be required. Still a great shape to learn and will help you play most rhythm guitar situations!
Make this chord even more accessible by adding other variations such as flat-5 and sharp-9; be mindful that these can cause clashes of overtones. Use our Maj7(#11) Chord Workout to practice improvising over this chord in all keys; this can increase flexibility while simultaneously developing technique. Finally, don’t forget Fender Play’s full library of songs!
3. G Barre Chord
Barre chords may be tricky to learn at first, but they’re essential for many songs on the guitar. Make time to practice regularly so your fingers become stronger and dexterous; use a capo to reduce string tension when necessary.
The G barre chord is similar to its F counterpart, except it moves the root note up one fret for a more subdued sound. This chord can be found in songs like Oasis’ “Wonderwall” and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”, adding to their upbeat melodies.
To play a G barre chord, place your index finger across all six strings at the third fret and your middle finger at fret 4 of string 3. With your other hands, ring and pinky fingers should be placed on fifth frets of strings 2, 3, and 1.
4. G Major
G Major 9 chord is one of a family of G chords (G Sus2, Csus4) in which its third note can be moved up or down a whole note to alter its character, giving this chord its unique sound in this song’s minor-major V-I progression.
This chord may require some stretching across the fingerboard; however, if you are familiar with playing open string chords it should be relatively straightforward.
This chord can add an exciting jangly sound to your guitar playing, appearing in some Green Day songs and providing the opportunity to demonstrate dissonant chords on the fretboard.