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Permalink Reply by Doc Oakroot on July 23, 2009 at 1:16am

Click here for my article on playing minor and seventh chords in open tuning.

Usually with only 3 strings, you don't have the third in chord anyway, so straight bars are power chords and work for either major or minor. The downside is you can't tell whether it's major or minor and sometimes that's important.

Another way to do minor on a 3 string, is first play the chord with the slide in the regular position.. then go up 3 frets - the notes there are the minor third and dominant seventh, so by moving between those two frets you create the illusion that you're playing a m7 chord. You can also do this going up 4 frets to do a Maj7 chord.

And then of course, you can tune your top string down a step to play all 7ths or tune your middle string down a (major or minor) third to add a (minor or major) third to all chords, etc.

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Permalink Reply by Ben on July 23, 2009 at 2:22am

If you're tuned in a I V I pattern (GDG or something like that) then you can get a ton of different chords if your hands can stretch a little bit. For power chords I just strum open and bar with my index finger to change chords up the neck. For minor chords I keep that bar with my index finger and use my ring or pinky 3 frets up the neck on the highest string. A major chord uses the same shape but instead of three frets up, its four (this is a little bit of a stretch on my 30" scale baritone). To play a Dominant 7th chord, bar with your index finger a press down the middle string three frets up the neck. For a Major 7th (quite jazzy) move that finger up to the 4th fret above your index finger. I hope this helps. I didn't feel like I explained it all that well. Maybe I'll revise it after I've woken up a bit.

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Permalink Reply by Doc Oakroot on July 23, 2009 at 2:31am

You explained that fine. But it's easier if you're fingering the chords to play your 7ths down from the chord on the 1st string than up on the middle string and gives you fuller chords:

7th              Maj 7th
+-+-+          +-+-+

| | *          | | |

+-+-+          +-+-+

| | |          | | *

+-+-+          +-+-+

* * |           * * |

+-+-+          +-+-+

Ben said:

If you're tuned in a I V I pattern (GDG or something like that) then you can get a ton of different chords if your hands can stretch a little bit. For power chords I just strum open and bar with my index finger to change chords up the neck. For minor chords I keep that bar with my index finger and use my ring or pinky 3 frets up the neck on the highest string. A major chord uses the same shape but instead of three frets up, its four (this is a little bit of a stretch on my 30" scale baritone). To play a Dominant 7th chord, bar with your index finger a press down the middle string three frets up the neck. For a Major 7th (quite jazzy) move that finger up to the 4th fret above your index finger. I hope this helps. I didn't feel like I explained it all that well. Maybe I'll revise it after I've woken up a bit.

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