The prettiest chord

[JanVigne]

I boogered the tip of a finger on my fretting hand the other day so I'm doing more pondering that playing for awhile.

Tell me, if you would, about the prettiest sounding chord or progression you play. I know every now and again I'll actually mis-finger a chord and find myself thinking I found something unusual. Most of the time I don't even know exactly what the chord would be or where I'd ever use it. But, dang! it sure does sound nice.

Any such chords you play that you can name and/or just describe the fingering of that chord?

[clintj]

I like the 6/9 chords a lot, especially C6/9 (x32233), and A6/9 (044200).

[rick-slo]

Try Pachebel's Canon in D, and in a tuning that allows lots of ringing open strings.

[DoryDavis]

E moo major, as voiced in many Steely Dan songs

024100

[Bingoccc]

Suspended 4ths for me.

[johnny196775]

I like the sound of dominate chords.

[wcap]

Originally Posted by DoryDavis

E moo major, as voiced in many Steely Dan songs

024100

Indeed.

And the minor form of this same chord (the same, but with the G string open). My nicest original piece was inspired by this chord!

[Kerbie]

Probably the diminished chords. I like that dark, eerie sound, even if I don't get to use them very often.

I think the first favorite I ever had decades ago was just the simple E minor. Beautiful chord.

Like Rick, I've played Pachelbel's "Canon in D"... lovely progression.

[TacomaBridge]

For rhythm and blues, the augmented dominant resolving to the tonic.
Key of C,
G7aug = 3x0443 which is a really funky chord.
The song is "Losing my faith in you" and I believe is by B B King. the song itself has a great chord progression.
Scott Ainslie does a great version of it and can be found on YouTube.
Steve

[delb0y]

I like an Emaj7 played with a couple of open strings ringing

7 7 6 8 0 0

From there a regular C#min7 / A / B7 creates a lovely, if standard, sequence

Kind regards
Derek

[stevejazzx]

Amin7 as in (x 0 5 5 5 7) to D7b9 as in (x 5 4 5 4 x) to G69 as in (3 x 2 2 3 x) to F#min7b5 (2 x 2 2 1 x) to B7 as in (x 2 1 2 x x) to Emin as in (0 x 2 0 x x)

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by wcap

Indeed.

And the minor form of this same chord (the same, but with the G string open). My nicest original piece was inspired by this chord!

First time I heard that chord - 024000 - was in 1965:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9g5cPHNT9M
0:40.
The "saddest" chord, therefore?

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by stevejazzx

Amin7 as in (x 0 5 5 5 7) to D7b9 as in (x 5 4 5 4 x) to G69 as in (3 x 2 2 3 x) to F#min7b5 (2 x 2 2 1 x) to B7 as in (x 2 1 2 x x) to Emin as in (0 x 2 0 x x)

That's cheating! Too many chords!

(And your Am7 is Am9 - pretty chord I agree, which deserves its full name!)

[JonPR]

Generally, I think maj7s are the prettiest type of chord. Partly because I once thought I'd invented them, having found this (age 17):

0
1
2
3
x
x

- hey, that's pretty! can I copyright it??

Er, no.

Lots of variants of maj7 voicings - eg delb0y's, one of the nicest.

You don't get them much in rock, but when you do you notice them - esp when well used, as here at 0:53:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwlogyj7nFE
"Lonely as I am, together we cry" > Emaj7.
Or here at 1:33 (Gmaj7):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfwoYEcpQhU
Or here at 0:21 (Cmaj7):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEDVvXn1Hqg

[JonPR]

My favourite chord is probably a 9#11 (lydian dominant), normally used as bII or bVII in jazz, but sweet as an altered IV chord too.

Try it in Moon River:

 F    Dm7    Bb9#11      F
------3-1---|0----------|---------
-1----1-----|1----3-1---|1------------
-2----2-----|1--------3-|2-----------
-3----0-----|0----------|3----------
------------|1----------|---------
------------|-----------|--------

Mmm tasty.