[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Zion33

True but are the notes in the chords and triad set in stone, if a triad or chord consists of notes other than the root, what determines which other notes are played, there must be some sort of scale or rule, it couldn't be any note surely.

If I knew the name of this scale/method I could make the customised voicing's myself, theory ain't gonna do much if you don't even know what the thing you need to study is called in the first place, what can I say haha.

Hi Z33

Technically, without three notes you don't have a chord…though you can imply chords with only two notes.

But the notes in a triad are only part of the equation. Also included are range, and inversions (which notes appear on bottom, top and middle of the chord).

Rules change when we play chords with extensions (6, 9, 11, 13 etc) because they can accumulate more notes than a guitar can reproduce simultaneously. Or the fingerings can become such finger twisters they are improbably difficult to use fluently.

So we learn to leave notes out of the more complex chords, so the sound of the chord is there and the key alterations are included as well.

So the answer to your question Is-it-possible-to-play-every-chord-in-the-open-position is probably "No, not every chord…"

Is there a reason you'd want to play every chord in the open position?

I'm a finger styler so I often reduce chords to 4 or 5 notes (sometimes just 3) and adding or subtracting notes is as simple as knowing the names of the notes in the chord and playing only the ones I want. Doesn't require barres or unimaginable complexities. However, that said, I can barre all day long with the best of them, and do so when it's appropriate to the situation.

By the way the 'open' fingering I use for a Bb chord is X-1-3-X-3-X. All the necessary notes, no barre, and very balanced (and traditional) voicing.