Is it possible to play every chord in the open position?

[Zion33]

Take for instance BbMajor, it just isn't as fun as playing G, is there other chord shapes to get the same chord happening without all this barring tones going on?

[1neeto]

Sorry my friend, you have to learn barre chords.

[Kerbie]

Are you talking about standard tuning? Maybe I'm not understanding, but for a Bb chord, you need a Bb, D and F. The only one of those which can be played on an open string in standard tuning is the D. So, you've got to put at least two fingers down somewhere. Why don't you minimize and just play three notes instead of playing five with the two barres?

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Zion33

Take for instance BbMajor, it just isn't as fun as playing G, is there other chord shapes to get the same chord happening without all this barring tones going on?

Well, the open strings are EADGBE, and some chords don't contain any of those notes.

Bb does contain a D, so you can play a Bb triad as this:
1-1-0-x-x-x (F Bb D)
Or a probably better sounding one as this:
x-1-0-3-3-1 (Bb D Bb D F)

If you want to play a Bb which as "fun" as playing G, put a capo on fret 3 and play (er) a G chord shape. (Tip: this is what capos are for. )

[Zion33]

Originally Posted by Kerbie

Are you talking about standard tuning? Maybe I'm not understanding, but for a Bb chord, you need a Bb, D and F. The only one of those which can be played on an open string in standard tuning is the D. So, you've got to put at least two fingers down somewhere. Why don't you minimize and just play three notes instead of playing five with the two barres?

"You need a Bb, D and F." right - where did you learn this? because I could make use of that type of info, what notes are needed for the other chords?

Yeah minimising can work, like the F chord, you have the full barre than just the smaller version, I just want to see what can be done with note configurations also, get the most out of em' I can.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Zion33

"You need a Bb, D and F." right - where did you learn this? because I could make use of that type of info, what notes are needed for the other chords?

It's called "music theory"

Originally Posted by Zion33

Yeah minimising can work, like the F chord, you have the full barre than just the smaller version, I just want to see what can be done with note configurations also, get the most out of em' I can.

It's pretty easy to learn the notes on guitar. You know the open strings right? EADGBE.

The only other formula you need is the natural notes, how the tones and semitones run, which is as follows:

A . B C . D . E F . G . A

That covers 12 frets. BC and EF are 1 fret apart, the others are all 2 frets apart. The missing frets have two names: a sharp version of the one below or flat version of the one above. E.g. between A and B is A# or Bb. It sometimes does matter which you call it, but you can get away with not knowing the rules for now.
This means you can now work out every note on every fret on every string. Which means you can work out which notes are in each chord shape you know. Which means you can determine the three different notes that make up the basic triad. Which means you can then build that triad anywhere on the neck you like.

Take the big barre F chord:
1 = F
1 = C
2 = A
3 = F
3 = C
1 = F

Anywhere on the neck you can find the notes F A and C all within reach of your hand, on different strings, you can play an F chord.

[Zion33]

Originally Posted by JonPR

It's called "music theory"
It's pretty easy to learn the notes on guitar. You know the open strings right? EADGBE.

The only other formula you need is the natural notes, how the tones and semitones run, which is as follows:

A . B C . D . E F . G . A

That covers 12 frets. BC and EF are 1 fret apart, the others are all 2 frets apart. The missing frets have two names: a sharp version of the one below or flat version of the one above. E.g. between A and B is A# or Bb. It sometimes does matter which you call it, but you can get away with not knowing the rules for now.
This means you can now work out every note on every fret on every string. Which means you can work out which notes are in each chord shape you know. Which means you can determine the three different notes that make up the basic triad. Which means you can then build that triad anywhere on the neck you like.

Take the big barre F chord:
1 = F
1 = C
2 = A
3 = F
3 = C
1 = F

Anywhere on the neck you can find the notes F A and C all within reach of your hand, on different strings, you can play an F chord.

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.

[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.

[john57classic]

Lot’s of helpful info here but the actual answer to your question

Is it possible to play every chord in the open position?

Is Yes! that’s what capos are for.

[FwL]

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.

The notes of a chord are set in stone. An F major chord is always going to be F A and C.

The thing you need to learn is called INTERVALS. An interval is a specific distance between each note. All the various chords and scales are built from intervals.

For example any major chord is Root 3rd and 5th. If you know what that means, you can build any major chord anywhere on the fingerboard.

Once you understand intervals you can get a chart for how to build all the various chords and scales. A lot of people have already gone to that trouble though. You're just reinventing the wheel at that point. While there is some value in doing it all yourself, the real value in understanding intervals is being able to look at something like a Bb chord or F chord and understand what's going on.


.

[1neeto]

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.

Yes they’re very much set in stone. To understand chords and which notes are needed in a chord, you need to learn scales and its intervals. Let’s use the C scale for example since that’s the easiest scale to learn.

1. C
2. D
3. E
4. F
5. G
6. A
7. B
8. C

Notice the number before each note? That’s the interval. So as you know, you need 3 notes to make a triad chord; the root, the third, and the fifth. The root indicates what note is the chord built around of, the third dictates the quality of the chord (major or minor), and the fifth is the note that’s in perfect harmony with the root, it’s what makes the chord sound “pretty”. As you can see, the third is an E, and the fifth, is a G. So those are the 3 notes you need to make a C Major chord. In a guitar, a C Major looks like x32010. If you look at the notes used, you’ll see C E G C E. Root, third, and fifth, and then the root and third repeats but at a higher octave.

[Big Band Guitar]

Study Music theory and the notes on the fretboard and you will find there are at least 12 different ways to play every chord.

The more I learn about guitar the more I learn there is much more to learn.

[JonPR]

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.

I don't follow.

In one sense, yes, the notes in a chord are "set in stone". A "Bb major" chord always has the notes Bb, D and F. That's how we define the chord: root (Bb), major 3rd (D), perfect 5th (F).

When it comes to more advanced chords - 7ths and beyond - then it's common to omit one or two notes in some circumstances. E.g., a "Bb7" chord contains Bb D F Ab in full (in theory), but will work work in practice as Bb7 if the F is omitted - because the sound of the perfect 5th is assumed. A jazz chord player might even omit the root and just play D and Ab, because the bass player will play the Bb (and maybe the F).

Originally Posted by Zion33

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.

Well, what I was talking about was working from the shapes you already know to determine the notes in the chord. And then finding the same notes elsewhere on the fretboard (using the A-BC-D-EF-G-A formula) to make other shapes for the same chord.
If you work that way, it wouldn't matter if you called (eg) Bb "A#", because it sounds the same, and is in the same places on the fretboard. I.e., you wouldn't need any theory knowledge (beyond that A-BC-D-EF-G-A formula).

But the theory of chord structure is as 1neeto explains: about building a chord from alternate steps of a scale. Which means knowing scales (full 7-note ones), and making sure you have one of each letter in the scale.

Here's a chart which may help explain the chords you get from the C major scale - showing how the distance between root and 3rd determines whether the chord is major or minor, except for the last one, where its "diminshed 5th" (one half-step smaller than the other six "perfect 5ths") produces a diminished triad:

 Half-steps: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 
Major scale: C     D     E  F     G     A     B  C     D     E  F 
CHORDS:
  I = C      C  .  .  .  E  .  .  G
 ii = Dm           D  .  .  F  .  .  .  A
iii = Em                 E  .  .  G  .  .  .  B
 IV = F                     F  .  .  .  A  .  .  C
  V = G                           G  .  .  .  B  .  .  D
 vi = Am                                A  .  .  C  .  .  .  E
vii = Bdim                                    B  .  .  D  .  .  F

[Nymuso]

No.

Playing guitar is easy, anyone can do it with minimal instruction. Playing guitar well, however, is another matter. But it is this fact that makes playing it well is worth doing and makes it fun.

[ARiley]

Remember "Do, A Deer"? A major chord is Do-Mi-So -- root, third, fifth.

If you decide your Do is C, then Do-Mi-So is a C Major chord -- C E G.
If you decide your Do is D, then Do-Mi-So is a D Major chord -- D F A.
. . . and so on.

And that's just the beginning!

There's a *wonderful* little book that explains it all very clearly -- Hal Leonard Pocket Music Theory: A Comprehensive and Convenient Source for All Musicians. It goes with Hal Leonard Pocket Guitar Chord Dictionary. I recommend them!

(My old choir director made us learn solfege -- that's the official name for do-re-mi -- and made us practice it for part of every rehearsal. We hated it at the time but boy, was it useful.)