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Old 11-02-2019, 07:06 AM
raduray raduray is offline
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Default Newbie Blues Shuffle Chord Transition Question

I've been mostly learning finger style blues on my acoustic guitar, but just picked up an electric guitar and am learning the blues shuffle using power chords. In listening and also watching tutorials I notice that there's a different transition chord played when moving from one chord to the other, but no one really talks about it.

Looking at the 8:00 minute mark of https://www.justinguitar.com/guitar-...12-keys-bl-201 , it seems as if Justin is playing an open chord as the last note of the bar before moving to the next chord? Is that what's going on? If so, that can sound dissonant depending on the key.

Last edited by raduray; 11-02-2019 at 07:13 AM.
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Old 11-02-2019, 07:39 AM
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Mr. Jelly Mr. Jelly is offline
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Warning! I'm a guitar hack.

It looks like he's basically doing a rock and roll lick moving from the I to the IV. Which is moving from a bar E chord to a bar A chord. I'd suggest getting the basic thing he's doing down and setting the video aside and bang away at the guitar for awhile trying it faster and slower etc. Then go back and check the video out. It's more about feel then exactness.
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Old 11-02-2019, 08:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raduray View Post
I've been mostly learning finger style blues on my acoustic guitar, but just picked up an electric guitar and am learning the blues shuffle using power chords. In listening and also watching tutorials I notice that there's a different transition chord played when moving from one chord to the other, but no one really talks about it.

Looking at the 8:00 minute mark of https://www.justinguitar.com/guitar-...12-keys-bl-201 , it seems as if Justin is playing an open chord as the last note of the bar before moving to the next chord? Is that what's going on? If so, that can sound dissonant depending on the key.
You mean the open 6th string note being played between the first two chords? It's sort of a rhythmic beat note that last such a short time
with the string muting that you can use it in different keys if you wish.
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Old 11-02-2019, 10:22 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raduray View Post
I've been mostly learning finger style blues on my acoustic guitar, but just picked up an electric guitar and am learning the blues shuffle using power chords. In listening and also watching tutorials I notice that there's a different transition chord played when moving from one chord to the other, but no one really talks about it.

Looking at the 8:00 minute mark of https://www.justinguitar.com/guitar-...12-keys-bl-201 , it seems as if Justin is playing an open chord as the last note of the bar before moving to the next chord? Is that what's going on?
He's playing open strings, yes, not a chord exactly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raduray View Post
If so, that can sound dissonant depending on the key.
Quite right. In this case he's in key of A, so the open strings sound fine. In fact he only hits the open 6th by the sound of it - maybe the open A too, so it's not really a different chord at all, it's still the A power chord that he's fretting beforehand, just with the E an octave lower.

But this is a very common technique in all guitar playing, to let your fingers off a chord in the last beat of a bar in order to get to the next one, even if it means playing some open strings in between. As you say, it's going to sound dissonant in some keys, but in the common guitar keys it's fine. Even in a blues in E or A major, where the D and/or G strings are outside the major scale, they are in the blues scale so it sounds fine.

The idea is it's the groove, the rhythm that matters most. Nobody notices a non-chord on the last 8th of a bar if the next chord hits on the right beat.

Even in the "wrong" keys it can sound OK if it's quick enough. The example I always think of is Smells Like Teen Spirit, where the power chords are in F minor. Cobain hit open strings briefly during one of the changes (he was fret muting during the others), and it definitely sounds off if you slow the track down. But at speed - no problem. Arguably it just contributed to the attractive grungey looseness of the sound.
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Old 11-02-2019, 01:52 PM
raduray raduray is offline
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Originally Posted by JonPR View Post
He's playing open strings, yes, not a chord exactly.
Quite right. In this case he's in key of A, so the open strings sound fine. In fact he only hits the open 6th by the sound of it - maybe the open A too, so it's not really a different chord at all, it's still the A power chord that he's fretting beforehand, just with the E an octave lower.

But this is a very common technique in all guitar playing, to let your fingers off a chord in the last beat of a bar in order to get to the next one, even if it means playing some open strings in between. As you say, it's going to sound dissonant in some keys, but in the common guitar keys it's fine. Even in a blues in E or A major, where the D and/or G strings are outside the major scale, they are in the blues scale so it sounds fine.

The idea is it's the groove, the rhythm that matters most. Nobody notices a non-chord on the last 8th of a bar if the next chord hits on the right beat.

Even in the "wrong" keys it can sound OK if it's quick enough. The example I always think of is Smells Like Teen Spirit, where the power chords are in F minor. Cobain hit open strings briefly during one of the changes (he was fret muting during the others), and it definitely sounds off if you slow the track down. But at speed - no problem. Arguably it just contributed to the attractive grungey looseness of the sound.
Thank you for your thorough and well thought out response. It certainly answers my question.
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