A,D,G,E,Am,Em, chords of the first three frets, played out, no use

[Guyute]

Wade, you're behind the curve! Fretless is the way to go....pure semitones and nothing else.

[wthurman]

Originally Posted by Guyute

Wade, you're behind the curve! Fretless is the way to go....pure semitones and nothing else.

I was going to mention that... but you see, I already had a fretless (in 1983) and it got to be such old hat - pantonal atypical polychords is where it's at...

[strat-master]

I dont know if this has been said, i dint btoher to read all the posts but have you tried learning inversions? basically it requires a bit fo theory, which sint to complicated. Its basically mixing up the triad as your root note of a chord. Im not sure where you can learn this stuff try looking for online gutar lessons, i lost the link where i read up on this.

one interetsing chord you might liek is this one

0
0
5
7
0
0

its an em actually i think i could be wrong but try it out its awesome soudning.

[slewis]

Jox, you sound like a perfect candidate for trying an alternate tuning or two. Start with a drop-D or DADGAD and go from there. This can be quite fun, inspiring and creative. And no, for the record, I think there are still tons of unique songs yet to be written on the first three frets. Ask John Prine, John Hiatt, Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt... the list goes on and on.

[outsidenote]

Technically you can play the same chords on the first three frets as on any other fret, although some of the chords are easier to build off a barre chord higher up the neck (or lower depending on your orientation). The main reasons (that I can think of - others may find more) for chords up the neck is :

a) To make something easier to play
b) To facilitate chord - melody arrangements.
c) Some chord voicings do sound better up the neck at times , although most of the time a D is a D wherever you play it.
d) To use inversions as part of the melody or the add character.

What I'm trying to say is that chords up the neck are not magically different just because they are up the neck.

[patriot]

The Berklee guitar series volumes 1, 2 and 3 are good for learning inversions and then applying them up the fingeroard while playing the notes of a given scale for that chord. It's a great way to get into chord melody playing and learning the fingerboard. You must be able to read though, no tab. I think volume two actually begins with this particular area but volume three is loaded with this stuff if I remember correctly. I'll have to pull them out of the closet and check.

[wthurman]

All kidding aside, it's good to learn different inversions and voicings, along with more chords. But IMO they are an addendum, not a replacement. If all you play is chords in second or third position, they get old, too.

As for all song sounding like songs you're heard before, as the late, great John Hartford wrote:

"If this song sounds sounds like some song I might have
Written before
That's because it's mine and and I have my limitations...
And if this song sounds like some song some other singer-songwriter might have
Written before
That's 'cause it's music, and music's based on repetition."

(as I remember it from the song "Tryin' to Do Something to Get Your Attention")



Wade

[flaggerphil]

Well, I LIKE those chords. Very nice, friendly chords that make some beautiful music and have stuck by me for over 40 years. We've aged well together.

And, like anthonyc007 says, you can jazz them up quite nicely.

They're good chords (pat, pat, pat...). I think I'll go play some of them right now...

[Steve_in_Tucson]

"There's no money above the 5th fret." - Lester Flat

[dthumb]

Great wisdom from Lester! I cure the" i sure wish i had some new sounds blues" with open tunings of my own invention. Sometimes the old standbys end up there anyway, but they sound different..then I can fool myself into thinking I'm not reliying on the conventional wisdom of , say Mr. Flatt.

[DJR]

The title of your thread lists only six chords. There are a lot more than that to be found in the first three or four frets. After 30+ years of playing, I'm just beginning to realize how endless the possibilities can be in those first four frets. Think outside the box - i.e., don't let your fingers head for those familiar chord shapes all the time.

[dudley doright]

.......over used. So, I decided to improvised and started using augmented and diminished chords. However, the music didn't sound right so I ending up going back to those same basic chords.

[Jeff M]

Most flat pickers and fingerstylists use the headstock end of the FB for the majority of their playing..and I'm taliking pro's here.
Who is it that said "There is no money above the 7th fret"? I always liked that quote.
Tony McManus (absolutely killer "Celtic" fingerstyle player) refers to the upper end of the FB as "The dusty end of the fretboard".

The "boring end" is where most of the tone is. Think of it as the tonal foundation area of the guitar.

[samchar]

Originally Posted by anthonyc007

DOn't forget open chords can be jazzed up by hammer on/pull offs, blue notes, 7ths, etc. There are a ton of possibilities! For example. Look up the tab to Sugar Mountain. Its like three chords, but with a lot of hammers while stumming/picking.

I'll add two Amens and a Hallelujah to that, Brother Anthony. Fretboard logic and a copy of "Rust Never Sleeps" might just be all that a fellow really needs.

[jox51]

I guess since im still somewhat a beginner I am tired of playing these chords. Im probably going to purchase that skeptical guitarist series book to help me understand some fretboard logic. I just want to play all up and down the neck, just not at the first three frets.