Stop Playing the Same Guitar Chords: Discover 3-Note Voicings

When we play guitar chords, we often default to the standard C, A, G, E, and D in open position.

Those are great, but we can take those same shapes to different places on the fretboard.

One approach is bar chords, but the bar fatigues the left hand.

If you play 3-note voicings instead, you can move chord shapes WITHOUT barring.

Let’s look at a few ways to do this.

Take only the 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings played for the E shape. Our root is on the 4^th string. So if we slide the shape until the 4^th string note is a G, we are now playing a G chord.

If we take only the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings played for the A shape, our root is on the 3^rd string. If we move the shape until the 3^rd string note is C, we are playing a C chord.

If we move the shape again until the 3^rd string note is D, we are playing a D chord.

So we can use these shapes to play G, C, and D chords.

Now what if we take the three bass strings of the G shape and slide the left-hand fingers along the fretboard? We will have to replace the open 4^th string with the index finger. But because we are playing only 3 strings, we still don’t have to bar.

If we move this shape until the 6^th string note is an A, we are now playing an A chord.

We can move all fingers in this shape to the 5^th, 4^th, and 3^rd strings, and we have the three bass strings of the C chord.

If we move this shape until the 5^th string note is a D, we are now playing a D chord.

If we move this shape until the 5^th string note is an E, we are now playing an E chord.

So we can use these shapes to play A, D, and E chords.

Now let’s return to the A shape. If we move this shape until the 3^rd string note is B, we are playing a B chord.

If we take the D shape and move it until the 2^nd string note is E, we are playing an E chord.

If we move the D shape until the 2^nd string note is F#, we are playing an F# chord.

So we can use these shapes to play B, E, and F# chords.     

I hope this has given you some ideas of different chord possibilities on the fingerboard.

Before you explore chord shapes along the fingerboard, I encourage you to start each practice session with a simple Warmup Routine.

If you want a free PDF of my Warmup, click here.

Keep making music!