When you first learn to play open chords on the guitar - it is perfectly natural to not try to expand and play these chords beyond the spaces on the guitar neck that you have already learned to play them.
The cool thing about these chords is that they are all moveable and can be played on other parts of the guitar neck. The first thing to know is that not all of the chord choices will sound good in every place on the neck, there are spots on the guitar neck that sounds really cool and they aren’t that hard to find.
In this article, we are going to use one example- the C Major chord shape. This is not the only example and again, it won’t work everywhere- there are chord shapes that do but the focus for today is to get you going on one shape.
Remember, all you have to do is slide your hand from one position on the fretboard to the next. You don’t have to lift your fingers up at all.
The C Chord Shape
Example 1 shows the C chord in the shape you are by now accustomed to playing
Ex 1:
Example 2 shows the same chord shape starting on the 5th fret of the A string (5th String). Sounds very cool.
Ex 2:
Example 3 shows the shape moved up to the 8th fret on the A string (5th string). This chord sounds really cool as well.Ex 3:
Our fourth and final example shows the shape now moved up to the 10th fret on the A string (5th string). Really cool sounding chord. Ex 4:
Have fun with these chords and practice getting used to moving them around the fretboard. See which ones you like and which ones you don’t like.
All the best,
Byron Marks
About the author: Byron Marks teaches beginner guitar lessons in manchester, nh where he teaches students that range in age from 9 to 62 years old. Byron is a driven, passionate teacher who is completely dedicated to helping his students reach all of their guitar playing goals.