Subject: Are there different chords for acoustic and electric guitar?
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey there Friend, Let's talk about a question I received about chords.Manly writes, "Are there different chords for acoustic and electric guitar?" Great question! With literally thousands of chord possibilities when you factor in neck position and alternate tunings, the options can be overwhelming. The good news is no, the same chord shapes are universally playable on both electric and acoustic guitars. Now, due to the thickness of the strings and the string action of the guitar, chords tend to be easier to play on an electric guitar. But once you know the chord shapes, you can play them on any guitar. From the standpoint of sound, if you are playing rock and have your signal heavily distorted (in metal and hard rock), open chords will not be as clear sounding. The higher frequencies (higher pitches, or notes) tend to break up and get lost when distortion is used. You'll be better off playing power and barre chords on the lower three strings (E A D) for good rock/metal riffs and palm-muted rhythms. With acoustic guitars, open tunings and chords work really well. Not that you can't play these on an electric - in fact, while there are many semi-solid and hollow body electric guitars to choose from, a solid-body electric guitar can sound just as nice with open tunings and chords. You can play around with pickup selection and add guitar effects like reverb and chorus to give an electric guitar a nice acoustic sound. In the end, it depends on what style of music you want to play. That will help determine the types of chords to focus on, whether you'll play more open chords or barre chords. Are you going to do more finger picking style, jazz or country guitar? Or are you planning on playing more metal and rock? This will help dictate what chord structures to use. None of this is to say you 'can't' use open chords in rock and metal, or use power chords in jazz and country. It's more the idea that you want to use the proper tools to do the job. Choose the chords that give you the sound you're going after. You may have an introduction in a metal song that starts out with a clean open chord passage where each of the notes in the chord are picked (arpeggiated) rather than strummed. You'll likely play this on your electric and then, using effects pedals, overdrive (distortion) the sound through your amp to rock out the rest of the song . So there you have it. Start off slowly with simple chords to get your fingers strengthened. Basic open chords down around the first four frets and power chords on the lower three strings will give you a strong foundation and enable you to play most rock songs. In fact, I would argue that just learning the major and minor chords will give you enough ammunition to work through the majority or rock music. As your fingers get stronger and you get a bit more adventurous, expand your chord vocabulary to barre chords and advanced fingering techniques. Start experimenting on your own by changing the fingering of chords you already know and see how they sound. You might just surprise yourself with some new creative possibilities! Peace~ Dave Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes. He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already! Follow Learn To Play Rock Guitar:I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: dave@learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com As always, please feel free to forward this email to a friend! I review products before recommending them. If you buy a product based on my recommendation, I will receive a commission. However, my emails also contain links that don’t require any investment on your part and are jam-packed with "juicy, guitar learnin' tastiness". We don't rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to forward this issue to any friends you think would enjoy its contents. They will thank you. So will I.
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