Haunting acoustic chords

[Metahead]

looking for some haunting beautiful chords. the main one i have been playing, although i have no clue as to its name, is

 

E X

B 0

G 5

D 7

A 0

E 0

 

Im writing in the key of A, i would say F# min, but i rely heavily on the open A string in that chord, so chord suggestions would be cool. bar chords would be nice, cause i play them in various positions, but i dont think for the most part bar chords can achieve the haunting feel i want. although of course i have some min bar chords in this progression, i dont want to rely on them. so im looking for open chords, but abastract ones, like whatever the previous posted chord was. im kinda rambling, but you get the picture... Haunting chords in the key of A/F#min

[scottgd]

Esus4addb13add12 E Suspended 4th Add Flat 13th Add 12th

Esus4addb13 E Suspended 4th Add Flat 13th

Esus4#5add12 E Suspended 4th Sharp 5th Add 12th

Esus4#5add5 E Suspended 4th Sharp 5th Add 5th

CM13/E C/E Major 13th

B7b9sus4/E B/E 7th Flat 9th Suspended 4th

 

 

take your pick

 

http://jguitar.com/chordname?string5=2&string4=1&string3=2&string2=0&string1=x&string0=x&labels=tone

[Metahead]

holy crap, thanks man. do you have chords to suggest?

[scottgd]

No, now your talking theory. I just play the damn thing.

[Metahead]

ok, well which things do you just play that have a haunting sound?

[VengefulTikiGod]

(My chord shorthand: EADGBe--so an open C chord is x32010)

 

Lemme explain the first chord you gave.

 

That's an Amadd9 chord (pronounced A minor add 9). The cool dissonance it has is due to it having that extra added 9th, the B. It's basically a regular Am chord with that B tacked on. The B is called the 9th because it is the major 2nd note relative to A, plus an octave.

 

Key of Am:

A B C D E F G A B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

 

A movable voicing for that chord, by the way, is 570007 (Am7add9). Again, just like a regular barred Am7 chord, with that added B.

 

Another cool voicing of the same type of chord (minor add9) is the open Emadd9, 024000.

 

That one is also movable, it's a hell of a pinky stretch to do it in barre chord form, but it can be done--for example, Bmadd9 could be [7][9][11][7][7][7].

 

ALSO! You can make all of those chords major by raising the minor third a half step to a major third. So instead of minor add9 chords, you'd have major add9 chords. Which also sound really cool.

 

Amadd9 becomes Aadd9

x07500 ---------> x07600

 

Amadd9 (movable) becomes Aadd9 (movable)

575557 ---------> 57x657 (don't play 4th string 5th fret in this chord, then it becomes A7/9 aka A9)

 

Emadd9 becomes Eadd9

024000 ---------> 024100

 

Movable Emadd9 shape played at 7th fret for Bmadd9 becomes Badd9

[7][9][11][7][7][7] ------> [7][9][11][8][7][7]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theory geek to the rescue.

[panhandler]

 

Theory geek to the rescue.

 

 

WHAT? :poke:

[Mikeo]

 

:poke:

 

 

He actually did a great job of explaining it

[panhandler]

He actually did a great job of explaining it

 

No doubt! LOL

 

To someone like me who does not read music, tabs, no theory or real training, but simply plays the guitar, it kinda looks like a nuclear bicycle formula. I always knew deep inside there was more to this!

[guitarcapo]

In standard tuning I usually get those with suspended 2 and 4 chords, and chords that you make at around the 5th fret with some strings doubling up on to produce the same note. Stuff like 007700, 007600, 007500, 077000, etc.....Don't know the names of the chords because I'm not a theory guy.

[JohnCub]

It all depends on what your version of haunting is I suppose. I use what I think are haunting chords all the time but to some they are just blase.

 

I use a lot of sus2, sus4 chords. I like add9. Adding minor chords with these really pleases my ears. There are the 7th chords and the b7th chords (at least that's what I call them?) that for having basically one note difference, sound like a world apart. I like finding something by accident, by just moving my hands around to see what things would sound like. I try to listen and learn some classical to find how they make such wonderfully sparse but incredibly powerful sounds. I try to understand what it is I'm playing, like "ok, what is that note in relation to the root?" but I don't demand it. I let my ears lead first and if the brain doesn't catch up I keep moving and tell other musicians, "I really don't know what that chord is. But I like it." Someday I'll have enough theory in my head to know what my "made up" chords are. But it isn't required.

 

Best of luck in your search for chords that suit your ear. Follow them. They will lead you on a journey back to yourself.

[Metahead]

Theory geek to the rescue.

 

wow, that was great. thanks for taking the time.

 

so now i know what that chord is but still looking for more chords with the same feel.

its possibly the slight dissonance that gives it the sound i like. but not to much dissonance

[Mike_C]

You could just work out every inversion of madd9 chords, with and without open strings, all over the neck. It seems that you are attracted to not using the 9 on top, so just figure out all the 1-5-9-5 or 1-3-9-5 or whatever everywhere you can. Making it major might help also, generally major 9th chords with the 9 in the 'body' of the chord, so to speak (as opposed to the top, where it will likely be perceived as passing or leading) will 'open up' the sound - a bit like playing in lydian.

[RobandMartin]

Add the octave to your chord on the b string 8th fret, alternatively a bass note on the low e 8th fret.

[pirata]

Look up the first 2 chords of Lenny by Stevie ray Vaughn. The first one is an E something 9 chord.

[Fred Fartboski]

Open chords always "haunt" and resonate. The was a lesson in one of the guitar magazines(I'll have to look up which one) a couple of months ago about the open chord shapes Pete Townsend uses on his big jumbo Gibson acoustic. Just move the shapes up and down the fretboard and the open strings resonate in sympathy with lush overtones. Pretty simple stuff but you just strum and they ring forever.

[Samilyn]

Theory geek to the rescue.

 

Thanks for those. I've actually played several of them, but didn't know what the names were. Just sort of figured them out and they sounded cool.

 

I also like moving chord shapes to the 7th - very pretty on a 12-er.

[TSMusic]

 

Open chords always "haunt" and resonate. The was a lesson in one of the guitar magazines(I'll have to look up which one) a couple of months ago about the open chord shapes Pete Townsend uses on his big jumbo Gibson acoustic. Just move the shapes up and down the fretboard and the open strings resonate in sympathy with lush overtones. Pretty simple stuff but you just strum and they ring forever.

 

 

That's about 90% of my playing in a nutshell. I like just sitting around and finding new chords and sounds.

 

Tony