Mystery chord

[DeepEnd]

There's a song our "praise band" at church plays sometimes that has a bizarre chord. The chord name, according to the music, is "G/Am". AFAIK, there's no such chord. An Am7 sounds right so it's probably Am/G. Then too, this is the same songbook that gives G2 for Gadd9 (I had to work that one out by reading the individual notes in the accompaniment) so it could just be a case of odd chord naming. If anyone cares, the song is "Lord, I Lift Your NAme on High" and the chords are as follows:

 

Lord I lift your name on high, [C, G]

Lord I love to sing your praises, [C, G]

I'm so glad you're in my life [C, G]

I'm so glad you came to save us [Dsus, D]

You came from heaven to earth, to show the way

From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay

From the [Am] cross to the grave, from the [Em] grave to the [G/Am] sky

Lord I lift your name on high.

 

Anyway, if you know what a "G/Am" is, please let me know, maybe tab it for me. Thanks

[Jaredistheman]

does this help?

 

http://www.pwarchive.org/song.aspx?SongID=70&v=1

 

man, you guys are rockin it old school at your church. =D

[riffmeister]

300500

 

has the notes of a G and Am in it.

 

 

Prolly is really an Am7 with G in the bass as you noted.

 

3X2210

 

 

EDIT: after playing the chords in the song above, it makes more sense to me that it really might just be a C with G in the bass:

 

332010

[happy-man]

I'm with riffmeister, they probably meant Am/G. I'd do Am7 or 332010. I think I like Am7 best.

 

Scott O

[guitarist21]

Ah! That is a classic song. Here's how I've always played it, FWIW.

 

Lord I lift your name on high, [C, G]

Lord I love to sing your praises, [C, G]

I'm so glad you're in my life [C, G]

I'm so glad you came to save us [Dsus, D]

You came from heaven to earth, to show the way

From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay

From the cross to the grave, from the [Em] grave to the [Am] sky

Lord I lift your name on high.

 

Only a few slight changes. And G/Am would most likely harmonically mean a G chord played on top of an Am in the bass. If it just said G/A, it would probably mean a G chord and an A note in the bass. However, I've always just played it Am. Or you could throw in the 7, that's just a matter of taste.

 

A lot of worship music charts are chorded awkwardly and have lots of confusing enharmonic spellings of notes. It is often best to just go with what sounds best to your ear.

 

Ellen

[Stackabones]

A lot of worship music charts are chorded awkwardly and have lots of confusing enharmonic spellings of notes.

 

Amen to that!

 

You have to play real close attention when a "9" shows up ... it could be a dom9, an add9, a maj9 in the worship charts. Oh, and then there's the dreaded Emsus2 ... Lord, have mercy! It's enough to make you want to capo your ... ummm ... nevermind. Just offer it up.

[corduroyhorn]

is it one of them poly chords ive heard about bout dont understand?

[brahmz118]

If it's not a typo, my best guess would be an Am7 voicing with the G played on the 1st string, as opposed to an Am7 voicing with an open 3rd string G. So the G is 'on top' of the Am.

 

x02213 instead of x02010

 

Probably a typo though...

[garthman]

 

If it's not a typo, my best guess would be an Am7 voicing with the G played on the 1st string, as opposed to an Am7 voicing with an open 3rd string G. So the G is 'on top' of the Am. x02213 instead of x02010

 

 

 

I'd agree with that - if so, it should be written Am7/G. It sounds OKish in the progression but I think I'd just go with an Am or Am7.

[Hudman]

The best way to solve this type of dilema is with your ear.

 

Play the song and experiment with the G/Am. Try it with a regular Am chord and a G chord and see which sounds better. You might want to try going from the Em to a quick G as a fill or transition and finish with the Am. I would play the G as a single note and not as a chord. It may color the sound a bit and fill it up.

 

Just a couple suggestions from a hack.

[timmay8612]

What I've heard is that Lord I Lift is still the #1 most frequently played worship song in the US according to CCLI. Ugh, can we please retire this song.

[guitarist21]

 

is it one of them poly chords ive heard about bout dont understand?

 

 

Polychords aren't too confusing. Think of it on a piano. If I play one chord with my left hand and a different chord on the right, that's what's known as a polychord. You can also notate polychords as the chord you're playing in your left hand and then other notes become tensions in the chord. That's when it gets confusing, because that's how you have to write it to play it on guitar.

 

Ellen

[DonK]

I play that song all the time at church. The way your version is intended is an Am with a G in the bass. My version has chords identical to yours, except that the next to last line on my chart is Am7, D, Em7, Dsus4. I then go to the D of the last line, and then the G.

 

I sometimes substitute C2 and D2 for C and D in the verse to give it a slightly different flavor (usually by using a barred A2 shape at the third and fifth frets).

 

Am with a G in the bass would be an inversion of Am7: A C E G (but with the G played at the 3rd fret of the low E string, so that it would be spelled G A C E).

 

Dsus4 would be: D G A

 

I think the Dsus4 sounds better, and of course, played in the open position it lines you up for the D since all you have to do is lift your pinky off the E string (playing a regular open D shape and fingering the E string at the 3rd fret with your pinky to make Dsus4, then lifting it to make a D).

 

Edit: I was at work when I posted this, and now that I'm home I checked my chart and got Am7, D, Em, Am7 for the line above (just like everyone else!). My bad...the old memory ain't what it used to be

[melandy]

Hey, DeepEnd.

 

+1 on Ellen's version:

From the cross to the grave, from the [Em] grave to the [Am] sky

Lord I lift your name on high.

 

That's how I learned it.

 

That song is one of just a handful that I'm comfortable enough leading on my own when the other two guitarist/singers are out. I can either sing* or play*, but not at the same time.

 

 

* the congregation may disagree ;^)

 

-m

[DeepEnd]

. . . Aw, but its a classic! Reminds me of playing in the worship band in seventh grade. . . .

Actually, it fits with the stuff our "praise band" plays. We're still playing "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love." We played it this past Sunday. Not just classic but almost ancient. I keep expecting to do "Pass It On" any week now. We tend to do songs that are somewhat dated and (usually) a bit slow. Last Christmas, we actually did "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and "The Friendly Beasts" as praise songs. I want something peppy for a change. Our church has been doing praise songs for a few years so it's not like we're going to shock the congregation.

 

Anyway, thanks everyone for your input. I think brahmz118 probably figured out what the intended chord was. Strange that they couldn't just say "Am7."

[timmay8612]

I'd start with any of the new Charlie Hall if you want something fresh and new that hasn't been played into the ground like your Chris Tomlin standards. If you're into new stuff that is. Some congregations just won't have it.

[guitarist21]

 

Actually, it fits with the stuff our "praise band" plays. We're still playing "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love."

 

 

Great song!

 

How about like "As the Deer" or "Change My Heart, Oh God" or "Friends are Friends Forever" or "Shine Jesus Shine" or "Thy Word is a Lamp Unto my Feet"? "Amazing Love," "Above All," "Open the Eyes of My Heart," "Refiner's Fire," "Heart of Worship," "Draw Me Close," and on and on.

 

I was in a praise band in middle school and these were the kind of songs we did. I distinctly remember loving every second of it. Its nice to hear these songs are still played somewhere! Occasionally I'll pull out my old worship music charts (I have like thousands, maybe not thousands but a lot) and strum through the chords or make up little chord melodies when I'm bored.

 

While in my current stage of musical snobbiness I generally criticize worship music charts (they are after all, enharmonic messes with made-up chords and cliched changes), they're a huge part of many people's lives, including mine. Doesn't matter how crappy the chart is if it means something to you.

 

Ellen

[DonK]

 

I'd start with any of the new Charlie Hall if you want something fresh and new that hasn't been played into the ground like your Chris Tomlin standards. If you're into new stuff that is. Some congregations just won't have it.

 

 

We play some of his stuff, especially the stuff he did with the Passion Worship Band. Has a bit more of a modern "alternative" feel.

 

Oh, BTW, check out Daniel's Window. They play typical modern praise songs, but with a rocked-up feel. For example, check out the rap in the middle of Open the Eyes of My Heart.