# Guitar/Movable Chords

Because of the relative tuning of the strings on a guitar, it is very
easy to play a variety of chords that can be moved up and down the neck.
The most basic types of movable chords are the power
chord and barre
chord. This section deals with chords
that, in general, do not use open strings. Once the shape of the chord
is memorised, it can be played anywhere on the fretboard.

## Major and Minor shapes

Movable chords often use the general shapes of open
chords. However, not all open chords are
easy to play as a movable chord. Note that C major and G major is
absent. This is because the shape of the chords, particularly G major,
demands of the guitarist an advanced technique. Classical guitarists use
a foot-stool and adopt a specific playing posture and hand position when
they play and this allows them to form these chords with relative ease.
The classical guitar also has nylon strings and these offer hardly any
resistance to fretting. That is not to say that the C major and G major
shape cannot be played on a steel-string acoustic; its just more
difficult because of the string tension. They are slightly easier to
play on the electric guitar. After mastering the easier shapes, try
learning the C major and G shapes. The D major shape and D minor movable
chords (as shown below) are usable but tend not to be used regularly due
to the shape being slightly awkward to hold and move to other chords.
The easiest shapes to learn are the E major and A minor chords shape.
Tip: the more difficult shapes can be broken down into smaller units and
they also make ideal arpeggio studies where you can approach them more
as a succession of notes in a riff without the need for forming the full
chord.

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:monospace, monospace;">
```
File: E major chord for guitar (open).png\|**E major** File: A major
chord for guitar (open).png\|**A major** File: D major chord for guitar
(open).png\|**D major** File: E minor chord for guitar (open).png\|**E
minor** File: A minor chord for guitar (open).png\|**A minor** File: D
minor chord for guitar (open).png\|**D minor**

```{=html}
</div>
```
If you examine the notes that make up the chords, it becomes clear that
the thickest string plays the root note of the chords. Thus, in order to
turn these into movable chords, you also have to fret down an extra
string to complete the chord. Here are the same chords, but higher up
the neck in a movable shape. Notice how the shapes of the chord on the
strings you play are exactly the same as the open chords, except with
the thickest string now being fretted.

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:monospace, monospace;">
```
<File:F> major chord for guitar (barred).png\|**F major** <File:B> major
chord for guitar (barred).png\|**B major** File: E major chord for
guitar (low E and A muted).png\|**E major** File: G minor chord for
guitar (E and B muted).png\|**G minor** <File:B> minor chord for guitar
(barred).png\|**B minor** File: E minor chord for guitar (low E and A
muted).png\|**E minor**

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</div>
```
### Inversions of Major and Minor

## \"Artist\" Chords

Although these guitarists certainly did not invent the chords, they made
them popular by using them in many of their songs. More often than not,
a player will first encounter them trying to learn a famous song. These
are loose categorizations, and are easily applicable to more than one
artist, so please keep that in mind.

### 7#9 (Hendrix Chords)

No chord reminds people more of Jimi Hendrix than the 7#9. These are
also used widely by Prince. The voicing for this shape is 1-3-7-#9.

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:monospace, monospace;">
```
File: B7sharp9 chord for guitar.png\|**B7/#9** File: E7sharp9 chord for
guitar.png\|**E7/#9** File: A7sharp9 chord for guitar.png\|**A7/#9**

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</div>
```
### 7/9 and 7/9/13 (James Brown Chords)

These chords are essential for getting a funk sound. The voicing for
this 7/9 shape is 1-3-7-9-5.

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:monospace, monospace;">
```
File: B9 chord for guitar.png\|**B7/9** File: E9 chord for
guitar.png\|**E7/9** File: A9 chord for guitar.png\|**A7/9**

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</div>
```
The 7/9/13chord is an easy modification of the 7/9 chord. It was perhaps
most famously used in \"Sex Machine\" by James Brown, as a change
between the 7/9 chord. Little changes like that give music some extra
texture and they also work particularly well in jazz.

Because the 7/9/13 chord requires five notes, you cannot play it with
less than five strings, or else you would be playing a different chord.
The voicing for this shape is 1-3-7-9-13.

```{=html}
<div style="font-family:monospace, monospace;">
```
File: B13 chord for guitar.png\|**B7/9/13** File: E13 chord for
guitar.png\|**E7/9/13**

```{=html}
</div>
```
