# Odd sounding chords?



## sakeido (Feb 23, 2007)

I'm trying to spiff up a riff I just put up on here and think that some neato dissonant chords would work just well, plus show off the fact I am actually playing a 7 string and not just a mega low tuned (drop A tuned aha!) 6 string. 

So my root note is going to be a A (7th fret 4th string). I know nothing about seventh chords or diminished or augmented or anything. Anyone care to explain this kind of thing to me or at least refer me to a good lesson about it?


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## distressed_romeo (Feb 23, 2007)

One of my favourite 'weirdoid' voicings is just to take a regular power chord and raise the octave note by a semitone...

------
------
------
---6--
---5--
---3--
------ So you get an 'add flat 9' chord, although I don't think there's really an ideal way of naming it; it's not really suspended, as it's not intended to resolve naturally to anything. It's just meant to sound screwed up!

Alternatively, try this one...you could think of it as being an inverted power chord, with the lowest note dropped by a semitone...

------
------
------
---6--
---4--
---3--
------ 

Explaining chord theory, especially for extended voicings, is a huge topic. To be honest, if you're playing with a heavy, distorted sound, dissonant clusters like the ones above will probably be more effective than huge 4 or 5 note voicings, which tend to turn to mud once you add even a little bit of distortion.


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## Brett89 (Feb 23, 2007)

When I try some chords in very high registers with distorsion, they sound pretty bad... I think the distorsion is the problem, but why?

For example, if I pick something like this....

---2-----1------------
---3-----3------------
---3-----4------------
----------------------
----------------------
----------------------


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## distressed_romeo (Feb 23, 2007)

Brett89 said:


> When I try some chords in very high registers with distorsion, they sound pretty bad... I think the distorsion is the problem, but why?
> 
> For example, if I pick something like this....
> 
> ...



That's because of the guitar's tuning; those shapes would be major triads on the bottom four strings, but you have to remember that there's a major third between the 2nd and 3rd strings, not a fourth, and so you'll have to adjust your shapes accordingly.

Here's how those major triad shapes would look on the top three strings...

---3-----2------------
---4-----4------------
---3-----4------------
----------------------
----------------------
----------------------

Incidentally, be careful about piling too much distortion onto triads, as they can easily sound like a mess if you're not careful. If you're going to use those chord shapes with distortion, go easy on the gain, and don't hit the guitar too hard. It might also help if you pick slightly closer to the bridge than normal.


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## Brett89 (Feb 23, 2007)

Ok, thanks the advice!

Oh and one more thing...

Maybe I missunderstud something but my teacher showed me how to "build" major, and minor chotds... and he learnd two other types, but I don't know thier name in english, soo could you tell me what are these?

--------- ----------------------
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
---2---------0-----------------
---3---------2-----------------
---4---------4-----------------


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## distressed_romeo (Feb 23, 2007)

The one on the left is 'augmented' (two major thirds stacked together) and the other is a 'minor flat-five' (two minor thirds stacked together).


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## All_¥our_Bass (Feb 25, 2007)

Try a "Minor add #4" chord.

Am add#4:
e|-5*
b|-5*
G|-5
D|-7
A|-6
E|-5
B|-5

* = optional


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## Nik (Feb 25, 2007)

If you want dissonance, you can never go wrong with a flat 2nd harmony  

Here's the beautiful chord that serves as the intro for my band's song Audible Turbulence:

----------------------
----4-----------------
----7-----------------
----------------------
----------------------
----------------------
----------------------

Shift it down a full step and you've got something that'll work nicely with your tonic.

Of course, you could also just start grabbing random chords until you find something dissonant enough for ya


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## Korbain (Feb 25, 2007)

odd but cool sounding chord is...well this is just an example of a chord. 

A---3---5----eg
D---5---7----eg
G---5---7----eg
C------------
F------------
A------------
D------------

or the good old

A------
D------
G--2---
C--3---
F--4---
A------
D------

 original...but good when used in a good riff


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## NegaTiveXero (Feb 25, 2007)

> ------
> ------
> 4----
> 4---4
> ...



Those sound cool.


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## Korbain (Feb 25, 2007)

they are cool. Especially when played in a clean tone


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## All_¥our_Bass (Feb 25, 2007)

E b5, maj7 (no 3rd)
e|-
b|-
G|-
D|-
A|-6
E|-6
B|-5


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## Desecrated (Feb 25, 2007)

Dissonant chord 

7+5, 9+5, Dim, +5 (aug), m7-5, 7-9

some other good ones that sounds better when strummed note for note then being hit simultaneously,
11+ ( aug11), 13, 7-5, 7-10, 7+5-9, m+7 (minoraug7)


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## distressed_romeo (Feb 26, 2007)

Here's one of my favourites...it's the chord that opens 'A Pleasant Shade of Grey' by Fates Warning.

E---2----
B---2----
G---5----
D---4----
A---4----
E---2----

F#5add#4!


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## All_¥our_Bass (Mar 1, 2007)

F Maj (no 3) / B
e|-
b|-
G|-
D|-2
A|-3
E|-1
B|-0

and here's another way you can play it
e|-
b|-
G|-9
D|-10
A|-8
E|-7
B|-


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## distressed_romeo (Mar 1, 2007)

E---3---
B---3---
G---6---
D---7---
A---5---
E---3---
B---0---

Gsus2add#4/B Very Alex Lifeson-ish...


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## All_¥our_Bass (Mar 10, 2007)

E Major add #9
OR, here's another way to name it
E Minor add b4
(it's essentially a chord that is major and minor simultaniously)
e|-4
b|-0
G|-0
D|-2
A|-2
E|-0
B|-


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## distressed_romeo (Mar 10, 2007)

Here's something different...a Holdsworth-ian 'chord scale'.

Try these voicings over different root notes. The obvious ones would be G or E, but any note from a G major scale would yield an interesting result.

e----2---3---5----7----9---10---12---14---
b----3---5---7----8---10---12---13---15---
G----5---7---9---11---12---14---16---17---
D----5---7---9---10---12---14---16---17---
A-------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------


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