uncommon chords for guitar

Uncommon Chords

101 Vibrant Voicings You Won’t Find On A Typical Chord Chart.

By Mike Beatham

Uncommon Chords © 2013 Mike Beatham & fretjam.com

http://www.fretjam.com/

IntroductionThank you for downloading Uncommon Chords!

As the title states, contained within are 101 chords you won’t find on a typical chord chart.

As a result, using any of these chords in your songwriting, as alternatives to the standard barre and open chord forms we learn, will give your progressions an instant spark of originality.

Many of these chords make use of open strings (often referred to as open chords). This gives them a particularly vibrant, full sound.

However, included are also some lesser known movable chord forms which do not use open strings, and can therefore be positioned at any fret.

However you choose to use the chords featured in this book, I hope they inspire more creativity in your songwriting and original interpretations of existing music.

This list is by no means exhaustive, although this is likely only the 1st volume of many! Try the chord forms you learn here in different positions, add and remove fingers/notes and see if you can expand the list further.

Enjoy it! Remember to visit fretjam.com for quality free guitar lessons.




Before We BeginThe diagrams show you where to put your fingers. First, number your fingers in the usual way, as shown below:

Some chords involve the use of a barred finger. For example, taking the standard E form major barre chord, our index (1) finger is barred across all six strings. Here’s how the barre would be represented in my diagrams:

The fingerings used in the diagrams are only suggestions. If you find a morecomfortable way of playing the chord, by all means use it!



If a string is not used in the chord, there’ll be an marked on the diagram as follows:

That would mean don’t play the A string. Any strings not marked with a fingering or an X should be played as they are – open. Pretty standard stuff!

Fret numbers will be marked on diagrams where the chord form is to be played up the neck.

If the chord is played down at the first few frets, however, you’ll see a black bar representing the nut (where the guitar neck meets the head) instead of a fret number:

That diagram has a nut, so that tells us we’re looking at the first 4 frets.

That’s about it. Now let’s expand our chord vocabulary…



The Chords9th Suspended 4th Dominant 13th

A7#11 A7sus4

A9 Asus4#5add9

Aadd6 Asus4#5add9



Aadd9 Aadd9/C#

Abaug7#11 Am9

Am13 Amadd6

Amadd9 Amadd11



Amaj9 Aadd9#4

B7add11 B7add13

B9sus4 B9sus4/2

Bbadd6 Bbmaj7#11



Bm11 Bm11b5

Bm11b13 Cadd9

Cadd9#11 Cm9

Cmaj9 C#m7



C#m9 C#m9 (Var. 2)

C#m13 D7sus2

D7sus13 D9

D9 (Var. 2) D9 (Var. 3)



D9sus4 Dadd4

Dadd6 Dadd9

Dadd9 (Var. 2) Dadd6/9

Dm7add11 Dmaj7



Dmaj7add6 Dmaj9

Dmaj13 Dominant 7th

Dominant 7th (Var. 2) Dominant 7th (Var. 3)

Dominant 7th (Var. 4) Dominant 7th (Var. 5)



E7sus4 E9

E9sus4 Eadd9

Eadd6 Em7

Em7 (Var. 2) Em11



Emadd9 Emadd6/9

Emadd6/9 (Var.2) Emaj7

Emaj13 Emaj9

EmMaj7 Esus2#4



Fmaj7#11 FmMaj7

F#7 F#m7add11

G5#11 G7add6

Gadd6 Gadd9



Gadd9 (Var. 2) Gm11

Gmadd6 Gmadd9

Gmaj7sus2 Gmaj13

Minor 6th Minor 11th



Major 7th Major 11th

Major 13th Major Added 6th

Major Added 6th (Var. 2) Major Added 6th (Var. 3)

Major Added 9th Major Added 9th (Var. 2)



Major Added 6th / 9th flat 5th Major 9th

Major Sharp 11th Suspended 4th



Useful ResourcesYou can find more guitar chord lessons here.

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