In this lesson we’re going to look at one of my favorite minor and major voicings with the root on the D string. The thing I really like about these two fingers is the way the intervals are structured. We have Root then 5th then 3rd on top. At the bottom of the voicing we have a power chord which is a perfect 5th. 5th’s sound really powerful clean and open. The 3rd just sparkles on top. This voicing gives you the complete identity of a major or minor chord but it isn’t as cluttered sounding as other voicings.
People often don’t really understand why they may prefer a bar chord to an open chord (or vice versa). It’s common to think it’s just because of the placement on the guitar. The truth is it has a lot more to do with the way intervals are stacked. Root, 3rd, 5th is going to sound more dense then Root, 5th, 3rd. The voicings in this lesson have a lot in common with the stacking of major and minor root 6 bar chords.
Get hip to how you stack your chords, it can have a huge impact. For instance I might use these voicings in a band with another guitarist. If I want to play some rhythms and the other guitarist is playing low dense chords these voicings won’t mud up the whole scene.
