Expanding Liquid Chords Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (02:17) Welcome Back Please be sure to review and practice the following before moving on with the lesson:

- Warm-up the hands.
- Stretch the wrists.
- Play the major and minor open chords.
- Warm up your strumming muscles by relaxing the wrists and letting the pick flow over the strings.
- Play the E major chord in the 'new' way and play the type 1 barre chords.
- Play the A major chord in the 'new' way and play the type 2 barre chords.
- Practice the "slanting A" technique.
- Practice the type 1 minor barre chords.
- Practice the type 2 minor barre chords.
- Play all of the type 1 mini-barre chords.
- Play all of the type 2 mini-barre chords.
- Review and Practice New Techniques.

We've been discussing techniques as of late, and some of those techniques include what I like to call 'liquid chords.' I'm sure you remember the term as I'm sure you know that I can be somewhat redundant at times. I really want to emphasize the liquid nature of chords and how they can be altered in mid-strum. You can change the sound of what you play and how you play it in an almost infinite number of ways. Keep in mind though that some people might not call this aspect of music 'liquid.' This is just how I have grown to look at and teach it. Chapter 2: (05:43) Liquid D Chord Here is a D chord:

D major
E_2_
B_3_
G_2_
D_0_
A_x_
E_x_

This is great sounding chord in and of itself. However, many interesting sounds can be produced by "liquifying" this chord:

D major
E_2_
B_3_
G_2_
D_4_
A_5_
E_x_

This chord can be played by barring the G, B and high E-strings on the second fret, placing your middle finger on the B-string third fret, your third finger on the D-string fourth fret, and your pinky on the A-string on the fifth fret. Or, you always have the option of placing your first finger on the G-string second fret, your middle finger on the B-string third fret, your third or ring-finger on the D-string fourth fret, and your pinky on the A-string fifth fret. In this example, you would leave the high E-string open and play the chord without the low E. You see that there are numerous options that can change and commensurately spice up your playing when choosing to play this particular D chord.

Now watch this! Take a Dsus2 chord that looks like this:

D sus2
E_0_
B_3_
G_2_
D_0_
A_x_
E_x_

and strum this D chord, let's say with this strum pattern or "down down-up down down down-up down." Now add your third finger and pinky to the mix to form the D chord that we played before. Play four times with the Dsus2, then add the other two fingers and back and forth. Watch me do this in the video for more insight. You can do this with so many chords it will blow your mind!

*Note-I've mentioned previously that you can alter the sound of chords and the names of them by not playing certain strings or rather leaving them open. Keep this in mind when looking at chords as sometimes it can get a little confusing. Try to focus on the sound of the chords and how they change when you add and subtract fingers. Chapter 3: (01:02) Unexpected Changes One of the advantages of using liquid chords is that you can "change" the sound of the chord in places where a chord would not typically change. This can add a lot of texture and emotion to your playing. Be sure to play and experiment with liquid chords, and don't be afraid to try using changes in odd places. Chapter 4: (05:02) Liquid A Chord Let's try the same type of change to the A chord, shall we?

Here's a simple open A major chord:

A major
E_0_
B_2_
G_2_
D_2_
A_0_
E_x_

Play this A with the or "down up-down-down up-down-down." Now play the A using only your first finger, barring the D, G and B strings and leaving your other fingers free to 'liquify' the chord. Now, while leaving the D G and B-strings barred, place your third or ring finger on the A-string fourth fret, and your pinky finger on the low E-string on the fifth fret:

E_x_
B_2_
G_2_
D_2_
A_4_
E_5_

This gives the A-chord more bass and more umph! This is yet another example of how to make a slight change to a chord and add to its overall effect. I realize that this may be quite a stretch for some of you, but over time your fingers will adjust, and you'll be more capable of playing these types of chords. See if you can play this chord without strumming the high E-string! Chapter 5: (02:17) Theory and Exercises Theory
I want to make sure that everybody is aware that the two exercises that we just went over (adding onto D and adding onto A) and the manner of adding notes to the chords was not random. On the D chord we added a low D (pinky on the A-string fifth fret) and on the A-chord we added on a low A (pinky on the low E-string fifth fret). These are just two simple examples (relatively speaking) of how to add notes onto chords. You don't need to add an A note to an A chord or a D note to a D chord! This is just one option that I wanted to show you. You can add anything to any chord, as long as you can reach. The more far reaching and different the changes you make, the more cool and bizarre you can make your music. I just wanted to give you a consonant example first before you delve into the world of the dissonant.

Exercise 1
Practice playing an open A-chord the way I showed you. In other words, barre the three fretted strings. Strum or "down-up down down" and try to get a clean sound without muffling the high E-string. If you want to, you can avoid strumming the high E altogether. Play this four times and then add the third finger and the pinky. How does your pinky feel? Can you feel the strain in your hand?

Exercise 2
Play the D chord that we covered first, adding in the third finger and the pinky. Then, play the A chord and add the third finger and pinky. Play each chord four times and think about playing this exercise as a song. Don't forget to relax your strumming hand and let the pick flow over the strings! How could you change the dynamics between these chords or would you?

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