The BEST C Chord on Guitar

[@BenLevin]

I reuploaded this because it had mistakes in it. Now it's beautiful! Have fun with the chords!

[@MackerelSkyLtd]

The “Eleven” makes me think of the Scottish show where they get stuck in a voice-activated lift/elevator that can’t understand their accent.

[@paulbeattie1182]

It is indeed. Im rubbish at chord naming so hearing them played out like this was really helpful. Ah, so thats what a flat this add that sounds like. Very good. Many thanks.

[@halflearned2190]

Glad I didn't watch the ugly one!

[@markovcd]

Stain Ben was a nice touch

[@jonsible]

Being conscious of how the drone notes change function depending on the context is really interesting. Lots to take away here even after I forget the music theory parts. Thanks!

[@therealmorganofficial]

Love it. I think playing better versions of chords is something everyone needs to prioritize. And the weird chords in this sound really cool too, they're definitely up your alley!

[@NathanWood23]

Love it! Thanks for that C shaped journey!

[@FullMetalDMZ]

3:25 nice flamenco chord!

[@Michael_Dominic]

i like the open C add 9 (3rd fret on b instead of 1st) 3:35 ya, you do amazing stuff, love your music.

[@J_Echoes]

Me, 1 minute in: oh, no way he's gonna make a 9 minute video just about the C/G chord Me now: well I guess that's the last time that I will underestimate Ben Levin!

[@jesseburch7063]

Ben, this is really, REALLY cool. Thank you!

[@conorkruegerguitar]

This is me when i ben levin

[@andrewleach1667]

I ben levin like this as well

[@roberttower8059]

I've always called this the "Lola" open C chord as that's the version played on the Kinks song. Once I learned this version I never went back to the standard style with the non-fretted E string. Cheers!

[@scandonalbain]

You had me laughing out loud several times. You're very good at this!

[@christiankettlewell]

The open E works great if you’re building to a walk up though. Just saying, playing all 6 quickly before going to the F sounds great.

[@djuengst2000]

I love it😊

[@michaeldmytriw]

Beautiful chords and melodic ideas! I need to go mess around with some other open chord shapes now too! What is that cool looking guitar you are playing, Ben? Thanks!

[@GentrifiedGin]

Very cool, I like

[@birdsbayes]

I'm interested to know why you sometimes call the 6th degree of the scale the 6, and sometimes the 13. I'd always understood them to be essentially homophones, same as 2/9 and 4/11. I'd generally use 2 or 4 when I'm replacing 3, but 9 or 11 when 3 is still there, and this seemed like common practice. But that doesn't help with 6/13, because if you replace 5 with 6, you've just got an entirely different chord. What I'd sort of picked up was that jazz and classic rock cats called it 6, because they are more likely to sort of use it as an appoggiatura for the 5, in the classic "dumpty-dumpty-dumpty-dumpty-dumpty-dum-dumpt" pattern (sorry there isn't really a way to convey that in text), and it was more functionally like a sus chord in those styles, whereas classical, metal, and hard rock cats would call it a 13, because it had that more decorative, additional, non-load-bearing, non-replacement feel when used in most of those styles. In this video, you're matching my expectations by using 9 and 11 exclusively, not 2 and 4, because they're always additional to the underlying 1-3-5 triad that remains throughout, so not normally thought of as a 2 or 4 (even though they're the same note as a 2 or 4, respectively), but then sometimes you call the 6/13 note a 13, and sometimes a 6, and I can't for the life of me figure out the difference. Can you or anyone else help me out on the difference here? Is there an important distinction between a 6 and a 13 that has eluded me all my life so far? Or is it just, well, you really don't care, they're the same note, and you don't have the possibility of making people think it's a modified 3 that you do if you use 2 or 4 instead of 9 or 11, so, what the hell, say whatever?

[@sinkler123]

Good question, I would also like to know. Hope someone will be able to answer.

[@J_Echoes]

Wow, I've got a super long answer typed and KZbin seems to be auto-deleting it... I'll try tomorrow. TL;DR for now: to me, a sixth chord is 1 3 5 6, a seventh chord is 1 3 5 7. A chord that has both would be a seventh chord with a 13 extension. This does not happen with 9ths or 11ths, as we consider that the sixth is the only note that can replace the seventh in a four-note chord. Hope that helps! Long version tomorrow, if KZbin allows!

[@Gazaoj]

Heeey Mageta the Lion on the back

[@andrewnicon]

I learned the G on the bottom from playing Elliott Smith songs, he always used it.

[@DaveDurango]

that F#7(b9) is going to take some stretching practice...

[@mjdbruyn]

Best. Dot. Inlays. Ever.

[@alilbird]

nice little melodies in there. I always liked that shape.

[@PrestonRobertNorris]

13 really was your unlucky number here 😂

[@BenLevin]

Yeah haha!

[@ladywilhelminabass]

It doesn't sound bad on guitar, but let's review some classic theory. 3, 5, 6 and 8 are consonant. 2, 4, 7 are dissonant. (We're excluding augmented and diminished intervals). When We're learning harmony in school, 4 part harmony especially or analysis, we learn C/G is not a C chord. That 4 destabilizes the chord with a dissonance. It's a Gsus4 chord in a way. That's why C goes to B, E to D and G to G or F. Its a cadenza, is that how you call it? I don't believe in conservativism in music, but I was taught a chord with the 5 on the bottom is never the chord. And same for a note that's not in the chord. Gsus4, Gsus2, Gsus7, F/G and C/G are all sus chord. That's my point of view. But anyway my favorite C guitar chord is a maj9 or maj#11. They're not that hard to play if your student mastered that F chord, and you can show how sometimes chords have more than 4 notes

[@ladywilhelminabass]

I do believe the CAGED system should be applied to all possible digitations, any intermediate student should know it

[@ladywilhelminabass]

Just to add to conversation, I've never learned how to play hurt by nine inch or cash properly. I decided I play C, I move the shape but only my three fingers so it's a D add4 chord, and I play an Am6. I don't know if that's how the original song goes but I play it like that

[@mr.person555]

I think you may be focusing on the guitar chords alone a bit without giving it the right context. The 4th is a considered consonant or dissonant depending on context within the chord, and yes putting the 5th on the bottom and forming a fourth does fit into this category, but there is still a bit more to it than that alone. Notice in the examples he is playing along to, the guitar is not the only texture, but there are synth chords playing behind it which do stick the root on the bottom. In a typical band setting, if the guitarist plays a voicing like this, there will be a bass guitar or something else covering the lower notes, effectively making the notes on the guitar the "upper harmony" notes and categorizing the fourth on the bottom notes on the guitar as consonant. Another thing to consider is what may happen with a little distortion on guitar. Because of the way harmonics interact with each other, playing a fourth (in the context of actually being an inverted 5th) on the low strings on a guitar can actually give the illusion of a lower "ghost" root note below it. Try putting on some distortion and playing two note power chords going down 3 2 0, and then try it again but instead of the last powerchord being played as 0 2----, play it as 7 7----. It doesn't sound exactly the same, but it gives the illusion of the notes descending. With that said, if I were playing solo acoustic, I would likely just play a regular C chord without the G on the bottom unless I'm doing alternate bass or something, but in a full band arrangement, this is still perfectly fine because other instruments can help stabilize the harmony. Other quick note - I think the word you were looking for was "cadence", not cadenza ;) A cadenza is an improvised section in classical music - unfortunately a kind of lost art in the classical world as performers now tend to learn cadenzas that the composer may have played and had notated in the past note for note rather than improvise. Classical performers can have some of the most incredible ability in the world and I think it's a shame that they are s o discouraged from deviating in any way from how something may have been played 200 years ago. /tangent

[@pietandersen6120]

For me it’s all about the individuals ear, my ear is not averse to spiciness whatsoever, and I’ve come up with a progression on guitar that I personally love and think resolves nicely but that two out of four of my bandmates hate because to their ears it absolutely doesn’t. If you slide a G major (3,2,0,0,3,3) shape up the fretboard so that the E string goes 3, 5, 7, 8, 10 and then 12, it lands on an E7/D while passing through a bunch of strange (some really dissonant, some really beautiful) chords that I find really satisfying, despite the b10 G hiding out in there.

[@ideitbawxproductions1880]

I'm just curious how a C/G is not a C chord. G is the 5th of the C chord, so wouldn't that make it a C chord in 2nd inversion?

[@connordavis4766]

Damn those open position chords move up 1 fret and then you just get punched in the face with the diablo 2 soundtrack. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYCQp3pupLWbnq8

[@MrKockabilly]

Who told you to play C with open low E string? It is supposed to be muted if one doesn't want to play the 6th string

[@sinkler123]

True. But musicians eventually learn and play chord inversions. Beginner guitarists sometimes play them unintentionally, it is a good way to discover the inversion sounds. for example - if you accidentally playing the open E below a C chord you get a 3th (1st inversion) and below an A chord you get a 5th (2nd inversion). You also soon discover open strings sometimes create dissonant intervals with some chords, and you can clearly hear it way before you learn & understand music theory.