12 Beautiful Guitar Chords You Should Know

[@JustSomeGuy]

This is why I like short scale guitars. It makes it possible that I can just maybe play some of these, but I'll be careful because I'm pretty sure I can't afford Steve Vai's doctor.

[@BlueGrenadeTom]

The best guitarist I know - shredding, jazz, pop, rock, metal, whatever - is actually a friend of mine and he has the tiniest hands you’ve ever seen. I’ve no idea how he does it, but he makes it sound and look effortless.

[@firattopal9185]

I tried a chord change from Badd11 to A11...My surgery is at 10:00 tomorrow morning...

[@thorsee8666]

hey Justin, I used to watch your how to play vids almost 10 years ago, you taught me some nice songs, chords and english as well. Great to see you being successfull with an app and a podcast while keeping your hat and blanket! I definitely should dust off my guitar. Greetings from Germany!

[@vDomMusic]

My experience with the short finger problem. I have much smaller hands than Justin and also have a pinky that doesn't reach the knuckle of the 3rd finger but I wanted to learn the intro to Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The first chord shape is a D chord but played in the C Shape barred on the 2nd fret (Pinky finger stretched real far). It's a killer and I genuinely thought I wouldn't be able to play it. Well, I have since absolutely nailed it and it's my favourite song to play, I practiced until I was able to do all the little flourishes and I'm really proud of it. So, if you have any doubts or struggles, just keep doing it and I promise you can nail it!!!

[@justinguitar]

Positive stuff! Cheers 😊 | close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide [ www.justinguitar.com/ ] & Moderator on JustinGuitar Forum

[@mgclark46]

Man, my playing has been hampered by pain in the upper forearm and inner elbow whilst playing guitar. Trying to play these chords has brought so much relief! I guess my tendons just needed to be stretched-out, but-good. Thanks Dr. J, the Guitar MD!

[@musicmadgic6931]

Nice, well, even without a small little finger problem, it's still a problem. Love you Justin. Thanks for the knowledge.

[@chandrasekhardalmia5584]

You are my fav teacher ever sir. My idol🙏😁 I already completed your beginner course

[@61cheezil]

Will come back to this in 10yrs time & hopefully have some hope by then

[@violetnaidoo7829]

My guitar Never ever sounds like yours..you are a pleasure to listen to Justin

[@JoelYeoh]

*_Thanks for sharing these awesome chords Justin! Many people will love and learn from this_* 👍🎸😍🎵

[@justinguitar]

Thank you, mate.

[@Emre-lo6fj]

Exactly

[@mpc77769]

​@justinguitar D add 9 "Somewhere there's music" D min 9 "How high the moon" The minor 9 is necessary 👍

[@gloryrow100]

Thanks for not continually pushing product... Its actually what made me decide to go to your site and buy some.

[@1000-r3g]

So i learned i have a stumpy little finger. Mine looks just like yours. I never noticed it, i always assumed i suck with my little finger and just have to practice more and thats that. So now you are teaching me i have a birth defect for guitarists. Great. Just what i need.

[@brianrollins7275]

Thank Justin. I have learned a lot from you and I really appreciate it.

[@Esse70R]

Oh ! Yeaaaaaah... awful streches for heavenly sounds 😉 Just awesome ✅

[@mgeding]

Changing the tuning and/or capos do wonders for making these chords more ergonomic.

[@lizhall746]

I have the same pinky problem Justin.Trying to learn "black hole sun" acoustic version is nearly impossible, so I have abandoned trying it for the moment, but I determined, and will conquer my small pinky problem.

[@nic1208]

Thanks for another awesome lesson! Justin is the man!

[@justinguitar]

Any time!

[@drsmith4582]

You should do a follow up lesson on alternate technique or voicings for playing these chords. I hope nobody hurts their self trying to learn a couple these. It’s not always about how long your fingers are. It’s also about joint flexibility and some players will only be able to play these as arpeggios. I know a couple of guitar players with short stubby fingers who can stretch farther than me and I have wizard hands.

[@GANGADHARA4]

Awesome. Thanks

[@justinguitar]

U welcome!

[@abnerbondoc7087]

When I see JustinGuitar, I click.. fast!

[@justinguitar]

Thank you! 🙏

[@toapyandfriends]

😎'we all do my brotha

[@sergedenovo2389]

I feel like I come up with really beautiful obscure jazz chords in the middle of the night when it’s super quiet. Too bad I can never remember them in the daytime! Lol

[@terryjohinke8065]

Good one Justin. Thank you for using semitone NOT that step nonsense the American's use- including Rick Beato who should know better!! ( Terry from Oz).

[@andriaprayer6112]

Thanks!

[@justinguitar]

Appreciate the support Andria! :) Best wishes, J.

[@Simbosan]

for badd11, squish the index finger to barre the top two, very sweet. You can probably drop the low B without losing the flavour of the chord. Make life easy and in a band context you are invading the bass players space

[@michealjohnmusole5290]

Thank you so much sir you are a Great teacher!

[@justinguitar]

You are welcome!

[@JordanBrennan]

thank you Justin, love this lesson

[@justinguitar]

Glad you liked it!

[@jeroen9637]

Pain is so close to pleasure :)

[@Emre-lo6fj]

This is what i needed

[@DerangedTechnologist]

This is excellent -- thanks! Hope your hand recovered quickly.

[@justinguitar]

I hope so too!

[@soundofbeers]

Fun video and beautiful tone Justin. Thanks once again!

[@justinguitar]

Glad you like it!

[@grippen3273]

I love the stretchy cords but to many injuries to the left hand and arm. So I like tuning down Realy low and tweeking the high strings, baring and using just the pinky, and then play a track over it of the missing notes.

[@RoeRoe123]

New subscriber here from North Carolina 👋 Like your style!

[@jacob-xo2vg]

Your videos never stop to amaze me

[@allancerf9038]

Nice. Much easier way to do B add 11...still fun lesson.

[@mototakahe836]

You have just made me feel a real waste of space . I started with your course last year in March practiced fairly religiously, the left off,till my fingers lost the callouses. Then watched you today playing those beautiful sounding chorda , and I know I now have to start all ove again. . BUT thank you,thank you, thank you Justin, your courses are great I am just .....

[@justinguitar]

Get back in to the course on the website for step-by-step learning. Have you thought of getting the song app to help? www.justinguitar.com/products/beginner-guitar-app Cheers 😊 | close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide [ www.justinguitar.com/ ] & Moderator on JustinGuitar Forum

[@RandyBakkelund]

Very nice chords, I don't come onto this channel often, but I learned a couple things on this video which is great!!

[@jbaby007]

These are some very beautiful chords. I'll just go rearrange my fingers and come back to these lol.

[@joshparker5259]

Your chords will make a fine addition to my collection

[@steveinfr]

Well done. I have the same little finger as you thus I find simpler ways to similar results than giant stretches. Fun though.

[@subhanmohsin3736]

First and do you have a course for music theory to guide us to make arrangements

[@billoneousbillead8121]

He does, it's on the website. It costs money but it's way too cheap for how good it is IMO.

[@justinguitar]

I do! The first 2 grades are free, and then there's a 9.99$ subscription for 6 months. Cheers. www.justinguitar.com/classes/practical-fast-fun-music-theory

[@subhanmohsin3736]

Thanks man

[@tonymccormick21]

I don't know if I agree, Justin. The link point to your theory course, which I have done (very good it is too). And while the theory knowledge is helpful in arranging, it isn't quite arranging (hot to takes melody, find the key, transpose to top 2 strings, add base notes, then start to fill in the harmonies etc. I hope you can tell me I am looking at the wrong link because I will pay £9.99 for the course immediately.

[@bharatmusicproduction8886]

after listening to one Indian bollywood song, I have discovered my self a new chord so will you please tell me what chord is that. chord is..... D=11 Fret___ G=15 fret__. B=12____ High E=9.. please explain me this chord, I am curious.

[@georgestevens1502]

Good reason to try open tunings? Allan Holdsworth is the only one who could have, or did, play these chords seamlessly. Some of the voicings look like pictures showing his fretting hand.

[@marijn5167]

Sounds great keep it going :)!

[@AgentSmith911]

Playing them is one thing, changing between them is a whole other story though :-D

[@justinguitar]

🤐

[@toapyandfriends]

🤣

[@redmetalpanda9051]

Though most likely these dissonant chords is followed by a more stable one

[@JTRAIN]

My pinky is around 8cm long, should be long enough to conquer these stretcHy chords. Nonetheless, awesome stuff mate. Keep up the great work.

[@wernercolyn892]

I just broke my shoulder doing that first Holdsworth chord. The stretching of the index finger to the 9th fret is impossible for me on acoustic. It's a good thing you don't need fancy chords to write fancy songs 😂

[@kevincampbell2032]

Very cool!

[@rayclark9643]

Justin I believe the few people that are born with 6 fingers would find these chords quite easy to play. For most of us though just playing them, like you are here, in a slow demo are fine, but including them fluidly into a song would be another story altogether:)

[@allancerf9038]

I have normal size hands. Slightly longer fingers and don't have much difficulty. May I suggest play these chords with the lightest possible grip? I know that sounds nuts, but you'll build strength for the weird shapes rather than exerting a ton of force. Then fire up a looper in your software (there are free versions) and double yourself playing them, voila. I agree with part of your concern though. My teachers told me years ago, unless you have Holdsworth size hands you can injure yourself without warming up SLOWLY.

[@kavinguitarcom]

Awesome chords👏

[@kane29842]

Two chords in and I need a hand massage and lay down.

[@WahrheitMachtFrei.]

If you think your hands are too small, watch Muriel Anderson play her classical or harp guitar. She's got a baby's hands and they're made of rubber 🖖

[@kausharalam5880]

Hey Justin sir can you do a a video on chords john mayer uses

[@scolpitts]

That is a small pinky! And you’re still a total BOSS!

[@Ghostlymist]

I don't get it. My pinky is the same, and it's the same for most of the people around me. What's wrong with the pinky? Isn't it that small for everyone?

[@scolpitts]

@@Ghostlymist now I’m looking at it close. My pinky on my fretting hand goes 1/2 way between my second knuckle and fingertip of my ring finger. My other pinky is shorter though

[@LocalMachine]

Nice Gray Emperor

[@moto238]

The D add 9 and D min IS a song., I'll remember it. It was a pretty song.

[@chandrasekhardalmia5584]

Please try to play gratitude by amin toofani

[@sergedenovo2389]

I cut right through my first knuckle(closest to the nail) on my pinky, while laying carpeting when I was a teenager. So I have no “straightening” ability in my pinky. Doesn’t hinder me. Actually is better for hammering. Don’t feel bad, mate. Shit, Iomy was missing a tip of his finger! And did the most raw riffs of all time! Just think “Into the Void”! Lol Thanks for the video.

[@skippserrano6771]

Just watching this, makes my fingers hurt. Not to mention the frustration-driven headache. I think I’ll stay away from Moonlight in Vermont.

[@jakekeys88music]

It'll probably be a necessity for me to play it living in Vermont. I've played it on piano before, but that's different. Guess I'll get practicing.

[@grippen3273]

That a min 9 is nice

[@timtaylor286]

Sounds like a lot of Randy Rhodes songs . Diary of a Madman, you can't kill Rock and Roll etc.. Great stuff

[@ayushmanbhalla8737]

Dear Justine, These chords are pretty cool, but the level of stretching required is just beyond the range of certain people's little hands. For example, even though I have medium-sized hands or fingers, I find it quite challenging to play these chords, so for me, it's like doing finger yoga 🤣🤣

[@sandrocavali9810]

Brilliant

[@moto238]

I have same size fingers as you Justin. Short pinky. It drives my poor RG crazy. Maybe Hendrix was on to something using teeth tongue pick in mouth etc.

[@janusmcgee8909]

Just wondering Justin if you were ever a Sweet fan? (The band), did Ballroom Blitz, Action, Teenage Rampage (Action is my fav, goes so hard)

[@neurons0nfire]

This one is giving me anxiety hahah! Great ideas and encouragement, thx.

[@justinguitar]

Sorry! Hahaha :) cheers!

[@bobby9642]

That pinky finger 🤣🤣 hahahaha. Sweet

[@usmana5578]

my hero!..... the justin-man!.... I wish I could afford to have you as my private music teacher... 🤔..... lots of banks would have to be robbed

[@TheDoobiesnatcher]

that Alan Holdsworth chord is insane I'm off to get an ice pack for my hand!

[@brturner]

The bassist Thundercat has some real monster chords

[@raymondwilliams5866]

Hi Justin can you do a lesson on Suger man by Rodriguez

[@justinguitar]

Register on the main site www.justinguitar.com/ and there is a request page in your dashboard. Cheers 😊 | close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide [ www.justinguitar.com/ ] & Moderator on JustinGuitar Forum

[@reallynotkaladin9964]

Yep. Never playing D min9.

[@guitarman65854]

Hi Justin gives me inspiration to know that you still struggle with things too 😳

[@Juliankb39]

Jesus christ. How long did it take for you to be able to stretch your fingers like that Justin? Wrist is killing me after 5 minutes of trying these

[@justinguitar]

All beginning it's hard. Patience and persistence...and more patience. Keep at it! Make sure to train other aspects too; like strength, coordination and control. The spider is a good exercise for that. www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/the-spider-te-201 | LievenDV | JustinGuitar Official Assistant

[@harlequin75]

Your little finger gave me hope and a reason to live LOL

[@shredder9536]

Hello

[@terrytickler]

Ouch amazing chords tho 33 years of playing guitar it still hurts

[@Xenouvious]

Holdsworth was the absolute master of that craft.

[@terrytickler]

Amazing video tho

[@Jimbob-hp6ud]

These chords are a bit easier if you hold the guitar in classic position for anyone giving them a go!

[@jeffrey.a.hanson]

That poor little finger. It’s adorable.

[@kevintandian6257]

The o in chord stands ouch

[@mathieurousseau31]

Badd11 diagram is wrong you inverted finger 2 and 3. I was ready to take my saw to cut them off invert with with super glue 😅

[@willbuckley54]

The Satriani B add 11 chord just needs the open 'e' to make it ring - I'm sure that's how he plays it. Try it folks. Also the tab is wrong. 2nd finger on the 6th string B, not the third. Still - aint no big thing tho'. Oh - it's Always with me - always with you, is the song. Still aint no big thing tho'. Jus' sayin'.

[@gregor8676]

If you watch some videos with Satriani playing it, you will see he's doing it exactly as Justin shows. I guess to keep the picking pattern. I also believe there is a change to the sound, that you want to avoid. So my advice is: play it originally.

[@willbuckley54]

@@gregor8676 Yes - you're absolutely right - I stand corrected.

[@gregor8676]

@@willbuckley54 Have fun 🙂

[@amberscott7831]

these are some beutiful chords,but they're hard

[@bettyswunghole3310]

Look on the bright side: you'll never need nut crackers again if you get your left hand strong enough to play these chords!

[@robswystun2766]

Even my hand hurts after watching this.

[@Neronix91]

Arkham's Razor, man. Rockstars "cheat" all the time ;)

[@johnjacquard863]

the 9th isnt a dissonance lol :D

[@abraxis20]

Just looking at these gives me arthritis!

[@GaylordBonnafous]

This should be renamed "chords for people who have very big hands or very long fingers". :)))

[@johnnybumpous9108]

I have a book of chords that covers some chords that makes absolutely no sense to me..lol

[@justinguitar]

The best chord book is the one you write: www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/your-own-chord-book-mt-204 Cheers 😊 | close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide [ www.justinguitar.com/ ] & Moderator on JustinGuitar Forum

[@samevans1903]

Where there's a will, there's relatives.

[@TaiChiBeMe]

It's enough to make you re-tune the guitar.

[@84kjk]

Any else else have the problem where all the “beginner” stuff is way too easy But everything after that is way too hard? for the life of me can’t make any improv phrasing sound good no matter the genre.

[@justinguitar]

To make improv speak you need some language basics. Check here: www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/the-blues-language-bl-401 Cheers 😊 | close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide [ www.justinguitar.com/ ] & Moderator on JustinGuitar Forum

[@thehandseesall]

Be careful, you don't want to end up getting Steve Vie'd!

[@pez---]

yer fretboard is thirsty :)

[@gillies9]

How I wish I had hands like Dr. J. I suffer from what I call "Girlie Hands Syndrome".

[@grimreaper-qh2zn]

Simple answer NO

[@mikec6947]

I need surgery after attempting these 🤪

[@justinguitar]

Disclaimer: not my fault 😂