Which G?

[Toby267]

In a song we have chords and maybe the song calls for a G. But if I look in a chord book under G, I can find a whole bunch of different ways to make a G. Can I choose whichever one I want?

I asked my buddy and he said yes. But, I think that must not be right for a couple of reasons.

If a song, lets say Brown Eyed Girl calls for a G, I try the G at various spots on the neck and I get a very different sound if I play it in different places, and therefore the song would sound different, right?

I mean, I could take a bar chord and run it up and down the neck and get every chord in the progression but would it sound right?

What am I not understanding here?

[Danny Poole]

Let’s still use the example of playing a G chord, there is five different G chords you can pay up the neck of the guitar…

• G as an Open Chord
• G in an E shaped Bar Chord
• G in an D shaped Bar Chord
• G in an C shaped Bar Chord
• G in an A shaped Bar Chord

This is known as the CAGED Method (Members: you can learn more about it here).

Standard sheet music will not tell you specifically which one to play it only generalizes. Some sheet music will have a small chord diagram above the music, although I have found this shape to be the one that is usually the easies to play. TAB books are the most accurate. Naming the chord/s and supplying the small diagram and also showing a TAB representation of that chord and the specific notes picked (be aware that net tab is generally not that accurate).

For most times however you just have to use your ears when listening to the song. If you play an “E” note on the 1st sting open it’s the same as playing an “E” note on the 3rd string 9th fret, when you listen to the both of them there is an obvious tonal (not pitch difference).

G open chord is a different sound to G as an A shaped Bar Chord on the 10 fret so as you keep on play for a while you will not only hear the obvious differences between two chords like that but the subtle differences between say open G and a E shaped G on the 3rdf fret.

So yes your friend is right to a degree… G is G no matter what fret and what instrument. It’s all about fine tuning your skills and ear to get the right shape.