What are Open String Chords?

What are Open String Chords? · Arpeggi Jumping One String · Summing Up the Use · Why Burl Ives Didn't Give Chords for All Keys

Burl Ives gave some of those for his "Songs for Picking and Singing" - may God forgive him his having been a freemason, as much as possible, but the idea is good.

Back when I was not yet Catholic, not even Lutheran, but loosely Evangelical Church Hopper, I was volunteering to learn some instrument to play in the Salvation Army. I first thought of guitar, but got stuck on a Classical G chord. Both the low E at one end and the high E at the other end are pushed down on fret three, and some chords in between higher up. This is a very uncomfortable and straining position for the left hand, arguably some barred chords are even worse, but the chord as such is a "strainer" between those who "pick up" the Classical guitar and those who don't.

In German - we were in Vienna, Austria, "anstrengend" both means "taking an effort" and "straining" - while "Anstrengung" is mainly "effort." I was complaining on how the chord was "anstrengend" (straining!) and the Salvation Army officer said about any intrument taking "Anstrengung" (effort).

I replied about a guitarist I had seen in the US, a friend of the last family we were staying long with, perhaps a suitor to one of the two daughters (at 9 I was obviously not his rival), and said I had seen him being "careless" - I should better have said "carefree" - and definitely effortless about where he put his left hand fingers and it sounded good. Picking on the "careless" part, the Salvation Army officer told me she didn't believe that.

I ended up with a tuba instead, and was too small to blow that very well, but even so ...

What was that guitarist in Anaheim doing? He was doing open string chords. One chord I am sure he didn't use was a Classic, full six strings, chord of G major. The one that strains the fingers so much.

I will here give three versions of open string chords in G, never mind if Burl Ives used or didn't use all of them. I'll give subdominant, C, subdominant parallel, and in major keys this is also called minor double-dominant, Am, I'll give the tonic, G, and I'll give the dominant, D7.

But first I will explain what is different. A Classic chord needs to be useful for quick strumming (and that is done pretty often in Salvation Army String Concerts), but the music style Burl Ives catered to was - not so much Country Western as in Dolly Parton, but more like Cowboy songs or Hillbilly. He often used some bluegrass type arpeggio.

If you strum, you need a good aim to avoid hitting all six strings. If you pick arpeggi, you can do very well with four strings. I'll give versions for the four lower, four midmost and four upper strings with each chord.

	Four Lower
C		0		3		2		0		X		X
Am		0		3		2		2		X		X
G		3		2		0		0		X		X
D7		2		3		0		2		X		X
	Four Midmost
C		X		3		2		0		1		X
Am		X		0		2		2		1		X
G		X		2		0		0		0		X
D7		X		0		4		2		1		X
	Four Higher
C		X		X		2		0		1		0
Am		X		X		2		2		1		2
G		X		X		0		0		0		3
D7		X		X		0		2		1		2

If you look at first and last versions of G, you will see how, taken together, they involve that combinations of two outermost fingers both on 3rd fret, and fingers between higher up, which stumped me so.

Rock musicians who do electric guitar actually avoid all open strings, as much as possible. How do they avoid this? Well, usually they have more than one guitarist, and each takes only part of the chord ... but this wasn't rock, this was a style that is much more relaxed - and not strained for the fingers of a Classic G chord bent.

I wonder if there aren't Classic musicians who have another version of G, all six strings, with fingers in between further down instead?

Hans Georg Lundahl
Paris
St. Severus of Vienne
8.VIII.2022

Viennae, in Gallia, sancti Severi, Presbyteri et Confessoris; qui ex India, Evangelii praedicandi causa, laboriosam peregrinationem suscepit, et, cum ad praefatam urbem devenisset, ingentem Paganorum multitudinem verbo et miraculis ad Christi fidem convertit.