Chord Of The Week 2/5/15 - The Holdsworth add9 chord

bigjon

Starting a new series today, covering how my favourite guitar-player Allan Holdsworth plays various chord-types: I'll kick off with the relatively manageable add9.

Formula for an add9 chord is 1 3 5 9, which in the key of C is C, E, G, and D which on a guitar is x 3 2 0 3 x. Often the order of notes is shifted so that the D sits below the E, giving a close-voiced chiming effect that sounds  great, such as x3x030.

Allan takes this one step further and has the C D and E next to each other, giving a second-inversion chord with the G in the bass. In open position that would be Cadd9/G: xx5530

But Allan hardly ever plays open position chords... Wear your guitar strapped high & tilt the neck up before attempting these Holdsworth chords! Here's the equivalent closed-position version:

Cadd9/G: x 10 10 7 5 x

Ouch! Mercy! It's time to suffer for our art . . .

There are loads of these add9 chords under the keyboard solo in 'White Line' from 2:00 in this clip - 

bigjon

Chord Of The Week Index updated with 91 discussions at

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/598/chord-of-the-week-index

DesVegas

That has to be a typo! that is not easy.

bigjon

Wait till you see the chord I've got lined up for next week!

GuyBoden