Dave Wirth
This blog entry's purpose is to describe and clear up any confusion surrounding how guitarists commonly name chords. If you have ever been confused about why "C" and "C Major" are the same exact chord, this entry is for you. I'm using the root note "C" throughout this post. Sometimes there are fingering differences because of the root note. "E Flat Major" for example is easiest to finger as a barre chord, and an open E Flat Major is difficult, though not impossible, to have as an open chord. This post is also a bit technical, so you have been warned if details like this bore you.
One final thing to take notice of: Any "X" that you see on the chord chart means that if you can help it, try not to play that string.
Major Chords
In guitar, "C" and "C Major" always mean the same thing. "C" means that you can play a "C Major," and vice-versa. Choose whichever way to play this you like, but the most common way to play a "C" looks like this:
There is one other thing worth mentioning. If someone asks you to play a "C Chord," as opposed to a C or C major, they are basically hinting for you to play an open, or non-barred, C Major chord. This is exactly like the chord above. However, when someone wants you to play a barre chord, chances are they will be far more descriptive. For example, a "C Major Barre Chord" could mean this:
Do you remember how "C" and "C Major" are interchangeable? It's the same with barre chords. If someone says "C Barre Chord," I think you can safely assume that someone wants you to play a "C Major Barre Chord."
Minor Chords and Power Chords
If someone asks you to play a "C Minor" or a "C Minor Chord," it means only one thing: Play a C Minor chord any way that you can, barre or not. Minor chords are a little more exclusive than major chords. They are just a tad bit more rare on the guitar because there are more common open chords that are major. It's hard to play a "C Minor Chord" without playing the barre. Honestly, I just get the job done any way I can:
Power chords are the same as barres; A guitarist will normally ask you to play a power chord, specifically.
Upon further reflection, I think using MS Paint probably wasn't the best idea to make these diagrams. I think I am going to resolve to make these on Illustrator next time. Oh well. DiY Forevs!
