G chord no high e string?

Question

I was messing around on my guitar and started to form a song that I'm trying to write down on paper.

I was playing a chord with my fingers on the 2nd fret A string and 3rd fret low E string. I realized that this was just like a G chord but without the high E or the B string.

What is this chord called? I can't figure it out but I want to write it down.

Answer 1

its just G major but a different voicing.



G major means any combination of the notes G B D.



when you play a "normal" G chord you get the following combination

E 3 = G

A 2 = B

D 0 = D

G 0 = G

B 0 = B

E 3 = G



so the total set of notes is G B D G B G

you have G B D with extras of G and B



if you only play the bottom 4 notes:

E 3 = G

A 2 = B

D 0 = D

G 0 = G



you still get G B D G

still the same notes, but less extras.



with chord symbols, all you write is "G", because players get to choose which voicing.

they could even choose to play a G barred chord

E 3 = G

A 5 = D

D 5 = G

G 4 = B

B 3 = D

E 3 = G



yielding GDGBDG

still just GBD but in a different order with different extras.



if you want to specify exactly what notes to play, you have to use normal notation or tablature.

symbols are not that specific.

Answer 2

All the previous answers are correct: it's still a G chord. The thing you need to realize is how and why guitar chords are formed.



A chord is universal and is determined by formulas. I won't go into the formulas now, you can look them up....but a G major chord has 3 notes: G, B, and D. ANYPLACE on the neck that you combine those 3 notes (and no others) you'll have a G major chord. If you analyze the notes on a fretboard, you'll see there are actually dozens of different ways to play a G chord.



When you finger an open G chord (the standard fingering) you're playing 6 notes...but all of them are either a G, B, or D. The only reason you're strumming all six strings is to give a full sound. As long as you play one of each note...G, B, and D, you'll have the minimum requirements of a G chord. It will just have a less full (or different) voice.

Answer 3

Chords don't always have the same shape like that. A chord that's a power chord on the lower frets could look entirely different on the top frets. Technically, power chords are another way of playing a major or minor chord. Here's an example. This is G Major. e---3--- B---0--- G---0--- D---0--- A---2--- E---3--- And this is G Major played as a power chord. e---3--- B---3--- G---4--- D---5--- A---5--- E---3--- To be able to know what chord you're hitting, you need to know the root of the chord, which is always that note. So, if the root is an E, then the chord is going to be some variation of E. The root can often be difficult to know for beginners, and I don't know if I could properly explain it.

Answer 4

It's still a G chord as it still contains the notes G B and D.

Answer 5

It's a G chord, because that high E is part of the G major triad. It has a slightly different sound, though.

Answer 6

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