Toughest Guitar Chord To Play

**JakeAcci** · 07-26-2011, 12:13 PM

I noticed a lot of these tough ones include root or bass notes. Another reason why I'm not fond of playing solo guitar, really limits the instrument in my mind/conception. I resign myself to just being a pianist's right hand for now, and hopefully maintain some good bass friends.

**mikeph** · 08-20-2011, 11:15 PM

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AbMaj7 1stInv

TH · 08-29-2011, 09:24 AM

Here ya go! You want a tough chord? Now there's the Armageddon Chord:

The Armageddon Chord - by: Jeremy Wagner - IN STORES NOW!

David

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 08-29-2011, 10:41 AM

And I thought the Brown Note was bad! Hilarious!

**wolflen** · 08-29-2011, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by mikeph

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AbMaj7 1stInv

agree..this one was a hctib..but our fingers and muscles do stretch..also..studying with ted greene helped a bit..some of his "close voicing" chords are for beings from other planets with 11 fingers..on each hand..

**Vihar** · 08-29-2011, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by wolflen

agree..this one was a hctib..but our fingers and muscles do stretch..also..studying with ted greene helped a bit..some of his "close voicing" chords are for beings from other planets with 11 fingers..on each hand..

Is that you Reg?

**whatswisdom** · 08-29-2011, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by TruthHertz

Here ya go! You want a tough chord? Now there's the Armageddon Chord:
The Armageddon Chord - by: Jeremy Wagner - IN STORES NOW!

The sequel is currently in production:

CHORD MALADY: TRITONIC SHIFTS.

**mikeph** · 08-30-2011, 12:21 AM

Originally Posted by wolflen

agree..this one was a hctib..but our fingers and muscles do stretch..also..studying with ted greene helped a bit..some of his "close voicing" chords are for beings from other planets with 11 fingers..on each hand..

I've never really studied an actual method...that could be bad or good... we'll find out! I learn songs, or chordal melodies out of the real book, and find voicings that sound appropriate/pleasing. I found this particular chord doing a chordal melody for "I hear a Rhapsody", I always forget who wrote it, but 'trane and Bill Evans do excellent versions. The Bill Evans album with Jim Hall has an excellent recording of it...Undercurrent? I think the song is actually in Bb...Great song to study harmony. Anyway, I really enjoy this chord its got a nice sound to my ears. It's like a fifth sandwhich with minor second beef in the middle. You can also shift the do the same chord up using the high e string, I think somebody already posted it.

**jazzgwuyded** · 09-01-2011, 05:36 PM

You guys are maniacal! personally, I've found this chord to be particularly challenging:
---|----|----|----|------|--
---|----|----|----|------|-
1--|----|----|----|------|--
---|----|--3-|----|------|-
---|----|----|----|---4--|-
---|----|--2-|----|------|
3
This little finger twister is called an A13b9. And yes, there are a LOT simpler ways to play it. However, I needed it in a chord melody tune.

**whatswisdom** · 09-01-2011, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by jazzgwuyded

You guys are maniacal! personally, I've found this chord to be particularly challenging:
---|----|----|----|------|--
---|----|----|----|------|-
1--|----|----|----|------|--
---|----|--3-|----|------|-
---|----|----|----|---4--|-
---|----|--2-|----|------|
3
This little finger twister is called an A13b9. And yes, there are a LOT simpler ways to play it. However, I needed it in a chord melody tune.

Dude! What? You've got two third fingers???

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 09-01-2011, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by jazzgwuyded

You guys are maniacal! personally, I've found this chord to be particularly challenging:
---|----|----|----|------|--
---|----|----|----|------|-
1--|----|----|----|------|--
---|----|--3-|----|------|-
---|----|----|----|---4--|-
---|----|--2-|----|------|
3
This little finger twister is called an A13b9. And yes, there are a LOT simpler ways to play it. However, I needed it in a chord melody tune.

Where's the 13th? Looks like an A7b9 to me. Anyway, unless the E was really needed, I'd play it:

5453xx

**mikeph** · 09-01-2011, 08:11 PM

You guys want hard? Ill give it to ya...

---|----|----|----|------|
---|-2--|----|----|------|
-1-|----|----|----|------|
---|----|--4-|----|------|
---|-T--|----|----|------|
---|----|--3-|----|------|

Dominat b9,b5

and that T is your Thumb.

**JohnW400** · 09-02-2011, 09:13 AM

Oh yeah!! take that!!

||---|---|-T-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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||---|---|---|---|-1-|---|---|---|---|---||
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Ebsus2/Bb

**whatswisdom** · 09-02-2011, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by mikeph

You guys want hard? Ill give it to ya...

---|----|----|----|------|
---|-2--|----|----|------|
-1-|----|----|----|------|
---|----|--4-|----|------|
---|-T--|----|----|------|
---|----|--3-|----|------|

Dominat b9,b5 and that T is your Thumb.

'Ol Jimi Hendrix used to do that all the time. How about doing a survey. Question: Does [hand] size matter? Hendrix had really big hands and used his thumb in all sorts of situations. I use my thumb on the sixth string regularly. Never tried on the fifth, though.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 09-02-2011, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by JohnW400

Oh yeah!! take that!!

||---|---|-T-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|-3-|---|---|---|---||
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|-4-|---|---||
||---|---|---|---|-1-|---|---|---|---|---||
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---||
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Ebsus2/Bb

I love "the ole thumb under the neck trick" but that one is for contortionists.

**SwingSwangSwung** · 09-04-2011, 07:27 AM

I did a solo guitar arrangement of When You Believe from the movie The Prince Of Egypt. It required this voicing...

---10----------
----0----------
----0----------
----0----------
---------------
----3----------

The only way I can make it is to play the G on the 6th string with my thumb and the D on the 1st string with my little finger. But my thumb is not coming from behind the neck, I have to bring it up from below the 1st string so that the palm of my hand is over the fretboard with my tip of my thumb and little fingertip spread a good 9 inches apart.

**bako** · 09-04-2011, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by SwingSwangSwung

I did a solo guitar arrangement of When You Believe from the movie The Prince Of Egypt. It required this voicing...

---10----------
----0----------
----0----------
----0----------
---------------
----3----------

The only way I can make it is to play the G on the 6th string with my thumb and the D on the 1st string with my little finger. But my thumb is not coming from behind the neck, I have to bring it up from below the 1st string so that the palm of my hand is over the fretboard with my tip of my thumb and little fingertip spread a good 9 inches apart.

I play cello as well as guitar. For that instrument this is a common thing to do and it's referred to as "thumb position". It probably emerged on cello because that instrument has a severe lack of a cutaway problem. I occasionally use it on guitar when all else fails.

I've seen jazz bassist Ratzo Harris hold down a bass note with his chin so that he can play high up the fingerboard against that note.