One of the noblest of the campfire chords, the poor D major has fallen victim to some of the worst examples of sub-Dylan folky jangle. Let it enjoy its old age in peace, while you search elsewhere for your exciting new sounds!
As we've mentioned before, you can always add the 9th to a major or minor chord. However, if you use the 9th to replace the 3rd, you get a sus2, which is ambiguously neither major nor minor and therefore incredibly versatile.
It's always worth moving open shapes to different frets, listening to how the moving fretted notes combine with the static open strings. Playing the C shape two frets higher gives the intriguing little chord above...
Remember the three-string Am7/Am6 funk chord we covered a while back? Well here's a little friend for it... a one-finger D6 shape. Perfect for those Nile Rodgers moments - of which there are plenty.
“I can’t play jigs or reels or any of that traditional Irish stuff, but I have got a good ear for blues, the tonality of it”: 3 ways to supercharge your lead guitar playing like Rory Gallagher
“A well-crafted sequence is successful wherever you may wish to use it”: Use these tried and tested chord progressions to build an engaging song
