Contrasting open chords. Guitarists like Alex Lifeson and Jeff Buckley have long enchanted listeners with their ability to create rich, atmospheric soundscapes using contrasting open chords. These chords are more than just technical shapes—they’re the gateway to a world of dreamy and ethereal guitar playing. In this article, we’ll dive deep into the techniques and chord shapes that define these iconic sounds, exploring how you can incorporate these elements into your own music.

1. The Power of Contrasting Open Chords

Contrasting open chords combine high-fretted notes with the resonance of open strings, creating a unique and captivating sound. The contrast between the fretted notes and open strings adds depth and texture to your playing, making it an essential tool for both acoustic and electric guitarists. This technique allows the open strings to ring out while higher notes on the fretboard add clarity and definition, producing a lush, expansive tone.

Why Contrasting Open Chords Matter

• Harmonic Richness: Contrasting open chords provide a fuller, more resonant sound, especially when played on an acoustic guitar. The open strings add sustain and harmonic overtones, enriching the overall sound.
• Expressive Potential: On an electric guitar, these chords can create a striking contrast between the brightness of the open strings and the warmth of higher fretted notes, adding emotional depth to your music.

2. Alex Lifeson’s Suspended Chords: A Gateway to Atmosphere

Alex Lifeson of Rush is a master of creating expansive, atmospheric guitar parts using suspended chords. Suspended chords, particularly the suspended 4th (sus4) and suspended 2nd (sus2), are a cornerstone of his dreamy sound. These chords, often played as open shapes, introduce an airy, unresolved quality that adds tension and movement to your progressions.

Key Techniques for Suspended Chords

• Suspended 4th (sus4) Chords: In a sus4 chord, the 3rd is replaced by the 4th, creating a sense of suspension. For example, instead of playing a standard D major chord (D-F#-A), you would play a Dsus4 (D-G-A). The G note creates a tension that resolves beautifully when you move to a regular major or minor chord.
• Suspended 2nd (sus2) Chords: In a sus2 chord, the 3rd is replaced by the 2nd, producing a similarly unresolved sound. A Dsus2 chord (D-E-A) replaces the F# with an E, offering a different kind of tension that can add a dreamy quality to your progressions.

Lifeson-Inspired Chord Shapes to Try

• Dsus4: D-G-A
• Asus2: A-B-E
• Esus4: E-A-B

Experiment with moving between these suspended chords and their major/minor counterparts to create a sense of movement and atmosphere in your playing.

3. Jeff Buckley’s Add9 and Major 7th Chords: The Sound of Haunting Beauty

Jeff Buckley’s guitar work is characterized by its emotive and haunting quality, largely due to his use of add9 and major 7th chords in open positions. These chords add a melodic richness to his music, creating a sound that is both delicate and powerful.

Embracing Add9 and Major 7th Chords

• Add9 Chords: An add9 chord is a major chord with an added 9th (or 2nd) note. For example, a Dadd9 chord consists of the notes D-F#-A-E. The added E note (the 9th) gives the chord a fresh, expansive sound that is perfect for creating dreamy atmospheres.
• Major 7th Chords: A major 7th chord adds the 7th degree of the major scale to a standard major chord. For example, a Cmaj7 chord consists of the notes C-E-G-B. The B note (the major 7th) adds a smooth, jazzy quality that is both calming and evocative.

Buckley-Inspired Chord Shapes to Try

• Dadd9: D-F#-A-E
• Cmaj7: C-E-G-B
• Aadd9: A-C#-E-B

Incorporate fingerpicking patterns to highlight these chord shapes, enhancing their emotive quality and bringing out the nuances in your playing.

4. Open String Drones: Creating Hypnotic Backdrops

Both Alex Lifeson and Jeff Buckley frequently use open string drones to create a hypnotic backdrop in their music. This technique involves sustaining open strings while playing fretted notes, allowing the resonating strings to blend with the chord changes and add depth to your sound.

How to Use Open String Drones

• Sustaining Open Strings: Allow certain open strings to ring out continuously while you change chords. This technique works particularly well in keys that use a lot of open strings, such as E major or A minor.
• Creating Continuity: The drone effect adds continuity to your progressions, making your music feel more cohesive and immersive. It also creates a rich, layered sound that can make even simple chord progressions sound complex and full.

Chord Progressions to Try with Drones

• E Major Progression: Use open E, B, and high E strings as drones while playing chords like E, A, and Bsus4.
• A Minor Progression: Sustain the open A and high E strings while playing chords like Am, C, and G.

Experiment with different progressions and let the drones guide the harmonic direction of your music.

5. Fingerpicking Techniques: Adding Intricacy to Open Chords

Fingerpicking is a vital technique for bringing out the nuances of contrasting open chords. By plucking individual strings with your fingers, you can create intricate patterns that highlight the dreamy qualities of these open shapes.

Developing Fingerpicking Skills

• Alternating Bass Notes: Start with simple patterns that alternate bass notes on the lower strings with melody notes on the higher strings. This technique adds movement and rhythmic interest to your playing.
• Arpeggios: Practice arpeggiating the notes of your chords. Arpeggios allow each note to ring out clearly, emphasizing the harmonic richness of your open chords.

Fingerpicking Patterns to Explore

• Travis Picking: This pattern alternates the bass notes on the lower strings with melody notes on the higher strings. It’s a great way to add rhythm and texture to your playing.
• PIMA Pattern: Use your thumb (P), index (I), middle (M), and ring (A) fingers to pluck strings in a variety of sequences. This classical technique can be adapted to modern guitar playing for intricate and expressive results.

6. Exploring Altered Tunings: Discovering New Sonic Landscapes

Both Alex Lifeson and Jeff Buckley have experimented with altered tunings to achieve their distinctive sounds. Altered tunings can inspire fresh open chord voicings and unlock new creative possibilities for your playing.

Popular Altered Tunings

• DADGAD: This tuning is widely used for its open, droning quality. It’s perfect for creating Celtic-inspired sounds and lush, atmospheric chord progressions.
• Open G: In this tuning, the strings are tuned to the notes of a G major chord (D-G-D-G-B-D). Open G is often used in blues and slide guitar but can also create beautiful, resonant chords in a more traditional fingerpicking context.
• Open D: Open D tuning (D-A-D-F#-A-D) provides a deep, resonant sound that is perfect for creating expansive and rich open chord voicings.

Experimenting with Open Chords in Altered Tunings

• DADGAD: Try simple chord shapes like Dsus4 (000200) or G (555700) to explore the tuning’s droning quality.
• Open G: Use the tuning to create rich chords like G (000000) or Cadd9 (020100), letting the open strings resonate fully.
• Open D: Explore the tuning with chords like D (000000) or A (002200) for a deep, resonant sound.

Altered tunings can be a revelation, opening up entirely new sonic worlds for your guitar playing.

7. Layered Chord Progressions: Building Complexity and Texture

Layering contrasting open chords can add complexity and texture to your music. By combining different voicings and inversions, you can create progressions that move fluidly and maintain a sense of tension and release.

Techniques for Layering Chord Progressions

• Inversions: Experiment with different inversions of the same chord to create subtle variations in your progressions. For example, an A major chord can be played as an open A (x02220), an A/C# (x42220), or an A/E (002220), each adding a different flavor to the progression.
• Pedal Tones: A pedal tone is a sustained note, often the root or fifth of the key, that remains constant while the chords change. This technique adds continuity and helps anchor the progression, even as the harmonies shift.

Layered Progressions to Try

• E Major Progression with Pedal Tone: Keep the open low E string ringing while playing chords like E, C#m, and A, allowing the E note to create a constant backdrop.
• A Minor Progression with Inversions: Play an Am (x02210), followed by an Am/G (302210), and an Am/F# (202210), letting the bass note descend while the upper notes stay relatively static.

Layering chords adds richness and complexity to your progressions, making them more engaging and dynamic.

8. Ambient Effects: Enhancing Dreamy Open Chords

To truly capture the dreaminess of contrasting open chords, consider incorporating ambient effects into your setup. Effects like reverb, delay, and modulation can elevate your guitar parts, adding a cinematic quality to your sound.

Key Ambient Effects for Open Chords

• Reverb: A good reverb pedal can make your guitar sound as if it’s being played in a vast cathedral. Long, lush reverbs add space and atmosphere, making your open chords sound even more expansive.
• Delay: Delay adds an echo to your playing, creating a sense of depth and complexity. Use delay to enhance the rhythmic elements of your fingerpicking patterns or to add a trailing, ghostly effect to your chords.
• Modulation: Effects like chorus, flanger, or phaser can add movement and shimmer to your sound. These effects work particularly well with open chords, as they can enhance the harmonic richness and create a swirling, dreamy texture.

Suggested Effect Settings

• Reverb: Use a hall or cathedral reverb with a long decay time to create a spacious, ethereal sound.
• Delay: Set your delay to a moderate tempo with a few repeats, adjusting the mix to taste for a subtle or pronounced echo effect.
• Chorus: Dial in a slow, deep chorus to add a gentle shimmer to your open chords.

By experimenting with ambient effects, you can transform your guitar parts into rich, immersive soundscapes.

9. Unconventional Resolutions: Adding Mystery to Your Progressions

One of the hallmarks of dreamy guitar music is its ability to surprise and intrigue the listener. This often involves unconventional resolutions—chord changes that defy traditional expectations and add a sense of mystery to your music.

Techniques for Unconventional Resolutions

• Avoiding the Root Chord: Instead of resolving your progression to the root chord (e.g., ending on E in an E major progression), try resolving to a different chord that shares some of the same notes but creates a more ambiguous feeling (e.g., resolving to C#m instead).
• Use of Suspended Chords: Resolve a progression to a suspended chord (e.g., ending on Dsus4 instead of D major) to leave the listener hanging, creating an unresolved, dreamy quality.

Chord Progressions with Unconventional Resolutions

• E Major to C#m: Start with a standard E major progression (E, A, B), but resolve it to C#m instead of E to create a more mysterious ending.
• G Major to Dsus2: Begin with a G major progression (G, C, D), but resolve to Dsus2 instead of G, adding an ethereal twist to the ending.

By playing with expectations, you can add a unique, dreamlike quality to your music.

10. Dynamics and Expression: Bringing Emotion to Open Chords

Contrasting open chords are not just about the notes you play but how you play them. Paying attention to dynamics and expression can significantly enhance the emotional impact of your music.

Techniques for Dynamic Expression

• Varying Picking Intensity: Experiment with playing the same chord progression with different levels of picking intensity. Start softly and gradually build up to a more intense strumming or picking, adding emotional depth to the music.
• Subtle Volume Changes: Use volume swells or slight changes in picking force to create dynamic shifts within your progressions. This can make your music feel more alive and responsive.
• Pauses and Silence: Don’t be afraid to incorporate pauses or moments of silence in your playing. These can create a sense of anticipation and make the next chord or note feel more impactful.

Expressive Playing Techniques

• Rubato: This technique involves slightly speeding up or slowing down the tempo to convey emotion. Use rubato to add a more human, expressive quality to your chord progressions.
• Ghost Notes: These are notes played so softly that they are almost inaudible. Ghost notes can add subtle rhythmic and harmonic complexity to your playing, especially in fingerpicking patterns.

By focusing on dynamics and expression, you can bring out the full emotional potential of your contrasting open chords.

11. Songwriting Exploration: Creating Dreamy Compositions

Finally, use the exploration of contrasting open chords as a catalyst for songwriting. These chords can serve as the foundation for melodies and lyrics that complement the atmospheric backdrop they create.

Approaching Songwriting with Open Chords

• Start with a Chord Progression: Choose a set of contrasting open chords that resonate with you and build a progression around them. Let the mood of the chords guide your melody and lyrical themes.
• Focus on Atmosphere: Let the dreamlike quality of the chords inspire your songwriting. Write lyrics that evoke imagery and emotions that match the atmospheric sound of your guitar parts.
• Experiment with Structure: Don’t feel constrained by traditional song structures. Let the open chords guide you toward more unconventional forms, such as extended intros, instrumental sections, or non-linear progressions.

Example Songwriting Ideas

• E Minor Progression: Build a song around an Em, Cadd9, and G progression, using fingerpicking patterns and reverb to create a haunting, ethereal atmosphere.
• A Major Progression: Use an A, Asus2, and Dmaj7 progression as the foundation for a bright, dreamy composition, experimenting with layered chords and delay effects.

Let your exploration of contrasting open chords lead you into new songwriting territory, creating music that is as emotionally resonant as it is sonically rich.

Embrace the Dreamlike World of Contrasting Open Chords

Incorporating contrasting open chords into your guitar playing opens up a world of sonic possibilities. Inspired by the dreamy styles of Alex Lifeson and Jeff Buckley, these techniques allow you to create lush, atmospheric soundscapes that captivate and transport listeners.

Whether you’re experimenting with suspended chords, exploring altered tunings, or layering chord progressions, contrasting open chords offer endless opportunities for creative expression. Embrace these techniques, let your imagination run wild, and unlock the full potential of your guitar as a tool for crafting dreamy, ethereal music.