I'm nailing the D Shape Eb Chord 😁

Just another thought.

If Eb7 doesn’t sound right then try forming the Eb as a C-shape and add your little finger to the high E string also.
Fingering

6
4
X
5
6
X

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OK Silvia, no arm wrestling. Perhaps some day we’ll do a long distance Dueling Banjos!

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You could also play a D shaped Eb/G - using the pinky to play the G on the 5th fret D string (the third of the chord instead of the root) . Still a stretch, but I find that shape much easier to play

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I play somtimes C in open position with pinkie on G, but never tried to move this shape and play 4 strings. I will try to use this, thank you!

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xx1343

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Nicole…I hope that after trying you’ll forget the Eb because as Richard pointed out it is an uneccessary torture! And difficult to use in songs…better to find alternatives… but I had to share my joy to see that without even realising with just routine and keep on going and playing I’m developing some good dexterity in my fretting hand and what was impossible and painful is now possible without pain…but being able to use it in songs…that’s something different…

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Just gave this chord a go Silvia. Wow that’s a difficult stretch! If I come across a song with that one in it I’ll be playing a 3 string triad version! :grinning_face_with_big_eyes:

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This is such a great idea! Because the song is transposed in the key of G and that bass G note on the Eb right before the final G will be a super nice way to bring the song home! I haven’t tried yet but I think it should sound super lovely…and…(devilish look in my eyes)… there’s a G on the third fret on the 6th string, right? Since I can play barre chords what if I bar the third fret, use middle to reinforce the pressure of the bar (as I do with minor chords) and just put ring finger on the third fret of the B string? And from that to the last G, a barre G! @Richard_close2u does it sound as a good idea? I think it’ll make it all a lot easier.

In Grade 3 you’ll find this lesson ā€œHow to Play Easy Chord Shapes Up The Neckā€ā€¦ you can use this little trick to put down a finger and move the shape of any chord…there’s a theoretical reason why you can do that, but I don’t want to spoil the joy of finding it out by yourself by telling you :blush:
And…never mind Justin pretending he doesn’t know how to move the G shape, I’m pretty sure he does it to boost further investigations from his students :laughing::wink: our good Teacher!

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@sairfingers yes that’s a very good idea!

If you are looking for some voice leading and movement then you can explore some or all of these.
Because you’re finger picking, unfretted strings are irrelevant. You just play the strings you want.

The chord shape top right could be used to add higher pitched movement in the higher. You could pick the Bb on fret 6 then lift your 4th finger to play the G on fret 3. Leading to your G chord resolution. That would be smooth and easy.
If you want to hear Eb as the bass root then you would need to use one of the bottom shapes. When you move to your closing barre chord G major, you could start it on the 5th string, the note D, giving a voice leading from Eb on 5th string to D on 5th string. Then use the full G chord with its root note on 6th string as your final flourish.

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Thank you Richard for all this information. At the moment I’m at a stage where I want to keep anything as simple as possible so that the song will be doable for me, I hope to post soon my arrangement to better explain what I mean. The next step from this first study of the song will be a chord melody arrangement, one day or the other in the future, because I do love chord melodies and I’m now able to arrange very simple ones. I think I’ll then be able to take more care of details and these shapes you shared will be very useful for me to choose what sounds better.
Oh and thank you for the video you shared, I had a few re-listen as it’s so beautifully played and sung! :blush:

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That’s something everyone should realise and the sooner the better. I avoided almost anything challenging for a long time, barely pushing my playing. And less than 3 weeks ago I started learning Nothing Else Matters with a strong intention to learn it. And it’s not the easiest song, it has some quite tricky parts and overall it’s a a challenging piece. But here I am, very surprised, knowing the whole thing and being able to play it along the original more or less. End even the solo, which is just mind-blowing for me.

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Yes…that’s the feeling! Nothing else matters has always been on my wish list, I don’t play the electric guitar and that melodic intro is the part that I love best, I also did a few attempts but never learned it all. I’m very happy to read you’re nailing it and enjoying it! :blush:

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Give it a try! Chorus is very easy, you can start here. The intro is the trickiest part with those fast hammer-ons and pull-offs, but it’s manageable. And verses are challenging due to fast fingerstyle pattern, but when you manage to play it it’s so much fun.

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I think it’ll be my first rock song, but on acoustic…soon or later :heart_eyes:
Thanks for the info :blush:

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That is fantastic lesson, thank you Silvia. I did watch it before, even tried all the shape changes, but never properly incorporated this into my playing. I move sometimes C shape to 5 fret (D) in Hurt by J. Cash, as Justin teaches. I also move mini F to G in some songs. That is about it.
I guess this requires going through your songs, finding where and which shape works and then practicing that way until old shape in new position becomes natural to use. Sounds like a plan! :smiley:

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alirght, try to learn some other chords using that shape as well and practice some songs where interchanging other grips with this one.

The more different grips you know for each chord, the more voicings you have at your disposal. Taking parts of these shapes also help you in localising often used scale shapes and arpeggio’s!

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