Alternate distorted chord voicings

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YellowJacket

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Most average beginner / intermediate guitarists use power chords when playing with dirt. While I had several chords that I like using for dirty playing, I have been trying to expand my palette and I'm curious what you all like using when playing with gain.

Power Chord Extensions: Stacked fifth extension. So basically a three note ninth chord. Pretty common. There is also the major 7th extension to a power chord which is the fifth and then a major third on top of that. I also like A string power chords with a fourth lower. In drop D I like to play a barre chord with a D major form on top of it. I also like three note barre chords with the third of the chord voiced on the D string. I also use complete bar chords with a light pick attack for a clear and resonant sound. Great for punk rock or lighter rock.

Triad based chords: I definitely like using Mustaine style thirds but I have extended these too. 1) Major and minor triads. These are a bit awkward to play at first but are definitely thicker and more lush than fifth and fourth based chords. 2) Third with fourth lower extension. For A string thirds, I like to play the fourth below the root to thicken the sound and make it deeper / darker. Sounds HUGE. 3) Thirds with an octave extension. I actually picked this up from a Mesa Boogie demo. It is a third chord but with the mediant degree also voiced an octave higher. You play the E A and G strings while muting the D string.
4) I also like playing a major third with a seventh extension which can then resolve to the octave. A minor third with an octave extension of the root can also be played.

Sixths: I so far have been practicing my sixth doublestops and I use them as simple two note voicings. It is a much more open sonority and is better for lighter music but still can be nice during a solo.

Dissonant Chords: I've worked with these a little bit. The basic one is a tritone. Play a powerchord and then drop the upper note a halfstep to make a diminished fifth. This is downright ugly but probably a mainstay for many metal players. I like to play this 'detuned' power chord on the A string with a fourth extension below the root and a fourth above the upper note. Basically, you barre the bottom and the top to get a four note chord with a super phat and intense grind. Another option is a two note doublestop in the interval of a second. You have to play this with a four or five fret stretch but it could make for some juicy metal harmonies.
 
nice post. I'm not big on theory in the slightest (sorry if i sound dumb) but what i find i like doing the most is your standard power chord shape, then slamming the pinky down a half step up for the darker stuff and a whole step for that nice old school blues rock. also i adore the sound and feel of "thirds chords" or "backwards power chords" as i call them....over used in the world of metal maybe but i use them in different ways. also "ham bone power chords" that's basically the root and the lower 5th and 4th instead of the higher. once again sorry for my lack of theory knowledge.
 
I think Yellowjacket already has his theory down and is a pretty advance player reading from his post. For me, when playing different inversions/voicing of chords, the challenge is finding the right amount of distortion so as not to "muddy" up the sound. Too much distortion and it's mush, too little distortion, then it borders on the overdrive/tube screamer sound. Even a Major7 chord, which to my ears are the most "white bread" sound, if played with the right amount of overdrive/distortion could add color to your wall of sound.
 
lesterpaul said:
sus chords!!...think Alex Lifeson
...and M7 chords with distortion?dude, you are a wild man! :D you know, its all in how you voice them...an endless education, no doubt!

Yup, it was weird, but i only used a tubescreamer 808 and had to get the right mix of overdrive, and it was a drop-3 voicing so only 4 strings were involved in the debacle, the rest were muted.

I definitely like the Alex Lifeson sus chords, also Townshend...pinball whizzarddd....but, that may be overdrive?
 
With more complex chords, you can always drop the root and let the Bass carry it to maintain clarity! Since Tube amps are so brilliant, there is also the option to play with less attack which can clean up the tone somewhat. Good times. Note density can also be a nice effect with crunch as well as switching pickups. My general rule is that the more notes I add, the lighter I play the guitar so that I can maintain string definition. The other option is to use upstrokes to emphasize the higher pitches more, something else I like doing when I am playing a moving upper line while playing a chord at the same time.
 

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