OK, so in a recent post, I mentioned about how my new favourite chord was F6add9, and my new favourite chord progression was F6add9, Cadd9, G.
So now I am trying to figure out if those fall in a certain key/scale, and what other chords would sound good with it without trial and error of the hundreds of different chord possibilities.
How do I go about this? Also, any complimentary chord suggestions?
Oh my. Where to start? That could be the key of C. It could be G, as well. It could be any of a number of keys, but those are the most likely culprits.
Chords to try:
Em(7) – try the fingering 0-2-2-0-0-3-3 or 0-2-2-0-0-3-0 – if you’re playing those three chord the way I think you’re playing them, this should sound good with it.
Am(7) – try 0-0-3-0-2-0 or 0-0-3-0-2-3
D or Dsus4 – x-x-0-2-3-3 for the sus4
Bm7 – x-2-x-2-3-2
And you can take off in any of a number of directions…I"m a pianist at heart, but this is what immediately comes to me when you give me those chords.
F6add9= F A D G
Caddd9= C E/D G D G
G= G B D G D G
If you’re at all familiar with the Indigo Girls, that’s the chord progression for the chorus of “Pushing the Needle too Far” off of their CD Nomads,Indians Saints.
The song also uses the following chords as well:
Bm=x24x3x
Am7=x02010
Dsus=xx0233
D=xx0232
C9*=x02030 *that’s what the songbook calls it, but it seems to be more of an A7sus4 to me
This song is written in the key of G (the F# is made natural for the F6add9) but you could also do it in the obvious Em and to expand on your keys, you could easily do it in C or Am.
For more progressions, don’t forget that just pulling one finger off or moving it to a different fret can create a nice effect. Take that F6add9, for instance, and move it from xx3233 to xx3213 to xx3203 to x32003 to 320003 to 320013. Or playing with the bass note like xx3233 to xx2233 to x3x233 to x20233.
My recommendation is to learn scales a bit, it helps when trying to play within a key and knowing which notes will fit in the key. However, to me, nothing sounds better than a bridge to a song that finally breaks the key (like playing an Am in the song above and then moving it up to an A major.) It just really adds a great amount of tension. YMMV.
Thanks. Em7 does sound good with them. ( I am playing them the way you would probably expect with xx3233, x32033, and 320033. 
) I like Bm7, but I find it difficult to mute the middle string.
[QUOTE=stpauler]
(good suggestions…)
[QUOTE]
Thanks! I’ll try that as well. I’ll also check out the Indigo Girls song you mention. I stumbled on it by accident while playing around when Iwas a bit drunk and have loved the progression ever since.
You can try Bm7 with a different fingering: xx4432.
I’d generally play your three chords in the key of G. Particularly with the guitar, since the G and D are suspended through all three chords. And, doing them in the sequence you list them gives you a bVII, IV, I, which is very very common (and thus familiar) to the ear.
I’ll second all the other suggestions of chords that will fit. I particularly like the E- with the high D and G, and to continue with that suspension I’d suggest possibly a Dsus7 (x00213).
Another fun thing to try would be to take each of your original F and C chords and do some bass walk-downs with them to see how they sound. Thusly:
For the F
xx3233
xx2233 (for this you’d want to swith the strings that your pointer and middle fingers were on for the previous chord)
xx1233
xx0233
For the C
x32033
x20033 (likewise here, switch to use your pointer on the A string)
x10033
x00033
Hey! Look at that. Looks like I’m not completely talking out of my ass.
Anyhow, CuriousCanuck, it’s not that difficult to play that Bm with the muted 4th string. When you’re fretting the 2 fret of the fifth string, lean your finger over so it just touches the fourth string. It actually should feel fairly natural and be easier to play than a cleanly fretted 5th string and open fourth string.
Except that this is completely wrong. I meant to say:
try 0(or x)-0-2-0-1-0 or 0(or x)-0-2-0-1-3
Thanks for those suggestions guys. I can’t wait to go home and fiddle around (on the guitar).