Help with a chord (guitar)

[hefdaddy42]

Hello, DTF musical geniuses.  I need help with a chord on guitar.  I'm going from open G up to A minor.  I think the chord in the walk-up is an E with an Ab bass.  Is that right?  If so, what is the best way to shape that chord?

If not, what else might work, and what is your idea for the chord diagram?

[hefdaddy42]

Forgot to add, the song is in the key of C.

[Jamesman42]

The key of C doesn't contain Ab (unless the writer went outside of the scale, or key =/= scale).

One way to shape it would be like this:

e--0--
B--0--
G--1--
D--2--
A--1--
E--x--

It's almost like a B7 chord, without the F# on the high-E string.

This is my best guess, hope it helps.

[Jamesman42]

Ha, going from the Am to whatever chord this is actually sounds really cool.

Edit: Edited my first post, and this one because of that: an E isn't in the key of C either. Em is in the key of C. E does sound good when played before Am.

Edit 2: Oh, the actual shape is this, I just remembered:

e--0--
B--0--
G--1--
D--2--
A--2--
E--4-- <--Ab

[hefdaddy42]

That's interesting, I'll give it a whirl.  What I was working with (which didn't sound quite right) was:

e--O--
B--O--
G--4--
D--4--
A--X--
E--4--  <--Ab

[Jamesman42]

That is weird, that chord chart incorporates yet another note that isn't in the C scale (F#).

Messing around with the one you posted, a slight modification should make the correct one this:

e--O--
B--O--
G--4-- (1st finger)
D--6-- (4th finger)
A--X--
E--4--  <--Ab (2nd finger)

Looking at that, you have Ab, G#, B (twice, same note on different strings), and E, which all compose the E major chord with a Ab bass. That chord seems easier to play than the one I posted above. I wrote down the finger placement that worked best for me. Hope this helps!

[hefdaddy42]

Looks neat, but it's too late to pull out my Guild right now.  Tomorrow is another day!

[Jamesman42]

Tomorrow was yesterday (I think). Did you get it worked out?

If anything, I gained a new shape to a chord I don't like playing, due to the finger stretch.

[SirVoltage]

Quite the bump, but figured it might still be of interest:

This chord voicing is a Emaj over a Ab bass, its a particular favourite of Brian May, and JP has used it also:

e   --x--
B   --5--    Pinkie
G   --4--    Ring
D   --2--    Index
A   --x--    Dampen with middle
E   --4--    Middle finger


I've found it to be a pretty versatile chord voicing, particularly as its a moveable shape, and with a bit of practice it falls as naturally as the open position chords.

Hope this helps.

[Manolito Mystiq]

Jamesman, you're playing a secondary dominant. You play the dominant of Am: E major with the leading note (of Am) in the bass, which is G# (not Ab). You're making a cadens to Am. If you would have played Em to Am, the progression would not have been cadentically strong.