How do you play an open G? and a C?

aja

Do you play it like the books teach:

Or like the old cats use?

And do you play a C like this:

Or like this:

In each case the second one sounds much prettier to me.

dee

G I play like the second one, C the first one, but I don't play the high and low E's. Personal choice, I like the way it rings.

Riaan-Combrink

I must be one of the 'old cats'! I use the second shape for both of those. Sounds rich and cool - more importantly - iro the C: (1) you have a much better bass sound when playing amplified; and (2) easy move into Csus 4 and back again.
Iro the G - just sounds right!

Gearhead

I play the bottom C with the 3 and 4 fingers the other way around mostly. If you don't want to sound bassy the other C with the muted out E will work but you can also not mute it (e.g. if the next chord happens to be an Em). Note that in that case there's 3 E's and only one G in the chord, hence the tonal difference.

The G depends on the guitar. On an electric I tend to choose between the 'old cat' thing and a barre on the 3rd depending on the previous/next chord. On acoustic (especially on 12 strings) I rather go for the first one.

Riaan

Also the second shape, the G almost always and the C most of the time. Just sounds better to me that way, also it's a habit by now.

aja

Riaan C wrote I must be one of the 'old cats'! I use the second shape for both of those.

Yes yes I see that now. I wasn't paying attention to your left hand, but now I can see you are clearly using the second technique:

:dance:

Riaan

So that's what "guitar face" looks like... ?

aubs1

Riaan C wrote I must be one of the 'old cats'! I use the second shape for both of those. Sounds rich and cool - more importantly - iro the C: (1) you have a much better bass sound when playing amplified; and (2) easy move into Csus 4 and back again.
Iro the G - just sounds right!

Me too.......just always liked that sound.....

TomCat

aja wrote
Riaan C wrote I must be one of the 'old cats'! I use the second shape for both of those.
Yes yes I see that now. I wasn't paying attention to your left hand, but now I can see you are clearly using the second technique:

:dance:

OK.......Who snuk in that photo of me when I wasn't looking........... ? ?

Lethe

In theory the second version of the C is the second inversion of C. So it's not a standard C.

Carmen

I play the G the book's way, and I do C by the first picture.

AlanRatcliffe

Second way for the G (usually). Either way for the C.

aja

Lethe wrote In theory the second version of the C is the second inversion of C. So it's not a standard C.

How do you know these things? ?

Lethe

aja wrote
Lethe wrote In theory the second version of the C is the second inversion of C. So it's not a standard C.
How do you know these things? ?

Inversions are basically rotating the order of the chord.
If a major chord is (1 3 5) the first inversion is ( 3 5 1) and the second inversion is ( 5 1 3)
For C Major (C E G) => (E G C) ( G C E)

This is just an example for a major triad. Same principle applies to extended chords. You just get more inversions (eg. 4th inversions exist for 7th chords)

Inversions have an effect on the tonality (amongst many other things) since it changes the root/ tonic note.

Lethe

ie. you could look at the first inversion as a G chord. I think it would be G6sus4.

aja

Thanks Lethe - I have lots to learn. :-[

Holidays here I come!