One Chord Fits All
by Steph Lexner
Eric Johnson's prowess on the fingerboard is the stuff of legends. His dizzying, breakneck speed single-lines have earned him a seat in the pantheon of today's guitar heroes. However, to focus solely on this Texas wonderboy's mind-boggling soloing technique would overlook his affinity for cool chord voicings.
Today's Chord of the Week installment features a chameleon chord that is a favorite of Eric's. It's an incomplete C#mi11 played on the top four strings, and requires a little bit of a stretch. The cool thing is, this chord takes on various functions when you mate it with different bass notes, as illustrated in the sequence. With an A bass, it becomes an A6/9 chord. Add a B bass and it 's now a Bsus4add9 voicing, or play an E bass and you get an E6/9 chord. Finger the bass notes on the neck with your thumb if that's more comfortable.
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