The B7th position has an intriguing and unusual sound-- it's well worth your time to round out your playing by learning how to navigate in this position. There aren't a lot of examples of using B7th as the tonal cental of a song, but the ones there are are really great! Robert Jr Lockwood's "Western Horizon" and Muddy Water's "CC Woman" (from Live at Mr Kelly's) are both really distinctive, and learning them can get you started navigating this postion. This video goes though the main chord shapes, how to exploit the open strings that come up in this position for a ringing and full sound, and the kinds of traditional bass lines that glue the music together.
One reason I'm fond of songs in B7th is Jimmy Lee Robinson, who I worked with often in the early 90s. He had such a mournful way of playing in that position-- it would really make you cry! These voicings can completely change the mood from your more typical movable chord forms of A or E. Using a capo, you can play as a rhythm guitarist in this position in any key and come up with a distinctive chordal counterpoint to a shuffle or a slow blues. For example, let's say you're playing rhythm guitar in a group with two guitars, bass and drums. If someone is playing a slow blues in C, playing lead out of the E shaped bar chord on the 8th fret, you could capo at the first fret, and play a B7th shape, E shape for the IV and F sharp for the V for an interesting and very full sound.
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21 июл 2024
