Beginner questions

Mike:

Am a relative beginner. In the song "Imagine", when in the Chorus and you are switching

from a bar F chord you then go to an open G. Why not just move bar up to the G.

Have ask this questions other times on other songs asking why a Bar vs open, but I only hear it is a different sound. Am also trying My Sweet Lord. Do you sense a pattern here?

Any suggestions

Thanks

Hi Brad - thanks for your question. You absolutely could move the F barre chord up 2 frets to get the G!! The guitar is an interesting instrument since you can play exactly the same thing a number of different ways. Part of the fun of learning a song is to learn it, and see if there are any other ways you could play the same thing. Everybody is different, and one guitarist might find one way easier than another.

It is slightly a different sound (open chord vs barre chord). The open chords generally sound brighter due to the open strings, but that is guitar dependent as well. Of course, there are slightly different notes in each type of chord, so that will give a slightly different sound.

I say go for it, anytime you find another way to play the same thing - do what you like and prefer!

Hope this helps,

Mike

Originally Posted by: Brad2853

Mike:

Am a relative beginner. In the song "Imagine", when in the Chorus and you are switching

from a bar F chord you then go to an open G. Why not just move bar up to the G.

Have ask this questions other times on other songs asking why a Bar vs open, but I only hear it is a different sound. Am also trying My Sweet Lord. Do you sense a pattern here?

Any suggestions

Thanks

Thanks Mike: so as a follow up, why did You

decide to go from Bar to open?

what did Lennon do on the original, although

it might have been on piano.

thanks

Brad

Hey Brad, the original was on piano, so we have adapted the song on to the guitar.

There is no real big reason why I chose that, other than when I play acoustic guitar, most of the time, I prefer to use open chords whenever I can because I slightly prefer the sound. But that's more of a personal choice, so there's absolutely nothing wrong with playing a G barre chord in that spot.

Mike

Originally Posted by: Brad2853

Thanks Mike: so as a follow up, why did You

decide to go from Bar to open?

what did Lennon do on the original, although

it might have been on piano.

thanks

Brad

Yhanks Mike, you answered my question