Learning new chords is not as complicated as some players make it out to be. In fact, it can be boiled down to one thing and that "one thing" is inspiration upon hearing a really interesting harmony from within a song and then learning what chord duplicates the effect...



The first band that sparked a lush /dreamy "chord interest" for me was Pink Floyd.

There was always something about that floating Pink Floyd chord sound that made me a curious guitar player when it came to learning Pink Floyd's lush harmony style.

I know that I wasn't the only one. Millions of guitar players world-wide have said the same thing about Pink Floyd's dreamy chord work, (like the song, "Goodbye Blue Sky").

In this video, I’m going to show you a type of chord that millions of guitar players all around the world have been learning, copying and experimenting with for years. They are called "ADD" chord types and they truly are a very special sound.


WATCH THE VIDEO:




WHAT ARE "ADD" CHORD TYPES:
The "ADD" chord has a very wide /lush sound to it that is so unique you will probably remember the first time that you ever tried to play it. And, once this chord is learned, the "ADD" chords' sound will always stay in your musical thoughts - forever.

These chords offer us a very unique wide interval effect. If you’ve already started trying to use some of these chord types, you’ll probably already know them by the name of, “add 2” or perhaps, “add4,” or even, “add11.”

These "ADD" chord types are very inviting because they are really cool sounding, (which is why millions of players all over the planet love to use them when they want that dreamy floating sound).

The interval effect found within this chord creates a lot of distance between the tones. And, it produces a highly unique sound in music. This ends up making these chords come across as sounding really dreamy to use in almost any situation where this type of sound color and effect is wanted.





"BASIC" CHORD THEORY:
In getting started, let’s learn some music theory behind what makes these chords sound so interesting.

Anytime that you see the word “add” notated next to a chord name, it means that we’re adding in one additional “outer” interval.

By this, I mean adding in another note from the key that is not related to the basic chord tone construction based off of the root note.

Keep in mind, that when you construct a chord in music, it’s normal series of chord tones will always travel in 3rd intervals, (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13).

NOTE:  The "9, 11 and 13" are really the key's, "2, 4 and 6."


Basic Chord Construction:
For example, if my root note was a “C,” then the next basic chord tone would move up 3 notes to an “E.”

 Travel up a "third" from "C" to "E"


If we then go up 3 more tones from there, to a note of “G,” that would complete the chord as a basic, “C Major” triad chord.


This is the method for constructing “basic” chord structure is called the; 1, 3, 5 because it uses the first, third and fifth tones of the key signature to construct the keys primary chord.



"ADD" CHORD THEORY:
Next, let’s clarify a little more about chord structure. So far I’ve explained that in our “C Major” chord we had notes getting stacked on top of each other as 3rd intervals.

That’s the standard approach for constructing chords. But, if we were to go and construct a different chord structure, let’s say perhaps for an “Add” chord type, we would need to “add on” a unique scale tone within the original notes of the chord.

If I added another note to our “C” chord, (like let’s say perhaps a “D”), then we’d have a note other than the 1, 3, 5 structure.




What’s nice is that this means that we get to keep the chord quality of the chord, whether it’s Major or Minor, (in this case it’s Major).

However, we are “adding” on another scale note of the key with that “1, 3, 5” structure. In this case the added note is the second note away from our root note of “C” making this chord a “Cadd2” (1, 3, 5, 2).

Plus, also remember that since our original chord was Major, this chord would also be Major as well.



Now that we’ve got the general music theory out of the way, let’s learn some of these shapes and find out why millions of guitar players across this planet absolutely love these chord types…





"ADD 2" CHORD SHAPES:
Here’s our first shape. This one is an open position “Am add2.” It looks like this…



Our next chord is another open position Minor (add2), this time the shape is based off of the 6th string “E,” for an “E minor add2.”



Next, let’s switch over to Major and convert those “A and E” Minor chords to Major. First, here’s an “A major add2,” in the open position…



And, finally here’s the Major version of the “E” chord. It’s an “E major add2.”



"ADD 4" and "ADD11" CHORD SHAPES:
The next shapes that I have for you are going to be the chord types of the, “add4,” and the, “add11.”

IMPORTANT: Both of these chords add on the fourth tone of the key. But, the 11th will only be indicated if the 7th chord tone is present.

Let’s try learning some of these add4 and add11 chords. The first shape is the “Dadd4.” This chord is actually a Major chord type with the 4th interval added. It offers a really nice dreamy sound…

The next shape is a very similar layout but it is constructed from off of the 6th guitar string, it is called the, “A dominant 7th add11.”


Next, I’ve got a “G dominant 7th add11.” The fingering is a little challenging, but it really sounds great for this chord type’s dreamy effect. Plus, you can also experiment with moving it around the neck laterally for additional sounds as well.


Finally, I’ve got an “E major 7 add11.” This one’s fully moveable anywhere on the neck!



Now, that you have a group of these interesting add2 and add4 as well as, add11 shapes to try, the final idea I’d like to leave you with is the principle of putting them to use.




APPLICATION:
For the most part, this stage of practice is all about experimentation. 

You can try composing progressions with the shapes we’ve covered, or you can try moving them all over the fingerboard and work toward discovering ways that will be interesting to you.

The end goal would be about making these chords work across all kinds of musical compositions. As an example for you to hear, I made up a simple progression that you can start working on right away.

Jam Progression:




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