Daniel Caesar has captured hearts with his soulful music and poignant lyrics, so here’s how to play his hit “Best Part” on guitar.
This chord progression starts out as C major, modulates up one minor third and then back down another one before returning back down into C major – ideal for plaintive ballads like Paul McCartney’s Blackbird or James Bay’s Hold Back the River.
1. C#m7
C#m7 chord, more commonly referred to as C sharp minor seventh chord, boasts an elegant sound found across jazz and blues genres. But its expressive softness also evokes feelings of longing or solemnity – perfect for love ballads and melancholy songs.
This variant of the Cm7 barre chord omits its low E note for an altered sound that may be lower and melancholier. Need help learning barre chords? ChordBank’s Chord Coach can listen and guide your fingers through each step in creating barre chords.
Kool and the Gang’s wedding classic, “Celebration”, provides an exciting, more upbeat approach to Cm7 chord. This arrangement serves as the ideal setting for the song’s funky verses while providing a rich harmonic base to its unforgettable chorus – enjoy!
2. Bsus4
Sus4 chords resemble suspended triads in that they do not contain an interval at the third degree, providing additional color and tension in any chord progression.
To create this chord we must mute the second string so that only the first and fifth strings ring out, by placing our index finger on the second fret of A string and muted with our thumb resting over neck.
Practice this voicing and its variations until you become comfortable with its fingerings, then try it in several keys to hear how its sound changes. Use Chord Bank’s chord coach for real-time feedback as you play this chord and practice individual fingers at a time – try for free today and become a full access member later!
3. Fsus2
Fsus2 chord is an easy and fun addition to any musician’s repertoire, providing your music with a fantastic sound. Just fingering out with proper finger placement.
Jazz progressions frequently use arpeggios, while they’re also found in songs like the Jethro Tull classic Thick As A Brick. Try placing your capo at the third fret to give an open and vibrant sound.
Make any major chord into an Fsus2 by subtracting its third note and adding its second one, giving it a different sound and making it less “major”.
4. G#m7
G#m7 (also known as G sharp minor seventh) is a four-note chord composed of G#, B, D# and F#. To play it on guitar, start by placing your index finger at the 10th fret of the first string and barre it across to its fifth fret, followed by placing middle and ring fingers at 11th and 12th frets of both B and D strings respectively – then strumming all six strings from top down!
Many songs feature this chord, including classic funk tunes like the O’Jays’ “I Love Music.” This track’s arrangement blends driving percussion, an energetic bassline, and lively horns to showcase Gm7’s bright side – you might like to try swapping it into your own songs to experience its effects on their vibe.
5. D#m7
D#m7 is a versatile modal chord that could be employed in various ways. Functionally speaking, it might act as either a chromatic mediant of G or V chord in D major using modal interchange, while in this context serving more as an additional tonic adding an airy quality to its progression.
One way to better understand this progression is to temporarily swap out all maj7 chords with plain triads (D, C, G). Play that version several times and compare it to its original sequence; this will enable you to see how these minor extensions add character and make listening to it even more rewarding.
6. D#m7b5
Half diminished chords may sound dissonant on their own, but can create beautiful harmonies when used together with other chords. Learning this chord is essential when learning Daniel Caesar & H.E.R’s hit track “Best Part,” as it involves using an easy strumming pattern of down-mute-down-mute that can be found here: Video Link
Jazz lead sheets often depict this chord as Fm6, though I find its functionality better reflected by a D m7b5. This chord can serve as an effective dominant preparation for D or G (D7 = Bm7) chords as well as providing opportunities to combine other chords such as F6 and Am7 chords.
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7. D#m7b6
D#m7b6 chord is a four-note chord composed of D#, F##, B, and C## notes and is commonly found in minor key blues progressions to add more of a dominant seventh feel. Additionally, this chord can also be known as D sharp major seventh flat sixth chord.
As it can create dissonant tones when played over major seventh chords, the fourth scale degree F should generally be avoided when performing over them.
This chord can be challenging to play because its form can be seen as both IVmaj7 or phrygian mode chords; each mode brings its own advantages; however, from a functional perspective Gmaj7 fits our progression so well that we don’t have to consider it beyond being used as secondary tonic – its mute-down-mute strumming pattern helps communicate this idea.
8. D#m7b9
Though it may look complicated, this chord is actually fairly straightforward to play – essentially consisting of a dominant 7th with an additional augmented 9th added on top.
Diminished chords often offer multiple voice leading options; this chord features a flat 9 which can be analysed as either F#dim7 or Fmixo(addb9).
This chord works especially well when played against major chords. To test its effectiveness, try replacing A7 in this sequence with Cmaj7 and see what effect that has. Or drop all maj7 chords altogether for an alternative approach that will demonstrate the differences between major and minor chords clearly and easily.
9. D#m7b10
D#m7b10 is an exceptional chord, offering endless potential. It works great on any acoustic or electric guitar and it’s very straightforward to play; simply strum down before gently resting your strumming hand on the strings (see video for visual representation) before repeating this pattern for each downstrum to create an infectious groove that stands out.
Below you’ll find an explanation on how to play this chord, with examples and tips provided. Be sure to practice often and experiment with various variations! You might just be amazed by how many songs can come from this simple chord! Best of luck!
10. D#m7b11
D#m7b11 is an ideal chord for beginners to start out learning, as its accessible playing style and beautiful sound make for easy mastery. Practice slowly until your tempo increases until it feels natural – then use this chord in other songs as a transition between D, Am7 and G chords!
Note the use of Bmaj7 chord, although technically not part of D major key signature. Bmaj7 serves two roles in this progression, which include both being used as the mediant for G and functioning as the tonic chord for D minor key signature modal interchange, adding unique texture and giving this chord strong lead potential, making it extremely flexible chord to use across many genres of music.
