Bbalt

Bbalt is Bb, D, F#, Ab and Cb, a altered dominant. The shape this page opens on is written x12330, lowest string first.

There are 11 common shapes for Bbalt on the guitar, and 23 derived voicings in 3 families.

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x12330, x12331, 670750, 65x756, 6707x6, xx8756, 6787x6, x-x-8-9-11-10, x-13-12-x-11-12, x-13-12-15-15-12, x-13-14-15-15-x.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Bbalt has x1010x, 6564xx, xx8797, x-13-12-13-12-x, x1x132, 6x677x, x-13-x-13-15-14, 6x010x.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Bbalt has xx0102, xx4434, xx6777, x9979x, x-x-9-11-9-10, x-11-12-11-12-x, x-x-12-13-12-14, x2413x.

Open string. An open string left ringing against a fretted grip. Because it costs no finger, it sounds a note the closed shape has none left for -- a tension on top, or a pedal root underneath. Either a familiar grip with open strings added, or a shape so sparse the open strings carry the chord. These belong to their key rather than to a shape, so D, A, G and E have many and Eb a handful. Bbalt has x56470.

Tensions. A shell of Bbalt, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (E).

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.