Galt

Galt is G, B, D#, F and Ab, a altered dominant. The shape this page opens on is written 32x023, lowest string first.

Note by note. G is the root, B is the major third, D# is the sharp fifth, F is the flat seventh and Ab is the flat ninth.

Also written G7alt, G7altered or G altered dominant. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 9 common shapes for Galt on the guitar, and 19 derived voicings in 2 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Galt and you have Gaug7 (with one note taken away), Gaug9 (with one note moved) or G7b9 (with one note moved).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: 32x023, 32x423, xx5423, 3454x3, xx5607, xx5687, x-10-9-0-0-9, x-10-9-12-12-9, x-10-11-12-12-x.

Under the hand. 1 of the 9 shapes here sits in open position, and the first uses 1 open string with 1 left unplayed. None of them needs a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 2nd fret to the 12th.

Where it goes. Galt is a dominant with its tension raised, so it still points at C — harder than a plain seventh does, because the altered tones sit a semitone from where they are going.

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. Galt has 3231xx, xx5464, x-10-9-10-9-x, 15-14-15-13-x-x, 3x344x, x-10-x-10-12-11.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Galt has xx1101, xx3444, x6646x, xx6867, x8989x, x-x-9-10-9-11, x-x-13-13-12-13, x2314x.

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

What kind of chord this is. Galt is an altered chord — a dominant seventh with its fifth or ninth moved. altered dominant chords on every root, and what they are for.

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