What is this chord?

[Donald Boyajian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyktendqW38

At 28 seconds--I hear it all the time. A and B with E's lowered? What do you call that?

[Erv Niehaus]

That's a 9th chord.

[Dan Beller-McKenna]

That's a 9th chord (in this case C9, a version of the IV chord in G major). In this voicing (strings 8-6-5 at the first fret) there is no root (C), just E-Bb-D, or, 3-b7-9 of the C major scale. Since he comes down from the third fret, this is similar to another approach you hear a lot, namely coming down from fret 10 to fret 8 on strings 9-7-6. There you start with he B pedal down (on strings 6) to make C-E-G, then release it as you move down through the 9th to the 8th fret, arriving at Bb-D-E. There's also a nice version of this coming down from open position (8th fret for C).

[Donald Boyajian]

Sweet. Thanks so much. I love the sound of these types of passing chords. I get stuck too often in the stock fills...and forget to and these low note, full soundeding chords.