One of the things that I have found most helpful in my professional playing career has been the use of a few simple chord substitution tricks. In my previous blog, I mentioned a key one for major chords - You can substitute a Major 2 chord for any Major chord to create a modern and open sound. Here’s one that works for minor chords.

In most playing situations, you can substitute a Minor 11th chord for any Minor chord to add richness and color to your sound.

For example, here is a typical chord progression in the key of C. The first line is what would be written on the page but with some chord substitution tricks I would play the second line giving it a much more interesting sound.

Remember, you can substitute Major 2 chords for Major chords and Minor 11th chords for Minor chords.

Keep Learning and Growing!
Steve Krenz Author - Learn and Master Guitar