Turn Simple Open Chords Into Chart-Topping Riffs!

This should not be possible, right? That’s what I thought too. D major takes up all three fingers—so where’s the room for riffing?

Well, turns out there’s a *lot* of room. And in this lesson, I’ll show you how you can take any open chord and turn it into something way more exciting. Riffable. Musical. Something you might actually *use* when writing or jamming.

We start with D major…

Most of us learn chords by shape. "D major" = this one shape. Only strum from the D string. Only use these fingers. That kind of stuff.

But once you've memorized the chord, you’re actually free to start breaking those rules. You don’t have to stick to all the original notes. You can skip strings. You can drop a finger. And suddenly—boom—you’ve got a finger free to explore with.

Free up a finger, unlock a riff

In this video, I start by removing a note from the D chord. That frees up my middle finger. Now I can move it around and create motion in the bass—while the rest of the chord still rings out.

Try it: play your regular D, then take your middle finger and stretch it up to the 3rd fret on the D string. Or move it down to the A string. Let those changes drive the rhythm while the upper notes stay the same. Feels like a riff now, doesn’t it?

Don’t worry about the theory

Yes, playing that open E string over a D chord technically gives you a Dadd9 or maybe a sus2 depending on context—but honestly, who cares? The point is: if it sounds good, it's good. If you like it, use it.

Most famous riffs break these rules

The reality is, loads of chart-topping riffs use open chords—but not the way they were originally taught. They bend the shapes. Drop a note here. Add a bass note there. They make the chord breathe and move.

So what should you do?

Take your basic open chords—D, A, C, E—and start asking: What happens if I skip a string? What if I move one note? What happens when I loop that motion?

You’ll find gold, I promise. And if you want the exact riff I play in the intro, I’ve shared the tab for free over on my Patreon.

Thanks for reading—and watching. Now go riff on your open chords and turn them into something unforgettable.

Cheers,

Kristofer